VA - Putumayo Presents: Vintage Italia (2017)

After the destruction wrought by World War II, it’s no wonder Italians of the 1950s wanted to put the past behind them and enjoy life for a change. The American GIs who filled the post-war bars and nightclubs of Italy’s cities in search of a little R&R (aka Roman Romance) brought with them a taste for the swinging jazz sounds that were all the rage back home. Before rock & roll took the world by storm, cool cats were dancing to big bands like Glen Miller and Benny Goodman. American jazz was as irresistible to Italian teenagers as pizza pie was to New Yorkers, and people from both sides of the Atlantic were looking for a taste of what the other had to offer.

Meanwhile, Italian music was all the rage back in the States. Italian-American stars such as Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Louis Prima were drawing on influences from their ancestral land, hitting it big on the pop charts with songs in Italian (or pseudo-Italian, as the case may be). Even singers such as Rosemary Clooney and Nat King Cole were sprinkling their hits with musical oregano. The 1950s musical love affair between Italy and the United States was definitely a two-way street. It was a golden era of Italian popular song that resulted in a deep repertoire of classics that continue to be influential to this day.

With Vintage Italia, we have dug deep into the vaults of Italian music to unearth some of our favorite songs by iconic singers of the era, as well as newer recordings by artists who continue to find inspiration in the music that served as the backdrop for an era that has earned the moniker La Dolce Vita – The Sweet Life.