Fred Buscaglione Jazz 4 Life

After the destruction wrought by World War II, it’s no wonder Italians of the 1950s wanted to put the past behind them and enjoy life for a change. The American GIs who filled the post-war bars and nightclubs of Italy’s cities in search of a little R&R (aka Roman Romance) brought with them a taste for the swinging jazz sounds that were all the rage back home. Before rock & roll took the world by storm, cool cats were dancing to big bands like Glen Miller and Benny Goodman. American jazz was as irresistible to Italian teenagers as pizza pie was to New Yorkers, and people from both sides of the Atlantic were looking for a taste of what the other had to offer.

His songs tell stories, mostly romantic, but always honest. With “lo dico di no”, he says “no” to the seductions of life, well – mostly. The song “Meglio Stasera” by Henry Mancini, which he wrote for the film “Pink Panther”, is a tribute to the 60s. With Eros Ramazotti’s hit “Se bastasse una canzone” he jumps into the 90s. Paolos Conte’s “Via con me” should especially captivate the lovers of the Italian Cantautores, as dedicated and free as he performs this song. And with a wink he sings Fred Buscaglione’s “CheBambola”. He already sang the German version of the song together with Götz Alsmann on stage. Conversely, Costello translated the “Illusionen” of the great Udo Jürgens into Italian for “Non avessi te”.