Italy, 1944. World War II turns to the end. U.S. forces and "partisan" against the fascists and German forces.
Naples. An African-American soldier named James Smith meets the young Anna Senese. The two fall in love ...
1945. The year of the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The Second World War ends. Fascist and German troops surrendered, while a young genius named Gary was born.
Gaetano Senese, aka James Senese, began his career as a saxophonist in the 60's with "4 Conny" where she collaborated with bassist and singer Mario Musella, and which will also collaborate in Successive Showmen.
James, however, is enamored of jazz, and its trials. E 'in love with Coltrane and Miles Davis.
feels the need to create something new. Of experimental.
Thus in 1975, together with his friend the drummer Franco Del Prete founded Naples Central quartet that sees James on sax, flute and vocals, Franco Del Prete on drums, Mark Harris on keyboards Walmsley and Tony on bass.
The fruit of this collaboration comes to life in the same year, 1975. The title is simply "Napoli Centrale", the label Ricordi.
A job, in my opinion, excelled. A mix of jazz, funk, fusion and a pinch of progressive rock blended seamlessly with the Neapolitan folk music. They remember a lot, musically, Weather Report, you know, James loves and studies.
The song leader is Campaign a description of the lives of laborers among whom James has grown (Also the album cover depicts the protagonists of the countryside around Naples), while People and 'Bucciano, another pearl of music, addresses the issue of migrants who move from their native land, to go to work in factories in the north.
The theme is also developed in viecchio, Muglia, and muorto criatura, my favorite track, which is already entitled eloqueste: there are young people who go away for seek their fortune elsewhere, industrialization that just will not go down. Musically very dark, but essential to face the kind of issue.
The entire disc is, as the legendary Miles would say: Cool!
Franco Del Prete juggles the drums like never before, including jazz rhythms, funk and virtuosity that make him a really great drummer. The same goes for keyboards and bass, which keeps warm the interpretation and reporting directly to the air we breathe to the south.
James, finally, is perfect. And 'as if speaking with his saxophone. Nostalgic and pissed off when needed. I know from his notes. And then the words, themes, dialect.
Che disco...
Nello stesso anno però il tastierista Mark Herris e il bassista Tony Walmsley seguono altri lidi e vengono sostituiti rispettivamente da Pippo Guarnera e Kelvin Bullen.
1976 vede la nascita di "Mattanza", secondo lavoro ufficiale dei Napoli Centrale, stampato sempre su Dischi Ricordi.
La potenza è la stessa: jazz, funk, fusion e musica popolare napoletana.
Bisogna evidenziare assolutamente brani fantastici come Sangue Misto , e l'incalzante Simme Iute e Simme Venute.
Un altro lavoro da incorniciare, che permette ai "nostri" di suonare al Festival Jazz di Montraux, una cosa non da molti. E questo ci inorgoglisce.
Nel 1977 altro cambio di formazione. Al basso arriva il giovane e promettente Pino Daniele e alle tastiere Ciro Ciscognetti.
"Qualcosa ca nu' mmore" chiude il periodo Napoli Centrale degli anni 70. Sperimentazione ancora più marcata e più incentrata verso il jazz, with lyrics on the contrary "lighter" and less socially engaged.
At this point James attempts a solo career with several jobs out in the 80's, and towards the end of the latter, creates a new and latest training Napoli Centrale with Augustine Marangolo on drums, Savio Riccardi Gigi De Rienzo on keyboards and bass.
The quartet produced three other albums: "Jesceallah" in 1992 and "Ngazzate ne" in 1994 and "Shut up! He Vnenn O 'Mammon' in 2001, but none of them reaches the level achieved by the gratitude and first three years of work 70.
addition to Napoli Centrale take the project forward, James continues to produce solo works. The 'last one is dated 2005 and titled "Je'm CCA and includes an album with three new songs and a book of his biography, from which it seems appropriate to set the sentence of James written on the back cover:
<< I was born black and I was born in Miano, I play tenor and soprano sax, the sound halfway between Naples and the Bronx, John Coltrane study from morning to night, are in love with Miles Davis, Weather Report and more I've always done instinctively, trying to find my own language, not copying from anyone ever ... my sax bears the scars of joy and pain of life. >>
Thanks James Senese Napoli Centrale and for holding high the name of Italy in the Jazz-Funk scene.
Dj Danko
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