A true labour of love

Over the years, several songs have been written that capture Maltese folklore, some in their lyrics, some in their melody, others in both aspects.

One song that belongs in the latter category is New Cuorey’s Il-Bajja tal-Mellieħa, its poignant guitar melody providing a gentle underlay for the inimitable voice of Sammy Bartolo.

Indeed, much of New Cuorey’s more popular songs possess this winning combination, so it was no surprise that the band’s 1997 compilation was such a resounding success.

Furthermore, New Cuorey’s music has been revisited and given a new lease of life (not that it needed it) thanks to two new and separate projects: one is a musical film production currently being shot around Malta, its storyline written around the Mellieħa band’s music; the other a brand new collection of instrumental versions of New Cuorey’s best-known songs.

The latter, simply titled New Cuorey Instrumentals, is the work of Joe Grech, New Cuorey’s original guitarist and, alongside vocalist Sammy Bartolo, who passed away in 1997, one of its founding members.

That this is a labour of love goes without saying.

“New Cuorey has been a big part of my life,” says Grech. “I’ve wanted to record an album of instrumental guitar music for a very long time, since the early 1980s in fact, and this music is very close to my heart.”

New Cuorey’s songs aside, music has been an integral part of Grech’s life ever since he was drawn to it when he was eight years old.

“Our only source of music at the time was the Rediffusion, through which I first got to hear The Shadows. I suppose that was what first got me hooked on guitar,” he says.

A few years on, a small radio given to him by his uncle would help broaden his horizons. He would tune in to Radio Luxembourg every night, and he started to discover the bands spearheading the 1960s rock revolution in England.

“I remember having to fix a wire to the radio in order to improve the reception, but what I heard was enough to get me completely hooked.”

What ‘hooked’ him above all else was the sound of the guitar. He says he was completely mesmerised by it and he knew he had to learn to play it.

He did just that, and also studied music theory – he still has the sheet music to several of New Cuorey’s songs. Although the pages have aged a fair bit, the music they contain remains as appealing now, perhaps even more, than it was back in the 1970s.

Not bad for a band that only came together by chance.

“Sammy had apparently heard me play guitar when he was passing by my house and later got in contact by leaving a message with my mother, since we didn’t know each other. We eventually became close friends, spending the best part of the next two years rehearsing at his mum’s place.”

The term might not have been coined yet back then, but theirs was very much an unplugged act, also because they could not afford to buy any amplifiers or equipment.

Eventually, more musicians came into the picture and the band started to take shape. The early efforts were influenced either by the emergent rock scene or the protest folk songs of the time.

When the time came for them to release their first single, the band had two songs in English – Till that Fine Day and The Girl I Had – but they wanted one in Maltese. They rewrote Till that Fine Day and released it as ­Vietnam, a protest song in ­Maltese.

New Cuorey’s career, anchored by hotel residencies, went on to prosper, even leading to performances abroad and the string of successes that have now become something of a legacy.

When the band called it a day in 1983, Grech continued to work in music and, accompanied by his wife Alice on vocals, maintained a regular presence within the hotel circuit.

The band reconvened around 1996 at singer Sammy Bartolo’s request to re-record the songs that feature on the hugely popular Il-Bajja tal-Mellieħa compilation.

“Unfortunately, Sammy passed away soon after its release. In hindsight, it was a godsend that he thought of recording the album when he did,” says Grech.

Of course, the album may not heal the pain of his loss, but it is a fitting tribute to his spirit, which lives on in the music.

A few years on, Grech turned his focus towards the work of Mro Carmel Muscat (also known as The Captain), who had been one of his first music teachers and with who he had been studying classical guitar. Clearly captivated by Muscat’s musical affluence and depth, in 2006 he performed and recorded an album of The Captain’s compositions.

“I sincerely believe that despite his low profile, The Captain was a musical genius of his time. I have a lot of respect for him and his work, and I genuinely felt it was a shame his music wasn’t so well-known here when a lot of it had been acknowledged and interpreted by professional musicians abroad.”

More recently, Grech also worked on a new project with British guitarist and songwriter Douglas Clark. Together, they collaborated with Maltese singer Daniela Delicata on a mixture of pop and country music that is currently being introduced to a publishing agent in California.

Despite being busy with various projects, Grech’s thoughts soon turned back to his life-long wish of releasing an instrumental guitar album.

“Further to the instrumental version of L-Aħħar Bidwi f’Wied il-Għasel that had appeared on the 1997 CD, I sought to go deeper into New Cuorey’s catalogue; the new album includes an instrumental version of Vietnam, which had been our first single, as well as Leħen f’Tarf il-Wied, which I composed to lyrics by Alfred C. Sant on the day Sammy died. It’s my personal tribute to him.”

Embracing the album’s instrumental aspect, Grech immersed himself in each song, replacing the vocal melodies with his guitar.

The guitar is the primary element on this record, and while the melody lines will sound very familiar, there are some different arrangements, namely for Id-Dgħajsa tal-Latini and Ir-Raħal, the very first song Grech ever wrote for New Cuorey.

“The new arrangement on Ir-Raħal was actually recorded by my son Chris, while my other son Julian played the mellotron,” he explains, evidently proud that his sons, who play with leading local bands Frenzy Mono and Nomad Son, have followed in their parents’ musical footsteps.

Featuring artwork and design by Alexia Baldacchino, the new album features 17 tracks in total, 10 of which were written by Grech himself, and which are most likely to give a new lease of life to New Cuorey’s already hugely popular repertoire.

On a separate note, he talks of Italian superstar Claudio Baglioni’s interpretation of L-Aħħar Bidwi f’Wied il-Għasel.

“Sammy loved to listen to Baglioni; who would’ve thought that Baglioni would end up listening to Sammy instead?

“But no matter who or what tries to interpret our songs, nothing comes close to the way Sammy’s voice defined them. The emotion his voice injects into the music gives the songs a magical quality, and nothing can ever beat that.”

New Cuorey Instrumentals is available from Anthony D’Amato (Valletta) or by e-mailing the artist directly at joealice258@gmail.com.

bugeja.michael@gmail.com