Têtes de Bois – EXTRA

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Twelve years after their previous work, Têtes de Bois return to confront the repertoire of Léo Ferré in EXTRA.
A way to remember the great French artist 20 years after his death.
Extra is the outcome of two years spent by the band re-listening to over four hundred of Ferré's songs.
In the end they chose ten songs, trying to give them a faithful but somehow also current Italian translation.

Têtes de Bois - EXTRA : The songs

This is Tango, an unreleased text, never set to music by Ferré, a splendid little gem, given to the Têtes de Bois by his son Mathieu, who also gave them the opportunity to use Ferré's own piano, played on all the tracks on the album.

In every note of this record you can really hear Ferré's music and poetry.
Têtes de Bois take a huge risk by remaking "Il mare e la memoria" one of the masterpieces of Ferré's songbook. A masterpiece thanks to the impeccable and poetic Italian translation, the touching and heartfelt interpretation and the perfection of the musical arrangement.
Extra, another great classic of the French singer-songwriter taken up in a personal way, is a ballad with a great melodic opening, played on trumpet and piano, one of the most beautiful love songs ever.
"Tu non dici mai niente", still one of the high points of Ferré's songbook, here in Enrico Medail's Italian translation.
In "La maliziosa" we find them grappling with a text by Arthur Rimbaud, for a song in which the piano and voice stand out, colored with sadness and sweetness by the trumpet.
Two traks built by Ferré on poetry by Paul Verlaine: "Ti rivedo ancora", a soft and intense poem, and "Pattinava…".
Not missing among the French poets taken up by Ferré is Charles Baudelaire, although there is no version of this "L'eautontimorumenos" in the official discography.
The Romans listened to a voice and piano version of it recorded on an old cassette tape, and turned it into an electric, tense, brilliant song, in which they prove that they are great musicians, as demonstrated by the arrangements and performances of "Felici come mai" and "Se te ne vai."
In closing there is room for a bonus track, "Il tuo stile," already featured on the previous work with guest Francesco di Giacomo.