The Italian Connection

Five Piece Italian Ensemble

Hire An Italian Jazz Quintet For Weddings. Events, Theme Parties

The Italian Connection is a professional Anglo-Italian band based in London with a unique style, performing in English, Italian, or both languages. They perform a modern twist on vintage, classic Italian songs, gipsy-jazz, swing, jive, foot-tapping rock n’ roll and boogie-woogie.

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The band can tailor their set to suit various occasions and settings, including corporate functions, special events and parties. They can also cater for special Italian themes, e.g. The Godfather Films, Italo American Crooners, Venetian Mascarade Balls, and That’s Amore (Italian love songs). The Italian Connection is comprised of vocals, guitar, clarinet/saxophone, double bass and percussion.

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Upon request, they are also available in a range of line-up options, from a trio to a quintet. Additional instruments can be added on request (e.g. saxophone/flute/violin/trumpet). The ensemble can also offer bespoke packages, including a classical, traditional Italian or smooth jazz set and an upbeat set to get party guests on the dance floor.

Repertoire

Italian Favorites

Baciami Piccina – Riccardo Morbelli and Luigi Astore
Bellezza in Bicicletta – G.D’Anzi – M.Marchesi
C’è La Luna – Paolo Citarella
Chittara Romana – Eldo Di Lazzaro
Il pinguino innamorato – Nino Casiroli and Mario Consiglio
La gelosia non e’ piu’ di moda – Mario Consiglio
Malafemmena/Luna Rossa – De Curtis, Antonio
Mambo Italiano – Bob Merrill
Mattinata/You’re breaking my heart – George Greely
Nel Blu Dipinto di Blu (Volare) – Domenico Modugno
O Sole Mio – Eduardo di Capua
Papa loves Mambo – Al Hoffman
Parlami d’amore Mariu’ – Cesare Andrea Bixio
Pe’ Lungotevere – Romolo Balzani
Scapriciatello – Ferdinando Albano
Sotto e’ cielo di Roma/On an evening in Roma – Umberto Bertini
That’s Amore – Harry Warren
The Man Who Plays the Mandolino – G. Fanciulli, Nisa, Keith, Bergman
Tico Tico No Fuba – Zequinha de Abreu
Tu vuo’ fa’ l’ americano – Renato Carosone
Un Bacio a Mezzanotte – Kramer Gorni

Italian – 60’s To Present

Angelina – Louie Prima
Buonasera Signorina -Louis Prima
Che cos’e’ l’amor – Vinicio Caposella
Con un bacio piccolissimo – Giovanni Ornati
Grande, Grande, Grande – Mina
I Stivaletti Rossi – Vito Pallavicini
Il cielo in una stanza – Mina
In cerca di te – Claudio Villa
La Bambola – Patty Pravo
La voglia e la pazzia – Ornella Vanoni
Love in Portofino – Fred Buscaglione
Lui – Rita Pavone
Meglio Stasera/It had better be tonight – Henry Mancini
Meraviglioso – Domenico Modugno
Portami con te – Astrud Gilberto
Quando quando quando – Tony Renis
Renato, Renato Renato – Mina
Se Telefonando – Mina Anna Mazzini
Tintarella di luna – Franco Migliacci e Bruno De Filippi
Una Notte a Napoli – Pink Martini
All About that Bass – Post Modern Jukebox Arrangement
Blue Bossa – Kenny Dorham
Corcovado – Tom Jobim
Girl from Ipanema – Astrud Gilberto
How Insensative – Tom Jobim
Moondance – Van Morrisson
Natural Woman – Carole King
Never Can Tell (Ce la vie) – Chuck Berry
Old Black Magic – Keely Smith
One Note Samba – Tom Jobim
Say a Little Prayer – Burt Bacharach
So Nice – Marcos Valle
Spooky – Shapiro and Harry Middlebrooks
Take another little piece of my heart – Jerry Ragovoy
That Man – Vincent DeGiorgio and David Schreurs
The Look of Love -Burt Bacharach
These Boots are Made for Walking – Nancy Sinatra
Up, Up and Away – Diane Warwick

Jazz & Swing

All of Me – Toby Gad
Bei Mir Bist du Schein – Sholom Secunda
Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy – Benny Goodman & His Orchestra
Caravan – Juan Tizol and Irving Mills
Cheek to cheek – Irving Berlin
Close Your Eyes – Bernice Petkere
Fly me to the moon – Bart Howard
Fools rush in – Rube Bloom
I could have danced all night –
I’ve got the World on a String – Harold Arlen
Love For Sale – Cole Porter
Misty – Erroll Garner
My Baby Just Cares For Me – Walter Donaldson
My favourite things – Richard Rodgers
Perhaps, Perhaps, Perhaps (Chissa’) – Osvaldo Farrés
Sway – Luis Demetrio and Pablo Beltran Ruiz
Swing, Swing, Swing – Benny Goodman & His Orchestra/ Keely Smith
Tea for Two – Vincent Youmans
The Man I Love – Benny Goodman Quartet
What a difference a day made – Stanley Adams
What is this thing called love – Cole Porter
You go to my head – John Frederick Coots

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Cultural Origins of Latin Jazz begin with Cuba, New York City in particular, the States and Brazil.

Following rhythms and styles of Afro-Cuban and Brazilian music, blended with percussion, giving a balanced fusion of European and African sound.

Latin Jazz was a result of a long process of nteraction between American and Cuban music styles intertwined together to form 20th Century New Orleans’ early Jazz, that had a distinctive syncopated (accents transitioned to weaker beats) rhythmic character.

The city’s well renowned pianist and composer at the time, Jelly Roll Morton, referred to the Latin influence on Jazz as a “Spanish Tinge”.

The Cuban Habanera Rhythm was very quickly adopted by American Musicians (a syncopated four beat pattern) and could be heard in many of their compositions; especially the popular 1914’s St Louis Blues by W. C. Handy.

Sounds of American Jazz eventually spread through to the Caribbean simultaneously as Latin American melodies and dance rhythms made their way to North America Regions.

Across the entire region, both musicians and bands became more versed with the musical languages, where larger bands soon expanded their own repertoire into congas and rumbas, two types of Afro-Cuban dance music.

Drummers of Afro-Cuban style music played a fundamental role in developing Latin Jazz from the late 1940s through to the 1960s, as it gave the genre its visibly inexhaustible stream of rhythmic patterns, phrasings, and styles all through the means of percussion.

As time progressed, by the early 21st century,Latin Jazz gained popularity and critical acclaim as well as became one of the most dynamic and diverse components of the Jazz World.