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Continue reading →submitted by SK via Comments
Since it is music day today on this blog of DT’s, and I am in a good mood, I thought to share some cheerful Italian music. I lived and worked in Italy many years ago and so was exposed to a lot of contemporary Italian music on the radio. Italians, generally speaking, are happy people who love beautiful things, especially women, food, sport, design and music.
I grew up in a house full of classical music and opera because my father was a pianist and opera buff so some of their singing was familiar to me…Mario Lanza, Caruso, Gigli, all famous opera stars.
But Italians of all stripes sing with such joy and humour, such passion and enthusiasm, you can’t help but love their music even if you don’t understand the words.
Here, for anyone interested, are a few links. Hope some of you enjoy them. Apart from the music, the videos are also great:
1) four famous neapolitans singing about their love of Naples
Gigi D'Alessio, Lucio Dalla, Sal Da Vinci, Gigi Finizio - Napule
2) Lucio Dalla, a famous Italian singer in a strange but funny Fellini like video, singing about the big bad wolf (il lupo)
3) Pavarotti and friends singing Verdi and having fun
1992 Pavarotti, Luciano and Sting, Zucchero and Lucio Dalla - La donna e'mobile
Continue reading →A sample of some obscure - and maybe not obscure - tunes from my strange and off-the-wall collection.
Today's selection: Roger McGuinn - "Shenandoah" 2003
"Away, we're bound away, cross the wide Missouri"
I sometimes wonder if songs such as this, "Mr Tambourine Man", "The Wayward Wind", and a few others led to my itchy feet taking me west.
"Shenandoah" is known as a sea chantey but more likely originates among the river men of the Ohio, Mississippi, and Missouri rivers of the early 1800s. Shenandoah was an Indian chief living along the Missouri River ... or was it upper New York? There are many versions of the song - it became internationally famous as the song propagated down the rivers to the clipper ships travelling around the world.
Roger McGuinn - sometimes known as Jim McGuinn - was born in 1942 and is best known as the lead guitarist and singer for The Byrds. He began as a folksinger in the late 50s/early 60s. He co-founded The Byrds with Gene Clark in 1964. The Byrds began breaking up by 1967; McGuinn finally finished the name in 1973. He then went on to a solo career, returning to his folk music roots.
He recorded this in 2003 - one of my favorite versions.