L'Italo-Americano

The Italian American community of LA says G r a z i e and Arrivederci to a great team Giovanna Gattuso: turning politics into music All the good things come to an end. We know that and yet, when it happens, we can't help being upset and concerned about the future. With the end of the summer, the Italian and Italian American community of Los Angeles bids farewell to a great team, who has worked hard over the last few years to promote the Italian lan- guage and cultural heritage in many different sectors. The Director of the Italian Cultural Institute, Alberto Di Mauro, left to Rome a few months ago, and he is now fol- lowed by his Deputies Massimo Sarti and Michela Magrì. In the same fashion, Consul General of Italy in Los Angeles, Giuseppe Perrone, and members of his staff such as Commercial Attaché Elena Marinelli and Irene Buongiorno are about to end their mandate in the U.S. On August 27, 2014, many friends and regular guests of the L'Italo-Americano THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 4, 2014 www.italoamericano.com 4 IIC gathered together to thank these amazing people, who helped them preserve their ori- gins or discover the vibrant Italian culture, always making them feel at home. Among the attendees to the event were representatives of partner institutions such as Carlo Bocchi, Executive Director of the Italian Trade Agency, Cynthia Catalino, President of the Italian Heritage Culture Foundation, and Marcella Leonetti-Tyler, NIAF Regional VP, as well as leading figures from the community and many sponsors, including Marisa Antonini Foundation, Pasquini Espresso Company, Grando Chocolate, Il Fornaio Beverly Hills, LovinLife Multimedia, and Newport Italian with its beautiful Vespa scooters on view. Accompanied by the notes of well-known Italian songs, per- formed live by La Dolce Vita, the evening was also an opportu- nity to present the third art itin- silVia siMoNetti erary developed by Alessandro Marianantoni and his MEDIARS for the smartphone application ITALY ART LA. Launched at the end of 2013, the app features three different itineraries: "From Light to Materiality", including visits to the Getty Center, the Getty Villa, and the IIC itself; "Traces of Italy", exploring on Downtown LA architecture and sculpture; and the brand new "Pasadena: an Italian Journey", focusing on St. Andrew's Church, the City Hall, the Huntington Art Collections and Botanical Gardens, and the Norton Simon Museum. After the presentation, more celebrations followed with singing, dancing, and a delicious custom-made cake created by EnjoEAT. "Never change a winning team," the saying goes. Regretfully enough, this time the choice is not ours to make. Arrivederci! The King is Naked is an expression derived from the famous tale by Han Christian Handersen, entitled The Emperor's New Clothes and published in 1837. It refers to an arrogant king who is fooled by fraudulent tailors because of his presumption, and walks naked in front of his indulgent subjects, until an innocent child exposes him. Nowadays, the phrase has turned into a metaphor of power- ful people's arrogance, as well as of sycophants' fear to speak up. Mainly used in the world of politics, it has recently become quite common in Italy in regards to some politicians who made a bad end and others who make false promises. From literature to politics, and now also to music: some- times, complicated situations from real life can be of great inspiration for artists. Italian jazz singer, soprano, composer, and vocal coach Giovanna Gattuso has perfected her singing skills at the UCSD and founded the Venice Voice Academy in Los Angeles, where she also collaborates with the VelvetBee Records, the IIC, and the San Gennaro Foundation. Giovanna was awarded the LA Music Award as Best Latin Female Singer Songwriter in 2006 and Best World Music Album of the Year. Her brand new single The King is Naked, to be included in the upcoming CD, is based on the latest news regarding Italian politics. And yet, she underlines, "The lyrics and the story can eas- ily be connected to many other politicians worldwide, and in general to people whose big ego makes their inevitable fall even more painful." Produced and arranged by Ted Perlman – who has also worked with Whitney Houston, Elton John, and Bob Dylan, among others -, The King is Naked was recently presented at the Italian Cultural Institute of Los Angeles, together with a music video realized in collabo- ration with Italian fashion and interior designer Fabrizio Modina. The shooting took place in Italy, and Modina designed all details, from the furniture and accessories to Giovanna's origi- nal costumes. In the music video she wears 11 dresses, some of them created by her own mother, whereas the eccentric hairstyles were rented from a renowned costume shop in Turin, which provided them for the staging of Madama Butterfly in the 1920s and 1930s. Giovanna's latest song and the video are both catchy and ironic, allowing her to experi- ment a new style that combines her impressive jazz and operatic voice range with pop music. According to Ted Perlman, "This brilliant and elegant production reveals Giovanna's talent, which reminds of Ella Fitzgerald and Norah Jones, mixed in her per- sonal way of singing." The screening was introduced by IIC Deputy Director Michela Magrì, and followed by a Q&A and a live music performance. It was also accompanied by an exhibition of abstract paintings by Santa Monica-based artist Anahid Boghosian, whose color- ful works have been inspired in part by her friend's new song and video. Giovanna Gattuso's The King is Naked premiered in Italy about a month ago, and it is now avail- able online and on YouTube, as a foretaste of the complete album. Elena Marinelli, Massimo Sarti and Michela Magrì posing with a shiny Vespa Alessandro Marianantoni presents the app ITALY ART LA silVia siMoNetti Giovanna Gattuso and Ted Perlman performing live at the IIC. Photo by Mher Vahakn

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