Wedding at Palazzo Villarosa (Bagheria, Palermo)

This time we played as a quintet, because the couple, Giulia and Stefano, wanted to add a sax to our core quartet. And do you want the truth? They were absolutely right! Because the quintet with sax, with the magnificent Marcello Cinà on tenor, soprano and alto sax, is our perfect size. The sax enriches and completes the band’s sound, making it livelier and more dynamic, richer in colors and nuances.

We took advantage of the beautiful setting of Palazzo Villarosa in Bagheria to take a few photos, and the one you see at the top represents us so well that we chose it as our profile picture: Sarabanda at full strength, full of music and energy. We are also old friends and longtime companions of gigs and jam sessions, which is good for the sound, for the band’s chemistry and for morale! In short, together we play well and gladly…

An unusual musical request

For their first dance as a married couple, Stefano and Giulia chose something truly special and original: a rendition of “L’estasi dell’oro”, from the soundtrack Ennio Morricone wrote for the film “Il buono, il brutto, il cattivo” (The Good, the Bad and the Ugly).

And that’s not all! They asked for the sax to be a soprano (no problem, Marcello is a specialist) and for it to be accompanied by piano alone, with those famous arpeggios from the original version of the theme. There’s no denying it: they were original, they took a risk, and they won, showing that they knew exactly what they were doing. A hypnotic, spine-tingling atmosphere that stopped time for two minutes and moved them to tears.

The evening’s setlist: their choices

The couple love Italian singer-songwriter music and Italian-style swing. Great, that’s exactly what we love too and what we most enjoy playing!

The songs they chose are timeless classics, like Gino Paoli’s dreamy “Senza fine” and Endrigo’s romantic “Io che amo solo te”. We are often asked to play them, and we always do so with pleasure and never tire of them: they are so beautiful that playing them is like turning the key, opening the door and breathing the air of home.

And then a less common choice: Buscaglione’s “Eri piccola così”. We don’t get asked for it often, but I assure you (try it and see) that Salvo Samaritano does Buscaglione better than Buscaglione himself! His natural flair for the theatrical is measured out perfectly on this song, without forcing anything but with top-class poise and acting, and the tight, precise rhythm of our band supports it perfectly. What swing tonight, with Antonino on drums!

The dance set

Couples who contact us to play at their wedding reception often ask us for a dance set during dinner: usually between the first and the second course, or whenever the caterer plans the longest break. What better way to avoid getting bored at the tables and have a little dance while waiting for the next course?

Giulia and Stefano were no exception, and they asked us for this dance set made of medleys that bring together recent hits like “Anema e Core”, timeless classics like “Torero” or “Soldi, Soldi”, forays into 1970s disco with “Figli delle stelle”, and evergreen Italian pop hits like the hilarious “50 special”.

By the way, did you know that we publish the complete, always up-to-date list of our whole repertoire here on the site?