It is a sad fact that I first learned about Pino Daniele when reading the news of his death ten years ago, on January 4, 2015. Once I heard him play, he instantly felt like a musical kindred spirit, and I rapidly acquired many of his albums. Just as quickly, his music became part of the soundtrack of my life, and it still is today.
He is such a towering figure musically that the only truly appropriate tribute would seem to be allowing his music do the talking. The only challenge is picking a list of songs that is not excessively long… and knowing I am leaving a lot out. The list below are all songs of Pino’s I particularly love, and you can see my bias for certain albums. But that’s how it is with all my favorite artists – I’m not a ‘completist’. Some things I rarely listen to, while others just keep coming back. These songs are a sampling of what’s risen to the top of my list in the decade since I bought the first disc, on the ten year anniversary of Daniele’s untimely death.
The playlist that follows is no particular order. I’ll start, however, with a selection from the first CD I bought, the “Best of” collection called Yes I Know My Way (1998). I was impressed when I eventually realized that some of the songs on this album were not the originals, but had been re-recorded with new arrangements: to me none of them stands out more than the haunting Anna Verrà, which is not only remarkable, but also almost nothing like the original. His stylistic range seems endless, and he was, it almost goes without saying, one of the truly great musicians of our time.
Thank you for all the music, Pino Daniele. I’m only sorry I missed you while you were still here among us.
Anna Verrà, from Yes I Know My Way (1998)
Oi Nè, from Musicante (1994)
Un Deserto di Parole, from Non Calpestare i Fiori Nel Deserto (1995)
Tra La Pazzia e il Blues, from Schizzichea (1988)
Continueremo a Navigare, from Dimmi Cosa Succede Sulla Terra (1997)
Mareluna, from Medina (2001)
A Me Me Piace ‘O Blues, from Nero a Metà (1980)
Io Per Lei, from Non Calpestare i Fiori Nel Deserto (1195)
Che Male C’è, from Dimmi Cosa Succede Sulla Terra (1997)
Tell Me Now, from Schizzichea (1988)
Keep on Movin’, from Musicante (1994)
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