Paolo Bonfanti

Paolo Bonfanti was a member of one of the most important band of the Italian rock-blues scene, Big Fat Mama. He collaborated with Italian, English and American artists, such as Beppe Gambetta, Fabio Treves, Jonhy Mars, Gene Parsons and David Essig. He was in the ranks of Downtown, small legends of British Blues. Canzoni di Schiena goes beyond the usual standards. Bonfanti plays and presents American blues with lyrycs in Genovese dialect and the operation succeeds perfectly. It is produced by Giorgio Ravera, band leader of Rosa Tatuata. After ten years of services to the band the guitarist Rosie Grillo leaves room for new collaborators Roberto Bongianino on accordion and guitar, Stefano Risso on double-bass and Alessandro Pelle on drums. There is a great start with O gh' n piaxèi (translated from genovesr, 'a favour') in which Roy Rogers appears as guest, already guitarist and producer of John Lee Hooker and wizard of slide guitar, whilst Vittorio de Scalzi from New Trolls sings and plays the Hammond organ in Dove a l'è. Two are the covers: Cosa Danno is a track from 1982 by Stormy Six and ironically describes TV, whereas Jack gets up it's a track by another legendary guitarist, Leo Kottke, master of fingerstyle picking and 12 chords slide guitar who recorded it in his My Father's Face in 1989. Jimmy e Maria is a sort of Bonnie and Clyde Italian style, a fascinating and enthralling story. Bonfanti is appreciated for the easy technique, cleaned up by intelligent harmonic intuitions that touch upon various aspects of American music. - Jam