Another great concert in Piazza Annunziata in Barga Vecchia from Francesca de Martin and her musicians – Michelangelo Tozzi on guitar and pianist Ugo Bongianni.
Silk is the best word I can think of to describe the voice of Francesca de Martin, the Garfagnana’s reincarnation of Ella Fitzgerald. — article here
The clarity and caressing perfection of her notes turns every lyric of her repertoire, drawn principally from George Gerschwin’s and Cole Porter’s prewar New York, into a prayer. Maybe it was the effect of the balmy July night, but it seemed to me that Mary and her angel were smiling down from their perch above the Annunziata portal, enjoying themselves as much as the enthusiastic crowd in the piazza below.
La bella Francesca would be the first to add, as I will, that her prayers benefit immeasurably from the backdrop provided by Michelangelo Tozzi on guitar and pianist Ugo Bongianni. Their ability to add exacting shade and color to a song, to set its gems in context, is what distinguishes true professionals. – Frank Viviano
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