To testify to the profound fascination of one of the greatest stars of Italian music, Mina Mazzinitowards the city of Naplesthere are wonderful record albums produced between the 1960s and the early 2000s. The Napoli by Mina is a rare pearl that deserves to be listened to by every Neapolitan. And you, did you know her?
Mina sings Naples, a city that becomes a muse
Mina Mazzini. One of the voices that has best managed to express the passion imbued in Italian music. Her infinite facets, her strong emancipation from the common musical scenario of the time and at the same time the delicacy that has always characterized her voice have contributed to forging a real myth in the international artistic-cultural panorama. Mina was a diva, and she was one both on stage and behind the scenes.
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Not everyone, however, knows the strong bond between this woman-colossus of the music industry and the city of Naples. Someone will probably remember Mina in “Appointment in Ischia“, a 1960 film directed by Mario Mattoli, accompanied by great faces such as Domenico Modugno e Franco Califanoor the epic episode of Studio One of 1965 which saw Mina accompanied by the king of Neapolitan comedy Antonio de Curtis, aka Toto.
Sing Naples (1966)
These collaborations were the beginning of the profound relationship that Mina established with the artists and with the Neapolitan territory, so much so that just a year later, in 1966was published by the Italdisc label “Sing Napoli“: a collection of 20 evergreens of Neapolitan song sung by Mina, Gianni Ales, Gino Ravallese, Angelo Prioli, and the Radar Quartet. “Naples” in red capital letters, the bright yellow background and the iconic figure of Vesuvius dominate the album cover.
Among the iconic pieces of this album there is certainly You are a big thing. The song, originally written and sung by Domenico Modugno, was revisited for the occasion by Mina with a unique emotional intensity and interpretative strength, which made this version of the song iconic. historic piece of Italian songwriting. It is also worth mentioning titles such as ‘Na sera ‘e maggio, Chella llÃ, Core ‘ngrato, Santa Lucia luntana. The success of this recording product is a clear consequence of the cultural climate of the time, aimed at the revaluation of popular and regional traditions. Mina, with her work, reminded everyone of the inestimable value of the Neapolitan song.
Napoli (1996)
In the second half of the 90s, precisely in 1996the PDU label produces “Napoli” another tribute album, in which this time Mina’s voice is the only protagonist, masterfully accompanied by a group of musicians with a jazz approach. Wonderful songs like I lose the sound, Indifferently, Passion, I’m close to you and when the key have made this album a true pearl of discography, at the same time strengthening the value that these traditional pieces already had in their autonomy.
«The result is a very rigorous album, […] with a collected, intimate, relaxed, club mood, as if it were a live session, without tricks, second thoughts or remakes: it is the best dimension of Mina, a great singer, who manages to keep the measure without smudging, without overflowing […] and to achieve the most successful thing in recent years», this is how the journalist commented on the album Marco Molendini writing for the newspaper The messenger. There is no doubt that Mina surpasses herself with this album, managing to delve even deeper into the true essence of the Neapolitan tradition.
Naples. First, Second and Third extracts (2003)
At the end of this very high artistic production themed around Naples, in 2003 was released by the same label “Naples. First, Second and Third extract“: a 3-CD box with unreleased songs such as Queen e Sickness. This time the cover is even more iconic: Totò, Titina De Filippo and Tina Pica on a stage at the San Carlo theatre. A spectacular image, with great visual impact.
Know these products, real intangible relics of a city It means knowing our tradition even more deeply, even when it is honored by the greatest faces of Italian culture.