I am sure those of you who have been following my blog have come to realize that I am starting to post about interviews that I am conducting for our Filippo and the Chef radio show. There are two reasons in particular. The first is that at the moment we don't have a convenient place on the website to post some of the fun pictures we take during the interviews.
The other reason is because we also don't have a forum on the website that we can talk about some of the fun things that happen on the way to the interview, during the interview, after the interview, etc. Sometimes we mention things on the air during the show, but there is so much going on during the sh
ow, from cooking, to "word of the day," and e-mails, and wine drinking, that we can't get around to everything.So for as long as it serves us, and for as long as you are enjoying it, I will continue to post interview posts, like this one with Italian musician and producer Simone Sello.
It is so funny how life works, when I so wanted an Italian music producer for the two Italian CDs I recorded, I had no idea where to find one, and never did, for either of my CDs, my first or my second. Now that I am thinking about recording an American CD, I not only find Italian producers, but I am friends with them and am interviewing them, no less.
As a matter of fact, when I told Simone that I was in the studio with a producer working on an American song, he wanted to hear it. Of course he does, he has watched and been a part of some of the greatest Italian artists' growth and successes, like Andrea Bocelli, for example.
I met Simone through my friend, composer, singer, songwriter Marco Missinato. He and Simone have been working together for years on Marco's band "Naked Soul," and currently on his Pets Love Music CD series. When I asked him to take a picture of Simone and I they both realized they never had a picture taken of them together, so here they are too, taken in Marco's little home studio. Below is Simone in his bigger home studio.
Simone used to be one of the few and proud musicians that make up the San Remo Festival Orchestra. Winning the San Remo Festival in San Remo, Italy, would be the equivalent of winning a Grammy in the States, only in Italy, they conduct the event like a internationally televised song contest over the course of several days.
After having worked with so many of Italy's greats as well as the greats of the music world all over the world, Simone has some great stories and I thought you would all enjoy hearing them and is the reason why I interviewed him for our show.
Here is a more complete outline of Simone's career, who by the way, arrived at the interview in his sexy little fiat convertible as if he was in Rome, where he is originally from.
He started studying the guitar and the violin when he was about 10, and began his professional career right afterwards. He got to play with many international artists from his country, live and in the studio, and he became the guitar player in the orchestra of the world famous Sanremo Festival for 4 years, having the honor to play with such guests as George Benson, Pat Metheny, Toots Thielemans, Ray Charles, Kenny G, Michael Bolton, Celine Dion, Andrea Bocelli, Laura Pausini , Toto Cutugno, Nek and many others.
Also, he co-arranged and produced the song "Non Ci Sto", which brought the singer Syria to win the contest associated with the Sanremo Festival in 1996.
He currently lives in Los Angeles, where he works as a session guitar player, music producer and expert in computer music, songrwriter, and writes articles for music magazines. Here he has been doing much work, both live and in the studio, with such musicians as Billy Sheehan (bass player with David Lee Roth, Niacin, Mr. Big and solo artist), Aaron Carter and his brother Nick Carter, from Backstreet Boys (both multiplatinum singers), Kevon Edmonds (After7, Baby Face) and Julia Fordham.He is a member of the electronica-art-rock band project One.O, together with Warren Cuccurullo (Frank Zappa, Missing Persons, Duran Duran)
He is also a recording artist himself, having released his solo CD "Sample This" with Compression Records, as Simonex.
He also works in composing, playing and producing music for TV, movies and sound libraries. He was among the winners of the John Lennon songwriting contest in 2001.
They don't get much better than this. I can say that too because I have had the pleasure to have Simone play guitar for my shows in the past and just listened to him turn a good song into something great. And as a singer, when you are working with someone like him, you inspire each other and the audience feels it too.
Much like the interview actually, I hope you feel it too and you enjoy the clip of one of his compositions we play afterwards.
A presto,
Filippo
P.S. Speaking of Andrea Bocelli, I just realized I have never posted a video of Andrea on my blog, though I have mentioned him. Someone who I have never even mentioned is Zucchero, one of Italy's greatest living pop song writers and singers. What better time to post a video of them than now since Simone has worked with both of them.
So here they are together Andrea and Zucchero on a video I found on Youtube.com singing Zucchero's song "Miserere," live in Italy. If you don't know this song, here's your opportunity to hear it, and if you know it, your opportunity to enjoy it again. (In Italian)
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