#02 THE SOUND OF IMAGERY

All Eyes On > #02 THE SOUND OF IMAGERY

Tommaso Cappellato

He/Him/They/Their

IG: @tommasocappellato

LINKTREE: https://linktr.ee/tommasocappellato

Reading time: 3 min 43 sec

Speaking time: 7 min 9 sec

Countless emotions can be encapsulated in music. In these virtual dialogues

Tommaso's narration of 'Collettivo Immaginario', 'Trasforma', and 'Domanda' unites these three elements into a single, vibrant representation of an idea that has evolved into a musical project worth exploring.

The Collettivo Immaginario Tommaso says that it was born slowly and without profit, just for the fun of playing together with other musicians and the search for a collective sound, collaborating with Nicolò Masetto and Alberto Lincetto, both musicians from Padua, the idea with them was to search for an identity, several light bulbs went on over time. Alberto and Nicolò are two extremely sensitive people with highly developed techniques, as well as their language and knowledge of the different musical styles around jazz, Brazilian music, Latin music, and Afro music in general, on which Tommaso has focused all his life.

They started playing in the summer of 2018, in their spare time, without looking for gigs, once or twice a week, recording ideas, cues, whatever came up, and finally, in January 2019 there was the opportunity to go to Los Angeles, where the debut on overseas took place with two dates that were a resounding success in terms of audience response.

The collective was born at a time when Tommaso needed to play but was forced by his agent's instructions not to accept jobs that did not pay enough. So this moment of not being able to play was a kind of vacuum and, as a consequence, the need to cultivate a musical exchange with other musicians.

In Italy in general, and in Veneto in particular, there is a feeling that music is seen as a separate element, not an integral part of our culture. Concerts are very often not subsidised by the municipalities, there is no education to support the so-called 'local' musicians, even if they are individuals with many years of experience.

At the time of the Los Angeles concerts, the name had not yet been chosen.

I like to take my time to understand and explore a subject, not to rush into a decision that might not stick," says Tommaso. 

"I remember that period when I was obsessively writing down possible names, wordplay, and ideas in my diary - but there was a thread inside me, then, after having done countless other projects with just as many names, where obviously the English language wins, you take the idea from the record that inspires you... Instead, this time the intention was to find as strong an identity as possible.

At some point, I stumbled upon a name that could be many things, a triple entendre, like the fact that it is the inversion of the typically said "immaginario collettivo - collective imaginary", or even a collective that does not exist, or a collective that imagines together and is, in fact, a bit of all three of these things".

Years of experience all over the world, leading to a large number of contacts, combined with a personality type that tends to be very proactive, make Tommaso a "driver" and underline his passion for finding new opportunities, impulses to create new things and to try to communicate things that have not necessarily already been said.

Between all of them, there is mutual support and an incredible presence, commitment, trust, and loyalty. They all have a very clearly defined role within this ensemble.

For the album Trasforma, titles were used exclusively in Italian, precisely to encourage the listener to do some research.

"Trasforma" or "Domanda", which is the name of the label, but also "Ora basta", "Nel domani", are sounds that are very melodic even without knowing the meaning.

For those who understand the language, however, they are very evocative and have inherent meanings.

It is undoubtedly an invitation to introspection, and an encouragement to transform old ideologies and ways of working.

"There is no escape from change, and therefore those with a closed mentality will have to do a lot of inner work to adapt to the beauty of the new facets of the population and thus to the evolution of culture, the integration of tradition with new and different ones. In my opinion, this is a wonderful thing," is Tommaso's reflection on the current global situation, referring to the changing demographics of countries.

Certainly this collective want to express profound concepts that are not political, but more of a philosophical stance, of sentiment, of sensitivity: "In our live shows we also use samples of phrases spoken by different characters, such as philosophers, but also actors."

There is a very precise ideology that has to do with inclusion, diversity, a sense of community, and much more. A collective that reflects the image of a future based on these same values.

The Collettivo Immmaginario is one of the releases from Domanda Music.

The name Domanda, which is easy to pronounce in any language, was also the result of a great deal of research. 

The label's mission statement is to inspire audiences to ask themselves deep questions about society, art, the individual, and introspection, and Domanda's goal is to discover emerging and under-recognised artists.

Artists who have already reached a certain level and who, for some reason, have not been sufficiently appreciated by the famous gatekeepers of the Italian scene, while at the same time highlighting a new version of the Italian artistic population.

To date, Domanda has focused on Italian musicians from the Veneto region, Tommaso's deserving colleagues who have not yet had a relevant enough outlet for their productions to be heard.

There is an imaginary where non-influencers find opportunity.