Piero Piccioni
Today we’re listening to Piero Piccioni, an Italian film score composer and pianist. Born in Turin in 1921, he grew up listening to American jazz (Art Tatum, Charlie Parker) and trained as a lawyer, entering the entertainment business first to secure film rights. He then leveraged his musical education (he’d studied at il Conservatorio Luigi Cherubini) and began scoring films. We’re first playing his score for the 1970 Italian crime film Colpo Rovente, which demonstrates his broad range from big band numbers to proto-ambient jazz pieces. Don’t miss “Endless Love,” which we discovered via Margeaux’s NTS show. The 1992 release from EMI includes a bunch of alternate versions too. Second we’re playing his score for the 1966 picture Sartana, which is a bit lower key and includes some nice love themes and solo piano pieces.
Colpo Rovente - Piero Piccioni (64m, basically no vocals, some lyricless ones)
Spotify / Apple Music / YouTube Music / Amazon Music / Tidal
Sartana - Piero Piccioni (56m, no vocals)
Spotify / Apple Music / YouTube Music / Amazon Music / Tidal
Have a great Thursday.
Great pick. I have “easy lovers” on my flow playlist.
This is all quite delightful, but to be honest, not at all what I would switch on for focus or desk work. Maybe if I wanted to write a campy spy thriller? Or for a dinner party on the sunlit patio I do not own? Could listen while fixing a meal and it would seem heroic and glamorous! It makes me smile, but it would derail many a task where focus is required.