L'Italo-Americano

L'Italo-Americano THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2017 www.italoamericano.org 8 SAN FRANCISCO ITALIAN COMMUNITY T he passion for Italian music combined with great talent are behind Giuseppe Pinto's story. Born and raised in Salerno, the Italian musician was only six when he got introduced to music for the first time. Thanks to his father Gianni, he learnt solfeggio and started to listen to jazz and blues. Since then, the love for music has surely evolved but never ended. Giuseppe moved to the Bay Area for work in 2011, when he also started collaborating with kind, smart, and talented artists. Today he performs with bands of other music genres, however it was only by meeting guitarist Trent Berry, bassist Bob Menacho, and drummer Chris Thalmann, that he could turn the passion for music into something more. He launched his own band, Sonamò, a blend between Italian and American cultures through original musical compo- sitions. After some nights at the Muka Bar, the band also per- formed at Madrone Art Bar and Pier 23 Cafe. They currently host a two months residency at the Boom Boom Room, one of the well-known music venues in San Francisco. Giuseppe, what's your story? I come from a town close to Naples, facing the Mediterranean Sea. I came to the US after my studies in Electrical Engineering, because of my other passion, sci- ence. At that time, I wasn't play- ing music at all, except for some jazz jam sessions. I used to attend them at the Hedley Jazz Club in San Jose where I met a trumpet player, John Worley. He had me perform at the San Jose Jazz Festival in 2012. I moved to San Francisco one year later, when I also made a resolution of actively meeting musicians, join- ing jam sessions, and attending auditions. What's your relationship with music? I started by playing classical piano and switched to jazz music when I met Michele Di Martino, one of the greatest Italian pianists. I performed with other artists and attended jazz work- shops with excellent contempo- rary musicians. Do you have a favorite Italian singer or band? Hard to say… The first mod- ern composer that impressed me was Lucio Battisti but I can name a few others, also known worldwide, such as the Premiata Forneria Marconi. But I believe that Pino Daniele, Jovanotti, and Stefano Bollani gave a real boost to Italian music: not only they brought oldest music traditions back to life, but also melted them and ended up creating a - still undefined - music that attracted huge artists like Chick Corea and Pat Metheny. When did you think about your own band? I came to this decision when I realized that people in America know only one aspect of the Italian music. There was a lack SERENA PERFETTO Sonamò and its Italian Funk Take the Bay Area by Storm of its representation in the whole music scene. Since I knew I couldn't do it by myself, I tried to find the right people to get it started. What does Sonamò mean? This word comes from one of Pino Daniele's songs, A Me Me Piace O' Blues. Towards the end, he keeps singing E Sono Mo', Sono Mo' which means "I am playing now". That became Sonamo' - play now! - but it is actually the slang for "show me what you got" in a provocative way. How would you define your music? I like to call it Italian funk. We write our music based on what we have inside. I grew up with all sort of music styles, but my experience in the United States changed me and my life perspective completely. I had to reconsider all my values and understand that there are many ways of doing things. That's what I call the American miracle: a huge diversity that brings the best part of all of us. I would say that ours is a "world music". Your music attracts both Americans and Italians. Which is the secret? Our originals are a blend of sounds from all over the world, we just sing it in Italian. We are greatly inspired by Italian artists like Pino Daniele and Jovanotti who get both close to what we want to achieve with our sound. You are the only Italian in the band. How important is diversity for Sonamò? Initially, all I wanted for my band was putting great musicians together, it did not matter to me where they came from. I needed somebody to help make my dream come true. After I've put the band together, I realized how lucky I was to play with such gentlemen, who created a family friendly environment and active- ly participated in the organization and the promotion of the band. It's not my band anymore, it's our band. What's coming next? We have a good amount of original songs and we would like to record an album. We are tight- ening the sound with our live concerts, with positive feedbacks. We want to spread our music in the Bay Area and let everybody experience what we feel. Also, it is still kind of undefined but we'll probably be touring the west coast later in the year. For all events, follow us on Facebook www.facebook.com/ sonamo. music Sonamò band: from far left Chris Thalmann, Trent Berry, Bob Menacho, and Giuseppe Pinto Italian Community Services provid Bay Area Italian-American seniors and famili with trusted rourc to help them live healthy, independent and productive liv. We are commied to honoring and prerving the Italian language and culture, with an emphasis on the strength and suort that com om family, community, education and goodwill. Casa Coloniale John F. Fugazi 678 Green Street San Francisco, CA 94133 415 •362 •6423 www.italiancs.com . . • Translation for seniors /new immigrants • Community service coordination • Information and referrals

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