Taberna Mylaensis

Taberna Mylaensis is a four-piece acoustic ensemble from Sicily, that has existed in several line-ups since the mid-1970s with singer/songwriter Luciano Maio as its anchor. The current line-up plays together for 20 years and has made 3 CDs. They sing in the Sicilian language.

Sicily lies at the crossroads of trade routes, and had been occupied over the years by Phoenicians, Carthaginians, Romans, Byzantine Greek, North-African Muslims, Normans, and Spanish; these rulers all left their imprints on Sicilian culture.

Taberna Mylaensis' music is an amalgamation of influences from the last 2500 years: especially one can recognize strong influences from the Maghreb, Spain and the Normans in rhythms and instruments.

The 2023 album U Tempu Passa ("Time Passes") (PAN 235) is a trip between Mediterranean destinations, visiting memories, sounds, ancient words and centuries of history of a polyphonic land. This trip touches upon cornerstones like the popular Sicilian roots, Arab Norman dominations whilst passing through various autobiographic frames and the voice of composer Luciano Maio who chooses a pure sound as his guiding style. He courageously navigates through the waves of his music, dreams, traditions, and loves.

The 2015 album Semu Tutti Emigranti ("We Are All Emigrants") (PAN 225) touches upon the frailty of human existence. Semu Tutti Emgranti tells the story in song and music of an emigrant leaving from North Africa who is trying to reach Sicily.