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Music

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November 11, 2012

Peppe Voltarelli, an artist-in-residence in New York City.

Joseph Sciorra
John Napoli
Peppe Voltarelli at Barbès in Park Slope, Brooklyn.

Exploring "The Voyage, the Forefathers, Belonging."

January 24, 2013

A Little Wager?

Joseph Sciorra
Zeljko Lucic as Rigoletto.

Wanna bet Philistine Italian-American “Leaders” become “Outraged,” Again?

November 18, 2010

Talkin’ Hybrid Moments

Joseph Sciorra
Rosangela Briscese
Carl Porcaro, Gerry LaFemina, and Vinnie Stigma at the Calandra Institute’s November 5th symposium “Hybrid Moments: Independent Music in Italian America.”

Introductory comments to the Calandra Institute’s November 5th symposium “Hybrid Moments: Independent Music in Italian America.”

February 21, 2011

Craftsmanship Documented

Joseph Sciorra
The Metropolitan Musuem of Art
Mandolins (detail), New York, circa 1900, crafted by Angelo Mannello (1858-1922).

Italian Americans at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

May 5, 2011

Talking Folklore

Joseph Sciorra

Over the next several months, I will be presenting the book Italian Folk in venues throughout the New York metropolitan area.

May 9, 2011

Benefit Concert for Calandra Institute, June 10th

Joseph Sciorra

John Giorno, Vic Ruggiero, Penny Arcade, and John La Barbera to perform in support of the Calandra Institute.

July 6, 2011

The Death of Jimmy Roselli

Joseph Sciorra
Jimmy Roselli (1925-2011)

Family and fans say goodbye to a voice of a generation.

May 15, 2009

Dean Benedetti, Jazz Ethnographer

Joseph Sciorra
Dean Benedetti, Torre del Lago, circa 1955

Vilified for decades, Dean Benedetti is now lauded as a “true jazz hero.”

June 29, 2009

Vittoria Pietropaoli, An Appreciation

Joseph Sciorra
Vittoria Pietropaoli and Francesco Fabbi, returning from a pilgrimage to the Sanctuary of the Santissima Trinità di Vallepietra, circa 1976.

A contadina performer of musica popolare is a constant companion.

May 31, 2010

Building Community, the Brooklyn Way

Joseph Sciorra
Joseph Sciorra
KAVES, Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, April 14, 2010.

Meet KAVES, band leader, tattoo artist, community activist.

March 14, 2009

Thinking Neapolitan

Joseph Sciorra
Courtesy: Mark Pezzano
Logo of Edizione Pennino, Brooklyn, New York, 1927.

The Canzone Napoletana as Transnational Subject

February 21, 2009

An American Folklorist in Italy

Joseph Sciorra
Alan Lomax/Association for Cultural Equity
Moncalvo (Asti province), Piemonte, October 7, 1954.

Alan Lomax’s stunning photographs from Italy (1954-1955) are published.

September 14, 2008

The Sound of Italian-American Cultural Philanthropy

Joseph Sciorra

What happens when a PBS station targets Italian Americans as donors?

December 26, 2007

Vic Damone’s Italian Cousin

Joseph Sciorra
Vinicio Capossela

Italian singer-songwriter Vinicio Capossela returns to the States in January 2008.

July 9, 2008

“O’ Giglio e Paradiso”: An Italian-American Musical Classic

Joseph Sciorra
(from left to right) Salvatore “Tutti” Ferrara, Antonio Rosalia, and Phil Caccavalle, giglio feast, Williamsburg, Brooklyn, 1950.

What the Brooklyn giglio feast and an obscure musician might tell us about Italian-American culture.

June 14, 2008

"C'è la luna": Anatomy of an Italian-American "Folk" Song

Joseph Sciorra
Pete Seeger singing "C'è la luna" (1967).

An Italian-American standard turns out to have a convoluted history that belies the simplistic label “folk song.”

June 22, 2008

Linking the Diaspora Musically

Joseph Sciorra

Hip hop is contributing to an expanding Italian diasporic consciousness, one that offers possibilities for an anti-racist politic.

March 25, 2008

"Jersey Boys": Recreating A Lost Era in the Life of the American Working Class

Joseph Sciorra
"Big Girls Don't Cry," Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons

Fordham University history professor Mark Naison recently emailed his thoughts on the Broadway musical "Jersey Boys" and has allowed me to post them here verbatim.

January 8, 2008

The Cost of Freedom: The Rascals' Struggle for Change

Joseph Sciorra
Photo courtesy of Joe Russo/TheRascalsArchives.com
"Good Lovin'" (1966), The Young Rascals

"In 1967-68, The Rascals were on top of the pop charts. So they decided to use their power to take a stand on Civil Rights. That’s when the problems started."