Overview

What happens if the timeless Art of Mastroianni, Fellini and De Sica meets the suggestions of world music? Joe Barbieri narrates the story of this love date in “Maison Maravilha”.
11 songs, enriched by great poetry and a whole string orchestra… the sweet contrast of a voice that has never been so fascinating and in form… and, still, Omara Portuondo, an exceptional magic friend who shares with Mr. Barbieri a passionate fado that is going to be an instant-classic.

After the universal love for "In Parole Povere" (album of the year in Germany, more than 15,000 copies sold over eight countries – U.S., Japan and Canada among the others), the journey continues, starting again from “Maison Maravilha", the place where you can rediscover a new, inspired interpreter of the Singer-Songwriter Song.
Sounds and harmonic solutions that seem to spread directly from 50’ and 60’s Italian Cinema; the spell of Masters like Nino Rota, Armando Trovajoli and Ennio Morricone.
Barbieri, in one word, decides to shuffle the cards with his second album, forging an incredible pastiche of sounds, a delicious bouquet that skims over the edges of distant cultures: and so Fado, Chanson Française, Tango, Jazz and Bossa Nova, all are, with respect and accuracy, dressed up with a stylish Italian suggestion.

“Maison Maravilha” moves like an acrobat across the line of an unreal delicacy, using only acoustic instruments and a string section written and directed by Antonio Fresa. According to Joe, “this is the album I always wished to do since I begun my career; an organic body enriched by an ancient flavour with no compromises and in front of which listeners must be at the same time indulgent and pretentious. I would have liked to involve two real ‘giants’, Henri Salvador and Omara Portuondo. Unfortunately, life has brought us Henri away; I wanted to celebrate his memory through one of his masterpieces "La muraille de Chine".
But Omara, well, she made me a real happy person, her performance truly moved me deeply… we met in Barcelona, where we recorded while silence and incredulity filled our hearts. And we ended singing Mina’s songs…".