Amazon.com Thanks to dozens of old bargain-basement LPs and Saturday morning radio shows, the tarantella has been reduced to one of those hokey dances done by the old folks at parties. But the truth of the dance and its music is much darker and deeper. Alessandra Belloni explores the roots of "the spider dance," an erotic dance meant to cure the "affliction" of love in women. Belloni is best known for her years of work with the American-based Italian folk-revival band I Giullari di Piazza. On this recording she has brought together a remarkable and diverse group of musicians to join her own singing and percussion: John La Barbara, the classical guitarist; accordionist Charlie Giordano, whose subtle work on this recording is extraordinary for its artful restraint; jazz violinist Joe Denizen; percussionist Glen Velez, who supplies the frame drums and tambourines; and Steve Gorn, who contributes his Indian bansuri flute. What this group achieves is a contemporary yet fundamentally ancient sound, a formal art music that has all the raw energy of street-level folk. It's a balancing act few artists can handle, but Belloni and company bring these old songs to glorious life. --Louis Gibson