Scattered Rhymes
By ZEFIRO TORNA - FRANK VAGANÉE TRIO

6 April 1327. In a small church nearby Avignon, a glimpse of a woman named Laura de Noves ignited a lingering passion in the renaissance poet and humanist Francesco Petrarca. His rime sparse or scattered verses took the form of 366 sonnets that later would be called ‘Canzoniere’. This songbook is full of platonic love declarations and cryptic references to his unattainable beauty. It almost reads as Petrarca’s own psychoanalytical notepad. For centuries these sonnets have formed an inspiration for numerous poets. They were set to music by excellent composers such as da Bologna, de Rore, Lassus, Monteverdi or Liszt. The early music ensemble Zefiro Torna and the Frank Vaganée Jazz Trio continue this tradition. They edit the music of medieval, renaissance and baroque madrigals, romantic songs and avant-garde music. Above that they wrote new songs on Petrarca’s immortal verses. Polyphonic tissues, obsessive rhythms, sound chemistry, painful punches, wordless scatting and healing harmonies form the elements of a timeless tribute.