Mirko Guerrini Music

From award-winning lyricist and composer Ilaria Crociani comes Connecting the Dots: a powerful and deeply moving tribute to women who have made a difference. Born from Crociani’s personal experience of adjusting to a new life as an Italian migrant to Australia, Connecting the Dots weaves together narratives of hardship, vulnerability, resoluteness and redemption to paint an uplifting picture of resilience and hope. ‘Believing yourself to be alone, misunderstood and helpless in enduring the pains of living is the biggest and most foolish mistake anyone can make,’ she says. ‘This album is the fruit of a journey of personal discovery and reflection that led me to fully appreciate the importance of looking at other people's real-life experiences to build resilience in the face of adversity.’ Crociani introduces us to Marion Bell, who in the early 1920s circumnavigated Australia in her Oldsmobile accompanied solely by her 11-year-old daughter; we meet Minnie Berrington, the first female opal prospector in South Australia, who migrated from London only to discover a profound sense of belonging to the Australian outback; we travel the east coast of Australia with the young Shirley Howard and her pony Mary Lou, looking for work during the Depression years; we marvel at the chameleon artist Veruschka, who turned her own body into a canvas and redefined traditional ideals of beauty; we spend time with refugee Gina Sinozich as she discovers the healing power of art at the age of 70. Says Crociani: ‘The stories of these inspiring women offered me comfort in a moment of particular vulnerability, while reinvigorating my sense of hope and inner strength.’ The album offers a kaleidoscopic variety of songs, ranging from poignant and lyrical ballads to experimental numbers with a jazz-rock feel or an angular funky-reggae beat. The band is a who’s who of Australian jazz stars, with Paul Grabowsky on piano, Mirko Guerrini on sax, Niko Schäuble on drums, guitarist Geoff Hughes and Ben Robertson on bass, plus the ethereal sound of John Griffiths on lute, creating a bridge between early music, modern baroque and experimental jazz, and adding a final touch of unexpected yet ravishing hues to the album’s sound world. Ilaria Crociani is an award-winning lyricist and composer who has been making a name for herself in Melbourne’s live music scene since arriving on Australian shores in 2013: first as the leader of Radiosuccessi, a jazz quintet specialising in Italian jazz, then in collaboration with Australian jazz legend Paul Grabowsky’s trio Torrio! at the Melbourne International Jazz Festival, and as the lead singer in Extasy Morricone, a septet showcasing Ennio Morricone’s psychedelic compositions from the ’70s. In 2021 she featured as the reciting voice in Mobility of Mind - Sonic Cities, presented at the 17th Venice Architecture Biennale, and recorded two songs for the soundtrack of the Paula Ortiz movie Across the River and Into the Trees (to be released in cinemas later this year). ilariacrociani.com