Paolo Conte - A whole tangle of things

There's always a sense of reverence and fascination in front of a great artist like Paolo Conte. "These days they even call me maestro," he says. "I'm pleased about that. It took a while for me to be granted that role, but that's fine." The meeting with the press takes place at the Teatro degli Arcimboldi in Milan, where Conte has a concert scheduled. His is a short tour with a couple of dates in Bologna too, then Genoa, Turin, Lucerne, Bergamo. "These days I'm often tired from touring too much. But an evening spent with my musicians on stage is always an evening well spent." He must have thought the same when he recorded the live album released on November 9th: "Live in Caracalla – 50 years of Azzurro", a concert held in Rome last June for the fiftieth anniversary of one of his most famous songs.

What do you remember about writing “Azzurro”?

When I wrote it, I immediately understood it was a special song, one that would be a hit. When you've been doing this for a while, you reach a point where you can tell a song has real weight, and I wrote it with Adriano Celentano specifically in mind as the singer. If I'd sung it myself, I really don't think it would have had the same success.

Did you hear from Celentano for the fiftieth anniversary?

No, we've spoken maybe three or four times in our entire careers.

Do you enjoy looking back on the past these days when you happen to reminisce?

I have no regrets, except maybe for having made “Razmataz” (released in 2000, as a project attached to a DVD, ed.). Back then there probably weren't as many fans into music paired with visuals yet, so it might have done better in a different decade. But apart from that, I don't even look back on my past with any melancholy. I feel connected to the jazz of the '20s, to that fantastic era. In some way, I too was a reinterpreter of that moment.

I don't have any new albums planned, just things in the drawer, mostly from the '70s and '90s. One day I'll have to sort out those drawers.

Are you thinking about an album of unreleased material too?

Not for now, but inspiration sometimes comes in sudden bursts. I might sit down and a song comes along, then another, and another. But right now I don't have a project or songs for an album of unreleased material. I have things in the drawer, mostly from the '70s and '90s. One day I'll have to sort out those drawers.

Is there a song you particularly prefer from your repertoire?

I think of them all as if they were my children, and I wouldn't want to disown any of them, but if I had to choose, I'd say “Gli impermeabili” for the music and “Genova per noi” for the lyrics.

Did anyone reach out to you after the Morandi bridge disaster in Genoa, for some benefit concert?

Not many, I have to say, maybe because I've always presented myself as an outsider in Genoa. Who knows...

What does a typical day look like for you?

I used to play every day, but I've lost that habit now. These days I like drawing. That's how it goes for me - I might not pick up a pencil for ten years, and then suddenly the urge hits me. I've done a lot of drawings, and I'm extremely protective of them. Maybe one day I'll put some up for sale.

I enjoyed being part of the singer-songwriter world, because back then the word "alternative" was fashionable, and no one was more alternative than me in the way I sang.

“Azzurro” came out in 1969. What do you remember about that year?

I was already thirty, and maybe that's also why I didn't experience it politically the way my fellow songwriters did. I lived in the provinces, and things were felt less strongly there. Besides, in those years I was writing for other artists, and I couldn't even have imagined that I myself would end up performing my own songs. I was already helping my father in his office, splitting my time between legal paperwork and, in my free time, writing music. I enjoyed being part of the singer-songwriter world, because back then the word "alternative" was fashionable, and no one was more alternative than me in the way I sang.

Yet a few years ago, some even said that you, alongside Bob Dylan, deserved the Nobel Prize.

I think it was a witty remark. Although I did agree with the decision to award the Nobel to Bob Dylan, as well as to Dario Fo. In my view, though, Italian artists still have something to teach, and have given much more than their American counterparts.

Do you believe - as Roberto Vecchioni sings on his latest album - that the Italian language is dying, given how it's used today by young musicians?

I've always said that the Italian language is very difficult to work with in music, for reasons of rhythm and stress, but it's still a beautiful language. Perhaps songwriters of the past, compared to today, had a different sensibility, a different kind of intelligence. That, yes.

What do you like most about music?

I wouldn't know, there are too many things that have always drawn me in - melody, harmony, rhythm. Maybe I'd choose harmony. Unfortunately, even that is fading away from today's music.

Do you always prefer jazz to other genres?

Yes, because it's a genre that lends itself to theatricality too, because when a jazz musician performs in public he moves like an actor, like a storyteller, like a poet. Jazz hits you right in the face, and it always does so by telling you a good story.

Three jazz musicians you'd recommend to a young listener today?

Louis Armstrong, Art Tatum and Earl Hines.

Why do women struggle with jazz? Jazz is like a car: a man likes to know how the engine works, the cylinders. A woman, on the other hand, likes the lines, the bodywork.

But do women still struggle to understand jazz?

Listening to a jazz track is like standing in front of a car. A man likes to know how the engine works, the cylinders. A woman, on the other hand, likes the lines, the bodywork. I remind them that they always liked the easiest song best - maybe things have changed today, but that's how it used to be.

Are you also an AC Milan fan? What do you think of the recent defeat to Juventus?

I felt a bit sorry for Higuain, who's a serious person: seeing him so furious made me feel for him. As for Gattuso, I like him, and I don't think any blame can be placed on him.

Do you have any plans for the coming years?

I've never been too fond of plans. I've always thought song by song, always aiming to write a song more beautiful than the one before it. A few small projects have come my way for musicals and film, but nothing in particular. Besides, I'm lazy - working with a director today would be difficult. I've always been a night owl, ever since my student days. I love the night, with all its vibrations.

Ride the wave of great music

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