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01 SECRET TEARS (UNA FURTIVA LAGRIMA)

(G.Donizetti/Letizia Gambi/Lenny White-Chinese Music BMI) Arranged by Lenny White Letizia Gambi vocals & back vocals Max Ionata sax Antonio Farao’ piano Dario Rosciglione bass Lenny White drums

02 APPOCUNDRIA

(P. Daniele - EMI)  Arranged by Lenny White,   Orchestration by Carlos Franzetti Letizia Gambi  vocals Chick Corea  piano John Benitez  bass Lenny White  drums Pedro Alvarez  percussions Jair Sala  percussions Hector Del Curto  bandoneon Nick Moroch  guitar Jisoo Ok  cello Nick Danielson strings Leonardo Suauz strings Paz Shmuel Katz  strings Ron Lawrence strings Daniel Miller  strings

03 AND I THINK OF YOU (E PENSO A TE)

(L.Battisti/Mogol-Acqua Azzurra)  Arranged by Nicki Richards & Lenny White Letizia Gambi  vocals Patrice Rushen piano Dave Finch bass Lenny White drums Hector Del Curto  bandoneon Jisoo Ok cello Nicki Richards back vocals Gregory Russel Clark  back vocals

04 SOLI

(B.Canfora/F.Castellano-Pipolo-Curci)  Arranged by Gil Goldstein Letizia Gambi  vocals & back vocals Gil Goldstein  piano & accordion John Benitez  bass Lenny White  drums Nick Danielson strings Leonardo Suauz strings Paz Shmuel Katz  strings Ron Lawrence strings Daniel Miller  strings

05 YOU ARE SO SPECIAL (TU SI’ ‘NA COSA GRANDE)

(D.Modugno/R.Gigli-Curci/Megao’)  Arranged by Lenny White,   Strings Arranged by Gil Goldstein  English lyrics by Letizia Gambi & Lenny White (by courtesy of  Curci /Megao’ Publishing) Letizia Gambi  vocals Wallace Roney  trumpet Gil Goldstein  piano & accordion John Benitez  bass Lenny White  drums Nick Danielson strings Leonardo Suauz strings Paz Shmuel Katz  strings Ron Lawrence strings Daniel Miller  strings

06 A TIME

(LennyWhite/Letizia Gambi -Chinese Music BMI ) Arranged by Lenny White, Strings Arranged by Carlos Franzetti Letizia Gambi  vocals & back vocals Vince Evans  piano Dave Finch  bass Lenny White  drums Hector Del Curto  bandoneon Nick Danielson strings Leonardo Suauz strings Paz Shmuel Katz  strings Ron Lawrence strings Daniel Miller  strings

07 ’O SOLE MIO

(E.Di Capua/A.Mazzucchi/G.Capurro-Bideri c.e.v.e.l/ Gennarelli Bideri)   Arranged by Lenny White Strings arranged by Lenny White & Carlos Franzetti Letizia Gambi  vocals Patrice Rushen  piano Ron Carter  bass Lenny White  drums Nick Moroch guitar Hector Del Curto  bandoneon Jisoo Ok  cello Nicki Richards  back vocals Gregory Russel Clark  back vocals Nick Danielson strings Leonardo Suauz strings Paz Shmuel Katz  strings Ron Lawrence strings Daniel Miller  strings

08 THE QUESTION OF U

(Prince/Nelson Prince Rogers)  Arranged by Lenny White Letizia Gambi  vocals Axel Tosca  piano John Benitez  bass Lenny White  drums Gato Barbieri  sax Nick Moroch  guitar Hector Del Curto  bandoneon Nichi Richards  back vocals Gregory Russel Clark  back vocals

09 PASSIONE

(L.Bovio/E.Tagliaferri/N.Valente-Bottega dei Quattro) Arranged by Lenny White & Pete Levin Letizia Gambi  vocals Gennaro Sica  tenor vocals Nick Moroch  electric & acoustic guitar Pete Levin  piano John Benitez  bass Lenny White  drums Hector Del Curto  bandoneon Jisoo Ok  cello

10 BACHELORETTE

(Bjork Gudmundsdottir/Sigurjon B.Sigurdsson)  Arranged by Nicki Richards Letizia Gambi  vocals & back vocals Patrice Rushen  piano Ron Carter  bass Lenny White  drums Hector Del Curto  bandoneon Nick Moroch  guitar Jisoo Ok  cello Nicki Richards  back vocals

11 THE LOVE OF YOUR LIFE

(LennyWhite/Letizia Gambi -Chinese Music BMI ) Arranged by Lenny White   Orchestration by Gil Goldstein Letizia Gambi  vocals/talking voice Gil Goldstein  piano Dave Finch  bass Nick Moroch  guitar Hector Del Curto  bandoneon Nick Danielson strings Leonardo Suauz strings Paz Shmuel Katz  strings Ron Lawrence strings Daniel Miller  strings

12 MY TOWN (CARMELA)

(S.Bruni/S.Palomba/L.Gambi-CAM)  Arranged by Lenny White   Orchestration by Carlos Franzetti  English lyrics by Letizia Gambi special thanks to   Bruni/Palomba‘sheirs for sharing with Letizia the new recording Letizia Gambi  vocals & back vocals Dave Finch  bass Lenny White  drums Carlos Franzetti  piano Nick Moroch  guitar Hector Del Curto  bandoneon Nick Danielson strings Leonardo Suauz strings Paz Shmuel Katz  strings Ron Lawrence strings Daniel Miller  strings Drums recorded at Dot’s Way, West Hills, California Special Thanks to Vince Wilburn

13 MUNASTERIO ‘E SANTACHIARA / IN A SENTIMENTAL MOOD

(A.Barberis/M.Galdieri-La Canzonetta)/  (Duke Ellington/Mills) Arranged by Patrice Rushen  English lyrics by Letizia Gambi & Lenny White   (courtesy of La Canzonetta Publishing) Letizia Gambi  vocals Patrice Rushen  piano Ron Carter  bass Lenny White  drums Nick Moroch  guitar Jisoo Ok  cello Hector Del Curto  bandoneon

14 YO SOY EL SUR

(LennyWhite/Letizia Gambi - Chinese Music BMI) Arranged by Lenny White Letizia Gambi  vocals & back vocals Axel Tosca  piano John Benitez  bass Lenny White  drums Hector Del Curto  bandoneon Nick Danielson  violin solo

Some music seems easiest to define by describing what it's not. Especially when it's music that marks such a strong, confident arrival of new ideas – or a revival of older ones – or some compelling, intelligent mix of what's new and what's new again.

Introducing Letizia Gambi is one of those dramatic arrivals that challenges categories and assumptions. Yes, the number of jazz-world heavyweights on this disc is nothing short of staggering, yet it's clearly not a jazz album. Lovers of the Great Neapolitan Song-book will find a number of familiar friends here – reconfigured in surprising ways – but it's not a simple revisiting of those classic melodies. And though a few of these tracks reveal a refined, Euro-chill kind of feel, they do not constitute an artful pastiche of laid-back styles that has lately grown to a common fad. 

Introducing Letizia Gambi is a focused and a warmly absorbing debut by a young woman who, with the support of a visionary producer and seasoned musicians, has woven a rich variety of musical sources into a sound that defies stylistic distinctions and geographic distances. It's a longer way of saying simply that this album is indeed a rare thing – one that deserves to be heard and considered according to its own merits. 

There's a lot here to hear and to consider, including Gambi's own story. She's a Neapolitan by birth and musical identity. Displaced to Como in the north of Italy as a youngster, she grew up compelled to a path of artistic expression. She danced, sang, performed, painted, and returned to Naples when she could. While still in her teens, traveled to London to study musical theater, graduated art school as a designer, and then began attending acting school in Milan. 

In the end, music held the upper hand. Gambi auditioned for Milan's International Jazz Academy, and was one of only seven accepted. She graduated with a masters degree, and a burning desire to find a way to sing in a manner that drew upon the various vocal approaches she had come to love – from canzone Napoletana to operatic romanze, Tin Pan Alley ballads to present-day R&B. Was there a way to interweave these traditions and not sound too in the tradition? Could they blend—breathe—together, in an organic, contemporary way? 

This was the dream that Gambi shared with Lenny White one evening in late 2009. The budding singer met the accomplished drummer and producer—best known for his ac
complishments in the world of Fusion-era jazz—after a gig in Milan. White was intrigued: "Send me something. If I like it, I'll work with you." 

Gambi sent something: an English version of the old Neapolitan canto "Carmela" and White was hooked. What began as a creative challenge quickly became a full album
project requiring Gambi's presence in New York City, and eventually included an impressive circle of musicianship: keyboardists Chick Corea, Patrice Rushen, and Gil Goldstein. Bassists Ron Carter, John Benitez, and Dave Finch. Trumpeter Wallace Roney and saxophonist Gato Barbieri. Guitarist Nick Moroch and bandoneoneroHector Del Curto. First-call percussionists, string players and orchestrators, with White himself on drums throughout. 

Introducing Letizia Gambi is the result of a year and a half of inspired songwriting and studio work. Its stylistic and linguistic mix – English, Italian, Neapolitan and Spanish – shows off the album's borderless ambitions. There's a satisfying balance of themes that deal with romance and ruefulness from a variety of genres, including more traditional – like Duke Ellington and older cantautore of Naples – to such recent song crafters as Bjork and fellow Neapolitan Pino Daniele (whose longtime favorite "Appocundria" – with its whisp of a melody – receives a grand, sweeping treatment on this collection). 

Gambi's voice is front and center, comfortably convincing across a range of rhythms and moods. She ably handles a song's sense of drama, without tipping to an extreme: "Secret Tears", the album's kickoff tune taken from a Donizetti opera, is a stellar example. She can plumb the emotional depth of a lyric, telling its story from beginning to end. She can be facile and loose, or bite into and convincingly sell a hook – as she does so well on her own composition "A Time", co-written with White. 

Speaking of originals: most were composed with White's structural guidance, and Gambi's songwriting ability merits its own applause. On tunes like "The Love Of Your Life" and "My Town", she proves herself bilingually adept, marrying message and melody, bringing an Italian lyricism and confidence to her English pronunciation. "Yo Soy El Sur", is especially significant: a powerful statement of Southern pride that literally sings down the various travails and unexpected troubles she faced in recording this album. 

True to Gambi's initial vision, the album's primary roots remain the music of her youth, and the vocal jazz she later embraced. It's a musical kinship that makes sense: in both, equal attention is afforded melody as well as embellishment, with highest value placed on a singer's personal stamp. In both, there's an abiding reverence for what came before—songs are kept around for a long time. These shared priorities come through in Gambi's medley of the nostalgic ode to Naples "Munasterio 'e Santachiara" and Ellington's "In A Sentimental Mood". They are there in the playful revival of Bruno Canfora "Soli" (originally a hit for Italian songbird Mina in 1965) as well as Gambi's updating of older classics "Tu Sì 'Na Cosa Grande", and that capo of Neapolitan melodies, "O Sole Mio". (Dig Gambi's impromptu flow on the closing moments of the last.)

There are details that pull upwards on the corners of the mouth, like Barbieri's solo on the tango-ized take of Prince's "The Question of U" (that briefly quotes his own "Theme from Last Tango in Paris") and the eerie vocal echo of a line from Madama Butterfly in "Bachelorette". There are elements woven throughout—Del Curto's wispy bandoneon lines and White's nuanced rhythms—that provide the album a satisfyingly consistent feel and remind the ear of the group effort behind these tracks.

Introducing Letizia Gambi lives up to its title. On it, intermittently, Gambi speaks directly of herself and the deep musical roots she inherited, revealing her natural speaking voice with its colorful accent. It's a novel idea that works well, as does the brief excerpt of a home recording of her uncle singing "Passione"— another song from Naples' rich legacy—that precedes her own rendition, refitted with an electric guitar solo. It speaks to the triumph of the marriage of eras and styles that defines this album and promises much more to come. Brava!

Ashley Kahn

Ashley Kahn is author of Kind of Blue: The Making of the Miles Davis Masterpiece, A Love Supreme: the Story of John Coltrane's Signature Album, The house that Trane Built: the story of Impulse Records and other titles on music and culture. Teaches music history and journalism at New York University.