Every year the London Jazz Festival in association with BBC Radio 3 brings music of the highest quality from across the world into the capital. The singer, Paolo Conte, is one of the great voices of Italy and seen live he is an absolute revelation. On Tuesday 16th November he will perform at London's Royal Albert Hall as part of the EFG International E x c e l l e n c e Series. Conte is a songwriter who is close to the chanson tradition of Jacques Brel and his gravelly voice has even been compared to Leonard Cohen or Tom Waits. But his musical world is one that evokes the movie soundtrack and nostalgia for an imagined past, with lyrics that are both wistful and melancholic. Now 73, he sits at the piano, accompanied by musicians, combining swing jazz and cadences with chanson and elegant pop melodies, his resonant and grainy voice hypnotizing audiences all over the world. Born in Asti in 1937 and absorbing the sounds of American popular songs and other jazz melodies as he grew up, Conte followed in his father's footsteps and became a lawyer, playing piano in the evenings. By the late 1960s he began to emerge as one of Italy's grittiest songwriters. He is now a living legend. For more information on the London Jazz Festival visit www.londonjazzfestival.org.uk Tickets: £45, £44, £40, £35, £30, £15, £10 + bkg

 

"Londra Sera" dal nostro Archivio centinaia di foto con VIP Italiani