Enzo Jannacci

Vincenzo "Enzo" Jannacci (; 3 June 1935 – 29 March 2013) was an Italian singer-songwriter, pianist, actor and comedian. He is regarded as one of the most important artists in the post-war Italian music scene. and in the course of his career has collaborated with many famous Italian musicians, performing artists, journalists, television personalities and comedians. He has written around thirty albums and soundtracks, some of which have since come to be seen as milestones in the history of Italian popular music.

A cardiologist in his day job, he is also regarded as one of the founders of Italian rock and roll music, along with Adriano Celentano, Luigi Tenco and Giorgio Gaber, with whom he collaborated for over forty years.

Early life Enzo Jannacci was born in Milan on 3 June 1935 to a Lombard mother and a father of Apulian descent – his paternal grandfather, also called Vincenzo, had moved to Milan from Bari just before the onset of the First World War.

His father was an aeronautical official and worked at Forlanini Airport (now more commonly known as Linate). During the Second World War he took part in the Italian resistance movement, in particular during the defence of Milanese aviation at Piazza Novelli, an act which later inspired songs such as Sei minuti all'alba ("Six Minutes to Dawn"). On 23 November 1967 he married Giuliana Orefice, who gave birth to Paolo, their only child, five years later. Today Paolo is a musician and conductor. The following year he made his debut as stand-up comedian in the Milan comedy club Derby; there he met Dario Fo and the duo Cochi & Renato, with whom he collaborated several times over the years. "Ho visto un re" despite the ostracism (RAI even forbade the radio broadcasting of the song) became a classic

Between 1968 and 1972 Jannacci temporarily slowed his activities focusing on his activity as a doctor; during these years he however appeared as leading actor in two films, Mario Monicelli's Man and Wife (in the segment Il frigorifero) and Marco Ferreri's The Audience. In 1975 he published the album Quelli che... and the eponymous single became one of his most known songs, especially thanks to the variety show Quelli che... il Calcio that used it as the theme song for eight years. In 1978 he composed the soundtrack and collaborated to the screenplay of Saxofone, the directorial debut of his longtime friend Renato Pozzetto.

Later years and death The late years were for Jannacci full of tributes and honours, but also difficult on records. Both Gaber e Jannacci were schoolfriends at Liceo Classico "A. Manzoni" in Milan and then remained closely friends for many years. Their sole common work took place in 1989 for the comedy Aspettando Godot ("Waiting for Godot") of Samuel Beckett, 30 thirty years after the duo I due corsari. In 1990, it was followed by an interview titled Gaber-Jannacci "Aspettiamo Godot" where the duo talked about their common love, both for Beckett's art and their native city.

The 2006 collection The Best 2006 is his latest album, a double CD containing 35 tracks, rearranged and produced by his son Paolo with three new songs. Between 2010 and 2011 he appeared several times on the variety show Zelig as stand-up comedian. On 19 December 2011 Fabio Fazio hosted a TV special about Jannacci, Vengo anch'io. Ovvero Enzo Jannacci, a tribute event full of guests that was the last public appearance for the already diseased Jannacci. In February 2012 he was celebrated by a radio documentary series, Ho visto un re, Enzo Jannacci, broadcast by Radio Due. At the Sanremo Music Festival 2015, the Italian singer Enrico Ruggeri dedicated the piece Tre signori ("Three Lords") to Jannacci, Giorgio Gaber and Giorgio Faletti, imagined while jockeying, writing music and playing the piano.

Jannacci died of cancer on the evening of Friday, 29 March 2013, at around 20:30, at the age of 77 years.

Discography

LP and CD records

Albums 1964 – La Milano di Enzo Jannacci (Jolly LPJ 5037) 1965 – Enzo Jannacci in teatro (live Jolly LPJ 5043) 1966 – Sei minuti all'alba (Jolly LPJ 5071) 1968 – Vengo anch'io. No, tu no (ARC ALPS 11007) 1968 – Le canzoni di Enzo Jannacci (Dischi Ricordi MRP 9050; collection of single records and unpublished Ricordi and Tavola Rotonda) 1970 – La mia gente (ARC ALPS 11021) 1972 – Giorgio Gaber e Enzo Jannacci (Family single records from 1959 to 1960 with Giorgio Gaber) 1972 – Jannacci Enzo (RCA Italiana, PSL 10539) 1975 – Quelli che... (Ultima Spiaggia, ZLUS 55180) 1976 – O vivere o ridere (Ultima Spiaggia, ZLUS 55189) 1977 – Secondo te...Che gusto c'è? (Ultima Spiaggia, ZPLS 34027) 1979 – Fotoricordo (Ultima Spiaggia, ZPLS 34075) 1980 – Ci vuole orecchio (Dischi Ricordi SMRL 6266) 1980 – Nuove registrazioni (Dischi Ricordi-Orizzonte ORL 8430) 1981 – E allora...Concerto (Dischi Ricordi SMRL 6282) 1983 – Discogreve (Dischi Ricordi SMRL 6302) 1983 – Ja-Ga Brothers (CGD with Giorgio Gaber) 1985 – L'importante (DDD) 1987 – Parlare con i limoni (DDD) 1989 – Se me lo dicevi prima e altri successi (collection with unpublished too, DDD) 1989 – 30 anni senza andare fuori tempo (collection: live, DDD) 1991 – Guarda la fotografia (DDD) 1994 – I soliti accordi (DDD) 1998 – Quando un musicista ride (collection with unpublished too) 2001 – Come gli aeroplani 2003 – L'uomo a metà 2005 – Milano 3 June 2005 (collection) 2006 – The Best 2006 (collection with unpublished too)

Collaborations Mina quasi Jannacci (1977, with Mina) Milva la rossa (1980, with Milva) Banana à milanesa (2008, with Selton)

Singles L'Armando/La forza dell'amore (4 May 1964) Sfiorisci bel fiore/Non è vero (30 April 1965) Veronica/Soldato Nencini (17 May 1965) Per un basin/Ninna nanna per un bambino (9 February 1966) Ho visto un re/Bobo Merenda (1968) Il terzino d'Olanda/Gli zingari (1969) Mexico e nuvole/Pensare che... (1970) Brutta gente/Il panettiere (1974) Vincenzina e la fabbrica/Vincenzina e la fabbrica (strumentale) (1974) El me indiriss/Quelli che... (1975) Linea bianca/Moviola (9 September 1983) Mi-mi-la-lan!/La bambina lupo (1984) Se me lo dicevi prima/Vita e bottoni (March 1989)

Duets With Claudio Baglioni: Canzone intelligente, E la vita la vita (in Anime in gioco by Claudio Baglioni, 1997), La forza dell'amore and Vincenzina e la fabbrica With Adriano Celentano: Ho visto un re With Paolo Conte: Bartali With Dario Fo (from 1964 to 1980 he contributed to about forty songs of Dario Fo): Ho visto un re With Giorgio Gaber (whom he made two albums above mentioned with): Canzone intelligente, Ho visto un re, La strana famiglia and Una fetta di limone With Irene Grandi: Bum bum and Ragazzo padre With Ligabue: Ci vuole orecchio With Mia Martini: Io e te With Renato Pozzetto: Canzone intelligente, E la vita la vita and Ho visto un re With Paolo Rossi: Ho visto un re and I soliti accordi With Enrico Ruggeri: Ci vuole orecchio With Roberto Vecchioni: Luci a San Siro and Veronica With Francesco De Gregori: Sfiorisci bel fiore With Fabrizio De André : Via del campo

The Italian artists who collaborated with Enzo Jannacci: Hiss son Paolo, Beppe Viola, Cochi e Renato, Bruno Lauzi, Loredana Bertè, Lino Toffolo, Umberto Bindi, Giorgio Strehler, Sandro Ciotti, Lina Wertmüller, Massimo Boldi and Pino Donaggio.

Soundtracks Come Home and Meet My Wife (directed by Mario Monicelli, 1974) Seven Beauties (directed by Lina Wertmüller, 1975) Sturmtruppen (directed by Salvatore Samperi, 1976) L'Italia s'è rotta (directed by Steno, 1976) Black Journal (directed by Mauro Bolognini, 1977) Saxofone (directed by Renato Pozzetto, 1978) Little Misunderstandings (directed by Ricky Tognazzi, 1988)

Filmography