Make It Black

In the early ’70s Italy discovered black funk via Miles Davis’s ground-breaking album Bitches Brew and via Blaxploitation films like Shaft.  Musicians, composers and genre film directors became hooked on the new sound and infectious groove that reached their ears, so much so that they tried to recreate and make it their own.

Of course, however, the difference in cultural background meant that Italians were unable to replicate the original soulfulness, nature and meaning of the genre. In fact, they produced something closer to their own identity, with influences not only from their classical music training and the jazz they had absorbed in the previous decade, but also from typically Italian and melody-oriented opera. 

Interestingly, this story of influence and re-interpretation appears to have come full circle in recent years, when the Italian jazz-funk of the 70s has found an enthusiastic audience among African-American hip-hop artists, many of whom have sampled Italian tracks in their productions.