Aristodemo Casciani during this year's Barga in Jazz Festival
The news started to filter through the city just after midday today and by three ‘o clock it was no longer a rumour but was now the truth -- Aristodemo Casciani who just recently celebrated his 86th year on the planet, died this morning in Barga hospital.
He was taken to hospital just a week or so ago after a fall during the night and never really recovered since. Today at midday he finally left this world a much poorer place for his passing.
Aristo was the rock on which Barga Vecchia depended upon. His bar was the unofficial cultural centre of Barga.
Aristo has appeared many, many times on barganews -- in fact he has his own category here on the site, his own comic strip DA ARISTO here and even a group playing Italian swing from the 30;s, 40’s and 50’s named in his honour -- Emma e gli Aristodemo’s here
Click on the link below for a short recording of Aristo playing the bottles in his bar during June 2001
His funeral will be on Wednesday at 3.30 pm at S.Francesco
R.I.P. … è ovviamente una gran brutta notizia …..
Too shellshocked to formulate a proper eulogy – others more versed in the art will surely make themselves heard in due course. Suffice to say that a significant presence in the life and times of Barga and beyond has come to pass. For better of worse Aristodemo Casciani personally touched the lives of a myriad of people during a lifelong career spanning many decades – he truly was a prime example of that rare entity: someone who made a real difference by just simply being.
His many talents, ranging from world class showmanship to his (in)famous sleights of hand when short changing you at the till have all been well documented – principally on these pages. On a more intimate, human level I can readily testify to the intensity of his dry humour, the depth of his friendship, the purity of his devotion to his family, the range of his inquisitive native wit, as well as to the dark, bucolic Aristodemo of legend!
Along with the many other great characters from the annals of Barga Vecchia, his passing leaves a desolate void which in all probability will never be filled. There is indeed a new generation of maverick personalities populating the Old town, but at the end of the day they are all simply the orphaned children of Aristo, and through no fault of their own they will perhaps never even aspire to his unique depth and complexity.
Be that as it may, what’s done is done … Rest in Peace Aristo: your memory will live on in the hearts of those of us fortunate enough to have known you!
My deepest heart felt condolences. An amazing man, an amazing life. Aristodemo Casciani always made me feel welcome, put a smile on my face and made every trip to Barga a special thing. All our love and thoughts from Liverpool. RIP 🙁
Adios Muchacho…
Jam Session:
“Ehi Duke hai sentito di quello nuovo?”
“Si, dice che fa una musica tutta sua…”
“perché di te cosa dicevano Miles?”
“comunque stasera lo mettiamo subito alla prova alla jam session, ti ci dovresti trovare bene, dice che il suo forte sia la diminuita…”
“ma non lo so… e poi non conosco la canzone italiana”
“non ti preoccupare, quello le sa tutte… e quelle che non le sa se le inventa lì per lì”
“staremo a vedere, lo sai che sono un tipo difficile”
A mezzanotte iniziò la session e “quello nuovo” staccò subito “Cielito Lindo” a duecentocinquanta di metronomo, “Bird” si uni alla band seguito a ruota da Dizzy e da tutta l’orchestra. Decisamente quell’italiano sapeva il fatto suo ed era una forza della natura: saltava di brano in brano spiazzando tutti, prese il microfono a Frank e cantò anche un paio di canzoni, fece un balletto con Billie non mancando di dargli una bella strizzatina. Monk stava nel suo angolo e lo guardava un po’ in cagnesco ma alla fine pure a lui riuscì a strappare un sorriso.
Nel giro di una nottata, con la sua impareggiabile ironia, Aristodemo conquistò anche i più diffidenti ed entrò a far parte della “Paradise Jazz Big Band” (orchestra spettacolo) ricordando a tutti che la musica, come la vita, è solo un gioco.
Se n’è andato un musicista, un amante instancabile della musica, una persona gioviale che ha sempre strappato un sorriso a tutti, che ha tenuto compagnia e fatto divertire giovani e meno giovani, che ha unito generazioni diverse, un punto di riferimento per il nostro piccolo Borgo Medioevale, ci mancherai…..Ciao.
Il tempo spazza via le vite, ci allontana dalla tristezza di un lutto.
Aristodemo ha dato si tanta gioia a cosí tante persone, momenti che non trovano riposo che nell’eternitá,
È da quando ero un ragazzo che frequento Barga , paese che amo come fosse il mio.
Entrare da Aristo e parlare in dialetto Garfagnino, suonare “quelle famose canzoni” che tutti sanno ma che nessuno ricorda piú, bere un bel bicchiere di vino, e poi lamentarsi con lui per il prezzo, tutto ció faceva parte dell’uscita in cittá, nella metropolis, la grande Barga
Non c’é dubbio, un “Omo” come si dovrebbe essere, un maestro, mi sembra impossibile che non ci sia piú.
Ma il tempo ci consuma, Aristo ha vissuto sempre con lo spirito di un ragazzo, giocando con noi in un’interminabile corteggiamento, quante risate..
Ha ragione Alessandro, alla prima Jam li ha “abbuiati”i tutti.
Onore e Gloria al Gran Visir di Barga e delle Terre Garfagnine.
Wow, can any of us hope to leave this earth with as many mourners as Aristo? With as many people telling funny, poignant stories about our lives? With as many people missing us.
Farewell, Aristo.
Our thoughts are with his family and with the larger Aristo’s Bar diaspora.
Dear Aristo,
Just woke up and heard the sad news.
Even if I’ve been away from our Barga for a decade,your presence has always been with me.
Growing up in “bottega’ when Barga was hidden from the world, and L’Aristo was there for only few illuminated.
I keep in my heart evening cultural sessions, filled with music, art, laughter, formaggio, salame and vino, always with you as our maestro.
Your walls filled with postcards from yore friends all over, gave me the inspiration to discover the world and make me the man I’m now.
Rest in peace my friend.
1Love
Cheers Aristo we will miss you
Una perdita che lascia senza parole.
Il professore, come lo chiamava lui, è riuscito comunque a trovarne di adeguate: ti pare di vederlo l’Aristo, lassù con la pianola a dare spettacolo in mezzo a tutta quella bella gente…
Last time we saw him was his 85th birthday – you could tell he was getting a bit frail but his eyes still sparkled as he belted out another song in his own unique style.
With respect and condsolences to his family and many friends. We shall toast his passing with a large malt as we look out from the Ayrshire coast across to the Arran hills.
Sempre Aristo…
Enzo
Buon Viaggio Aristo, travel well!
E’ stato un onore e ispirazione aver condiviso momenti con te e con gli altri amici.
Come dicono qua…Cheers to the good old days!
…and to the Present too!
Aristo was just the second person that I met in Barga
I walked into his bar and his welcome helped me in my decision to buy a house nearby
He changed my life for the better, even though he did not realise it.
There are many more like us…..
Ciao Aristo
Richard, Carol and Charlie
Sensone
After reading the news here, I told Heidi that night at dinner.
“But he sang me happy birthday, in French, the first year we went to Barga”
Of course he did Heidi, Keane told us that he would often speak to women in French, (sing to them actually) and she was lucky to have him whip the felt cover off his piano and belt out birthday wishes to her (in French). What charm.
It was Aristo’s charm that brought me (us) to Barga in the first place, imagine the look on Keane’s face when we bee-lined it to Aristo’s within 5 minutes of arriving in Barga for the first time. Keane had done such a great job of portraying the charm of Aristo’s and Aristo that I knew all about it and him before I even arrived. But to sit in Aristo’s with Marino and Lorenzo to watch and wait as Barga comes to you is one thing, but to sit there when Aristo walked in was quite another… the excitement enters the room with a whoosh… actually the whooosh comes in from the piazza, because no doubt he had riled someone up already who was sitting out side.
We look forward to our next time in Aristo’s when we can give you a proper farewell toast! Ciao caro Aristodemo, ciao, ciao.