At the Toniolo in Mestre, Elio stages a show about a free thinker like there have been few, in music and otherwise.
Italy is the place where singers and poets are never taken seriously. And to think they are such exuberant characters in their ability to say out loud indisputable principles that no politician would dare stand by, if but for the length of their political campaign. Enzo Jannacci has been the symbol of a city and an epoch—Milan in the 1950s, a city that at that time loved American rock ‘n’ roll and imitated American legends such as Elvis Presley and Chuck Berry. Jannacci was a singer, musician, and cardiologist— the latter was not a pastime as he studied at Columbia and worked with Christiaan Barnard. He is also the subject and protagonist of upcoming show Ci vuole orecchio (lit. ‘it takes ear’) thanks to another entertainer who made a career out of apparent goofball music: Stefano Belisari of Elio e le Storie Tese. The show will be at Toniolo Theatre on March 13 and 14 not only to homage Jannacci’s memory, but to test just how modern his artistic contribution was, and how little it was understood at the time.
“If you start to understand me, let me know. It means I’m slipping out of character.” Ambiguous and blunt as only a real genius can be, listening to his monologues and songs will make time seem more relative. His lucidity of thought is always on point, and we can only hope it will stay that way for years to come. “The show – explains Elio – will not focus on either Jannacci’s irony or Jannacci’s melancholy. We will have him whole, using the words of those who wrote about him: Dario Fo, Umberto Eco, Michele Serra. I will add my own reflections and, obviously, his songs. Not necessarily his most famous ones, but the ones that best tell his story.” On the stage, designed by Giorgio Gallione, Elio will be accompanied by five instrumentalists, a bizarre and original music caravan: pianist Alberto Tafuri, drummer Martino Malacrida, bassist Pietro Martinelli, saxist Sophia Tomelleri, trombonist Giulio Tullio. The musicians will accompany an exciting story about two musical troubadours and a vast, unique human and musical tapestry.
