Blackness vol.2
21 february – 16 may 2023
Blackness is back with new dates in the highly anticipated vol. 2! Stories of pride and resistance, in which soul, R’n’B, funk and rap intersect with the great empire of Mali, the records of Kendrick Lamar or Beyoncé.
A journey into African American culture and music in which the history of Africa merges with that of the United States and Europe through the travels of the diaspora and the Black Lives Matter demonstrations.
Carlo Babando, journalist, lecturer in Italian literature and writer, will weave the thread between music, cinema, literature and history. He will accompany the dialogue with guests with a selection of music from vinyl records.
An increasingly performative journey with Massimo Oldani, Luca Sapio and Anna Bassy, who will mark the end of the event with an acoustic live set.
In association with SEMM Music Store
R'n'B on the radio
- Tuesday 21 February 2023 at 21:00 - 22:30
The history of African American music is inextricably linked to that of radio, which gave rise to songs and artists that became legendary. The success of a song depended above all on how many times its notes hit the airwaves: from there it was a springboard to dive into the nearest record shop for 78, 45 and 33 rpm records to go straight on the turntable. With **Massimo Oldani**, TV author, Quincy Jones' collaborator for magazines and seminars, unmistakable voice of **Radio Capital** and the 'Vibe' programme.
Soul in the time machine
- Tuesday 28 March 2023 at 21:00 - 22:30
What does retro soul mean? It means arranging and recording a record as they did in the sixties and seventies, with period instrumentation and an intense passion for names like Etta James, Otis Redding, the Supremes and Al Green. The world took notice with the grooves of 'Back To Black', but Daptone Studios, where Amy Winehouse recorded her masterpiece, has many other stories to tell. With **Luca Sapio**, producer, musician, presenter at the microphones of Radio Rai and director of his own record label, Blind Faith Records, which even boasts Martha High, James Brown's historic collaborator, in its catalogue.
Anna Bassy, sound identity
Africa, Italy and the United States in music
- Tuesday 23 May 2023 at 21:00 - 22:30
A talk interspersed with live acoustic performances.
Combining Nigerian roots, a passion for Afro-American music and her birth and upbringing in Italy, Anna Bassy is one of the most interesting emerging names on the scene. Exploring the language of soul, R'n'B and gospel in her own highly personal way, the stylistic signature of her songs reveals an incredibly mature and refined songwriter.
We talk to her about how what she writes and sings reflects African culture, starting with her latest EP: 'Genesi'
