Putumayo Presents: Italia

Italia features well-known singer-songwriters Giorgio Conte and Gianmaria Testa, who combine poetry and humor with stirring melodies and lovingly crafted compositions. Simone Lo Porto, Alessandro Pitoni, Alessandro Mannarino and Rossomalpelo frontman Serge Gaggiotti are all representatives of the contemporary Italian singer-songwriter scene. Lino Straulino returns to the traditional folk music of his native Friuli region in northeastern Italy for inspiration.

The popular group Bandabardò draws its influences from European folk, rock and pop music. Film score composer Rocco De Rosa blends Italian folk music with diverse influences from the immigrant communities in today's Italy. Lu Colombo had two disco hits in the 1980s, but in recent years, she has joined forces with jazz guitarist Maurizio Geri to record timeless songs that would more likely be heard in cafés rather than on dance floors.

Many contemporary Italian artists are making a conscious effort to pay tribute to the classic Italian popular music of the 1950s. During those years, American jazz was blended with Italian ballads and folk music to create carefree, romantic songs. Marco Calliari is a guitarist and singer of Italian heritage who was raised in Quebec and turned away from the heavy metal music he performed in his youth to focus on classic 1950s Italian songs such as "L'Americano".

A portion of Putumayo's proceeds from the sale of the CD will be donated to EMERGENCY, an Italian organization that provides medical and surgical treatment to the civilian victims of war, landmines and poverty around the world.