Edoardo Florio of Grazia: the musical tribute to Nicola Di Bari is out today

Today, July 12th, another little gem comes out from the bohemian singer-songwriter Edward Florio of Grace, who made his name in May with his splendid debut album “Ambra e Corallo”.

Edward's Words

Edoardo says: “Nicola Di Bari is an Italian and South American hero who recorded and published this masterpiece in 1975. He is an artist whose honesty and passion I have always admired. In his songs he often talks about emigration and the beauty of life in contact with nature. The first time I heard “Sai Che Bevo Sai Che Fumo” I had a flash of inspiration, it spoke directly to my soul, so I decided to make my own version. To try to respect the poetics of Nicola Di Bari, together with Niccolò Fornabaio – who produced the song with me – we went to record the accordions and accordions of the small band of Stigliano, an ancient village in the province of Matera, in a square full of sun and mountains. We then mixed Lucanian instruments with South American ones, asking the cowboy Asso Stefana from Brescia to play the guitarron and the bajo sexto and using the sound of biting fried nachos as percussion (as the Mexican school wants), to season our homage in mariachi sauce. Not content, I translated the lyrics of the song into French together with Jacopo Marretti and asked the pirate Pierre Rioufol (Poudre Noire) to sing it with me.”

Musical Tributes

“In doing so I tried to pay homage to the irreverent, poetic and timeless spirit of this piece in the knowledge that certain songs are essential companions in life. “Sai Che Bevo Sai Che Fumo” is certainly one of these, and it is right that it continues to resonate even today for all of us.”

On June 21st, for the French music festival and the summer solstice, Edoardo published another splendid cover, “Remedios”, a song written and sung by Gabriella Ferri in 1974. Edoardo explains his choice as follows: “A music of the future without borders where the Roman district of Testaccio meets the Latin lands of Violeta Parra and Mercedes Sosa. And I also tried to continue her path by being accompanied by Jérôme Goldet, by the pearl voice of Alexia Reveleau and by the Argentine bandoneon of Luciano Tobaldi who played from Buenos Aires for us who were in Paris to record a song sung in Spanish by one of the greatest Italian singers in history. We tried to widen her space by breaking down other borders to reach the heart of universal Italianness that dances with South America. Ferri's soul illuminates, “Remedios” consoles, makes us dance, puts the sun on our faces and in our hands pearls and white orchids necessary to best face the summer and life.”

Edward Florio of Grace

Singer-songwriter, collector of stories, originally from the Amalfi coast, of a Neapolitan family, born in Florence and living in Paris. He tries, like an antenna, to capture signals and transform them into songs. Writing songs allows him to travel and unite distant worlds, creating imaginary landscapes on which to dream new music: so the Amalfi rocks in the port of Tangier can transport you directly to a house in Belleville overlooking the Florentine square. His creativity goes beyond music: Edoardo is also a writer, he earned a doctorate in medieval history at the University of Florence, he writes podcasts, hosts radio programs and is a DJ Selector, a compulsive digger in search of small rare pearls. Edoardo has already collaborated with Antonin (“Antonino”), Alexia Gredy (“Un po' più spesso”), Bon Entendeur (“Rome”) and next spring “Italia Express” will be released, the first podcast produced by Radiooooo, a journey with five stops in the main Italian cities (Napoli, Rome, Bologna, Milan and Genoa) to discover music and history from the post-war period to today. Creator of Almaritmi, in opposition to algorithms, Edoardo creates playlists on the roads rarely traveled by mathematical calculations, in the knowledge that the music you need is often hidden right where you are not looking for it.