Giuseppe Daniele (19 March 1955 – 4 January 2015), known as Pino Daniele, was an Italian singer, songwriter and musician. His influences covered a wide number of genres, including pop, blues, jazz, and Italian and Middle Eastern music.
Daniele was born to a working-class family in Naples, his father being a harbor worker. A self-taught guitarist, he began his career as a musician playing for other successful singers of the 1970s. His debut in the Italian music world was in 1977 with the album Terra mia, which proved to be a successful mix of Neapolitan tradition and Blues sounds. Daniele defined his music with the term “tarumbò”, which indicated a mix of tarantella, blues and rumba.
His lyrics also attracted critical praise: written and sung in an intense Neapolitan, they contained strong and bitter accusations against the social injustices of Naples, as well as Italian society in general, and included melancholic personal themes. Several of the later songs are characterized by a free intermingling of English, Italian and Neapolitan passages.
Daniele’s talent was confirmed on the following album Pino Daniele (1979). He scored his greatest success in 1980, with Nero a metà (“Half-Black Skinned”), which was noted by some authorities as the hallmark of the rebirth of Neapolitan song. In that year Daniele opened the Bob Marley concert at the San Siro stadium in Milan. In 1981 Vai Mo was released. The presence of some of the most renowned musicians of the Neapolitan musical milieu, including James Senese, Enzo Avitabile, Tullio De Piscopo and Tony Esposito, as session men on his albums has also been widely praised.
In 1982, Daniele shifted to a personal and early version of world music: in Bella ‘mbriana musicians such as Alphonso Johnson and Wayne Shorter appeared as guest players. In the following year Daniele held a concert in Havana, and later formed a Latin-American band. In 1983 Daniele collaborated with the American singer/guitarist Richie Havens on Common Ground, an album written and played together. His interest in Arabic music is emphasized on Bonne Soirée (1987), while the subsequent Schizzechea With Love (1988) was more Mediterranean-oriented. In the same year he started a collaboration with the Italian actor and director Massimo Troisi: Daniele completed the soundtracks for Troisi’s films Le vie del Signore sono finite and Pensavo fosse amore invece era un calesse.
Non calpestare i fiori nel deserto, released in Spring 1995, is an attempt to revive inspiration through African and Ethnic influences, and sold more than 800,000 copies. The subsequent tour ended with a double date with Jazz guitarist Pat Metheny.
In 2010, Daniele played at Crossroads Guitar Festival, called by his friend Eric Clapton at Toyota Park in Chicago, playing with Joe Bonamassa and Robert Randolph. In 2011, he performed in concert with Clapton at Cava de’ Tirreni stadium.
Daniele died of a heart attack on 4 January 2015, at Sant’Eugenio Hospital in Rome.
Many artists recorded cover versions of Pino Daniele’s songs: among others, Sarah Jane Morris (Alleria on album Cello Song), Randy Crawford (Quanno chiove, in English It’s Raining, on album Through the Eyes of Love), Patricia Marx (Quanno chiove, in Portuguese Quando chove, on album Charme do mundo), Marisa Monte (E po’ che fa, in Portuguese Bem que se quis, on album MM), and Issac Delgado (Quando, on album, (wikipedia)
One of the most powerul albums I’ve ever heard. At times strange, at times tear jerking beautiful. I was living in Italy when I first heard this and this album was the most powerful thing of the time (1982). It doesn’t stand together as an album in the way that you would like; you wouldn’t put it on for dinner, lovemaking, or partying: its tracks are too diverse. But for just plain beautiful and very different and bold music making its stellar. Hats off to the record company that put this one out, its a classic. (James G. Dangelo)
From 1977, this is Pino’s first solo album. This is where it all began.
On this album Pino is still exploring his Neapolitan roots. Sure, there’s mandolines, but not those boring ones playing Santa Lucia for the zillionst time. This is the pure and proud music of a proud people, the Neapolitan. Pino’s ode to the city (Napule e) has been voted hist best song recently by fans. It can be found on this album.
Other stand out tracks are ‘Suonno d’Ajere’, ‘Saglie Saglie’ and ‘Terra Mia’. These songs make you feel like you are walking through Spacca Napoli (the most beautiful part of the city), feeling strangely at home.
This is the true Neapolitan Pino Daniele album; after this he started to mix in other influences (jazz, blues, pop, latin, samba). I’m not saying that he lost it after this one (NOT AT ALL), but this is the one showing where he’s coming from.(Rogier Bos)
Personnel:
Enzo Avitabile (wind)
Pino Daniele (guitar, vocals, mandola, mandolin, bass on 05.)
Rosario Iermano (drums, percussion)
Rino Zurzolo (bass)
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Donatella Brighel (vocals on 04. + 06.)
Enzo Canoro (bass on 08. + 10.)
Amedeo Forte (piano on 02.)
Piero Montanari (bass on 02.)
Roberto Spizzichino (drums on 02.)
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background vocals:
Donatella Brighel – Dorina Giangrande
Tracklist:
01. Napule e´3.40
02. ‘Na tazzulella ‘e cafè 3.24
03. Ce sta chi ce penza 3.28
04. Suonno d’ajeren 4.17
05. Maronna Mia 2.55
06. Saglie, saglie 2.42
07. Terra Mia 2.10
08. Che Calore 2.59
09. Chi po dicere 1.28
10. Fortunato 3.04
11. Cammina Cammina 2.51
12. ‘O Padrone 3.55
13. Libertá 3.53
All songs written by Pino Daniele
The official website:
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