Paolo Nutini at VillaMoorings – enojazz jam session

Back in 2009 we published an article with the headline: Paolo Nutini for Bargajazz 2010? -- (that complete article can be read here) ….. what should have been a short presentation this morning in Palazzo Pancrazi with Paolo Nutini and his parents in fact turned into a rather longer affair with what could be interesting possibilities for Barga. Paolo was there to be presented by the Mayor of Barga, Marco Bonini with plaque commemorating the fact that he was now putting the name Barga on the worlds music stage. During August Paolo generally spends at least one week on holiday here in Barga and has done so for many years -- after today’s meetings that may change as it looks as though next year he may actually be working instead of relaxing for his Barga week.

A meeting was set up between him and Alessandro Rizzardi, the organiser of the long-running and very successful Barga Jazz Festival and at the end of the meeting it was announced that Paolo could well be appearing in some form or other in the Barga Jazz Festival 2010.

For a variety of reasons, that collaboration between Paolo and the Barga Jazz festival just did not take place during 2010. In fact it was not until this summer and the Barga Jazz festival -- Italian Songbook 2011 that we finally got to see Paolo with some of the jazz musicians when he joined Emma e gli Aristodemos’s on stage in Piazza Angelio (article here) That evening he sang only one brief song before walking off the stage to a huge roar of applause from the packed piazza, all wanting more. Those who then went down to Villa Moorings for the after hours jam sessions were able to catch him again another couple of times during the festival but quite often it meant waiting until 2 or 3 in the morning before Paolo sang.

It was not until the very last evening of the Jazz festival and the after hours session that finally we got to see Paolo at his very best and an example of just how much the man has evolved over the last couple of years.

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With a backing band made up of some of the musicians from the Barga Jazz Orchestra plus the members of Organic Groove, who had played earlier at the Villa he presented to the audience a blues and soul classic -- “I’d Rather Go Blind”written by Ellington Jordan and co-credited to Billy Foster.

The lighting in the Villa Moorings was very low so the video is very grainy and it was recorded right next to the PA system and so the sound quality is not the best but it does managed to capture some of the high emotion that Paolo infused into the Etta James classic.

Something told me it was over when I saw you and him talking
Something deep down in my soul said “Cry boy”when I saw you and him out walking
I would rather, I would rather go blind girl than to see you walk away from me child
So you see I love you so much I don’t want to see you leave me baby most of all I just don’t, I just don’t want to be free

I was just, I was just sitting here thinking of your kiss and your warm embrace child
When the reflection in the glass that I been held to my lips now baby revealed the tears I had on my face
I would rather, I would rather be blind child than to see you walk away from me Baby, baby, baby
I would rather go blind than to see you walk away from me

Già nel 2009 si era parlato della possibilità che Paolo Nutini, la nota pop star scozzese di origini barghigiane, potesse esibirsi durante il Barga Jazz Festival. L’occasione fu un incontro con il sindaco Marco Bonini (articolo qui).
Dopo le parole pronunciate in quella occasione fu organizzato un incontro tra lui e Alessandro Rizzardi, l’organizzatore del Barga Jazz Festival ed alla fine fu confermata la possibilità che Paolo potesse apparire in qualche modo tra gli ospiti dell’edizione 2010 del festival.
In realtà così non è stato fino a questa estate ed è stata l’edizione 2011 di Barga Jazz, quella dedicata alla musica italiana l’occasione in cui siamo finalmente riusciti a vedere Paolo all’opera con alcuni musicisti jazz. Lo abbiamo visto a cantare insieme a Emma e gli di Aristodemos sul palco in Piazza Angelio (articolo qui): quella sera ha cantato solo un breve brano lasciando comunque di stucco i numerosi presenti che lo hanno salutato con un boato da stadio alla fine.
Chi poi ha preso parte a Villa Moorings al dopo festival, alle jam session di Enojazz lo ha visto in azione almeno due o tre volte per una breve apparizione anche se ha dovuto attendere le due o le tre del mattino.
Il meglio di sé Paolo lo ha dato sicuramente nella serata finale del festival, sempre in occasione delle jam sessiona  Villa Moorings, dove ci ha dimostrato quanto questo artista sia cresciuto in questi ultimi due anni con una performance davvero notevole. Che è stato il miglior omaggio che potesse fare al Barga Jazz festival
Insieme ad una backing band composta da alcuni dei musicisti della Barga Jazz Orchestra più i membri della band Organic Groove, che avevano suonato in precedenza presso la Villa, ha presentato al pubblico uno stupendo blues , “I’d Rather Go Blind”, di Etta James scritto scritto da Ellington Jordan insieme a Billy Foster.
L’illuminazione nella sala della Villa dove ha cantato era molto bassa e quindi il video è molto sgranato ed anche l’audio non è dei migliori, ma sicuramente questo documento che vi presentiamo sotto è riuscito a catturare la grande emozione che Paolo ha saputo infondere e tirar fuori dal brano di Etta James.