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The roots of the “CALANTI” name comes from the Nickname that, in our small towns and villages, is usually given to a person, referring on some particular characteristics of its job or personality.
The Colitti Family, farmers who have been closely related to musical traditions since forever, used to participate to any neighbourhood or private ceremonies, parties or celebrations, mostly during times when it was quite impossible to find some different ways of entertainment, but at the same time still very strong the happiness and the enthusiasm to meet everytime all together, just to sing, play music and dance until late night.
Our grandpa Antonio, since he was a kid, expressed a true passion for singing and playing, at the point that everyone of his friends (and even his boos at work “Don” Adolfo Colosso – a quite rich landowner) asked him to sing: of course he didn’t even wait to be asked twice, that he started singing the song saying “donna Calante mia, donna Calante, a menzu l’anche porti ‘nu serpente” , making everyone happy, and most of all the boss, who used quite often to give him a whole box full of figs.
That’s when the Nickname “Ucciu (= Antonio) Calante” started leading on the streets and got to be born, and since then, in our little town (at that time still a small village) everyone used to refer at him and to get to know him just as “Ucciu Calante”.
Over the years, our grandpa’s passion started involving all of his brothers, and the all starter together to partecipate, each year, to the S.Rocco night (a night of celebrations taken in Ruffano, a small town near Ugento, dedicated to the Patron of the village), where they used to sing and play until sunrise.
During those times, him and several musicians were invited to play in private parties as well, when it was considered necessary – standing on cultural traditional beliefs – to exorcise the “tarantate” women (“tarantate” = who had been pinched by the Taranta).
Later, when “ucciu Calante” ‘s sons grew older, they got to be Nicknamed “I CALANTI” as well, and since then the musical band revealed as official its new name, which is still the actual name. At that point, the band started to grow its number of members and gave birth to an extraordinary rise in the popular music panorama.
At first, the band was composed only by “Ucciu Calante” and by his brother Vincenzo, renamed “Ziu ‘Nzinu” (Uncle Vincenzo), who was very involved in this passion as well.
After sometime, some more member got into the “crew” and started to participate to any traditional celebration night in any village all around the area, bringing along with them the still very young nephews, who, in the next years, learned how to song and play their passion as well.
In 1998 the founders of the band “folded” to their young nephews Daniele, Mirko, Cosimo and Damiano. In the name of tradition, they take part each year at the S. Rocco Night(s). The following year another cousin gets into the band also, his name is Simone, accordionist.
In 2000 the band makes a big step, by letting in the first “non-familiar” band member: Alberto Carratta, well known and considered guitarist; then, in 2002 some scene dancers came in, as Manolo Perruccio, Jenny Ciullo, Martino Campioni and Pamela Spennato, who, with their “courtship dance” spread out enthusiasm and get the audience to be even more involved in their performances.
In 2004 the voice of the very young Irene Colitti takes part of the band (she’s “Ziu ‘Nzinu” ‘s daughter), and in 2006 it’s the time for two new dancers to join the band: Angela Ciullo and Fabrizio Ricchiello).
This big “orchestra” is not hungry of big expetations: it just wants to tell you the ancient popular traditions of the Colitti Family, let you know how our band grew up, rending concrete the passion and the enthusiasm that our Grannies and Uncles passed us, and trying to make you part of this passion just like they have been able to do to us.
Finally, we truly want to thank all this people, the people who believes in this passion and let us “contaminate” them, the people who keeps giving us emotions during our performances: we don’t think we’re exaggerating when we say that “I CALANTI” wouldn’t be anything without our fans’ support.
Deeply yours.
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