Pippo Pollina celebrates his 60th birthday with a new album and tour
Published: Friday, Jan 5th 2024, 11:00
Updated At: Saturday, Jan 6th 2024, 00:58
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Sicilian singer-songwriter Pippo Pollina is releasing his 25th album "Nell'attimo" on January 12. Pollina, who has lived in Zurich for 30 years, returns with a melancholy album and a major tour.
The twelve songs on the album "Nell'attimo" (engl.: In the meantime) take listeners on a journey to the south of Italy, where Pippo Pollina comes from. "Roots have always been an important component for me, because the place where you live for the first 22 to 25 years remains indelible," said Pollina in an interview with the Keystone-SDA news agency in his recording studio in Zurich.
"Roots are something special," said Pollina, adding: "When an artist is authentic, you can feel it." The album certainly is authentic. And a certain melancholy is also audible. According to Pollina, however, this is not sad. "Melancholy is a passion, it has a warmth that sadness lacks."
Live at the moment
There is another aspect for the man from Zurich: After the death of his brother, he realized that he had to - and wanted to - live in the moment. "Real life is living in the now." He has also incorporated this realization into his new album. He also deals with topics such as war and peace, but also the small "movements of the heart", as Pollina put it.
The musician's children, Julian, better known as Faber, and Madlaina, part of the Zurich duo Steiner & Madlaina, are also singer-songwriters. Both children sing in German. However, according to his father, Faber has written four songs in Italian for his next album, which will be released next February. "I was delighted to realize that singing and our relationship were so formative that my children also made music their profession," said Pollina.
An acoustic album
"Nell'attimo" bears the subtitle "Dieci Canzoni Fatte a Mano" (Ten Handmade Songs). This refers to simplicity: The record is recorded purely acoustically. "Originally it was supposed to be a solo album with old songs, with guitar and vocals or piano and vocals," says Pollina. Then, during the summer vacation in Italy, he wrote twelve new songs or renewed old ones within two weeks. "I wrote a song every day, I was in the flow."
The album begins with "Aspettando Che Sia Mattino" (Waiting for the Morning), the first track from Pollina's 1987 album of the same name. Pollina has now "stylized" the song a little, adapting the melody. One should see how his work has changed over time.
Another special song is "E Penso Solo a Te". It is an Italian adaptation of the song "Am Ende denke ich nur an dich" by the German band Element of Crime. "I found it interesting to find out how to render a German song in Italian."
Solo tour and retrospective
In the wake of the album release, Pollina is going on tour through Switzerland and the surrounding countries with over 60 concerts. The last time the singer-songwriter toured alone was 23 years ago. He admitted that he had respect for it, "on the other hand, it's a nice challenge and I like that."
The "Solo in concerto - Nell'attimo" tour - which, in addition to the new album, also celebrates 40 years of the singer-songwriter's musical career and his 60th birthday in 2023 - will also be multimedia: On stage, behind Pollina, there will be a large screen on which various videos and photos tracing his career will be projected.
The album "Nell'attimo" will be released on January 12 by Jazzhaus Records. The tour "Solo in concerto - Nell'attimo" starts on January 11 in Chur.
©Keystone/SDA
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