"Mimmo Epifani is a talented mandolin player who is steeped in the traditional styles of southern Italy. He released an excellent album of original material called Zucchini Flowers around three years ago where Italian folk styles were tastefully mixed with jazz and even reggae influences, but on Mandolinate a Napoli, he explores the canzone repertoire of Naples and the album doesn't include any of his own tunes or any radical stylistic experimentation. On this triple CD package, well known songs such as O Sole Mio, Torna A Surriento, Marinariello and Malafemmena are given refreshing interpretations as Epifani effortlessly strums through 35 instrumental versions of Neapolitan canzone in either solo arrangements or with sparse, unfussy accompaniment from guitar or piano ... The album is probably produced partly with an eye to the tourist who has read Captain Correlli's Mandolin, but it is certainly a quality souvenir".
