L’Appuntamento

Ornella Vanoni

The Italian music icon Ornella Vanoni died last week at age 91. Several generations of Italians lived with her soulful melodies and unforgettable lyrics during no less than seven decades of public appearances. Vanoni was unique and uniquely loved as one of Italy’s most talented musical artists. In 1993, she received the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic.

Her music and performances had a personal, expressive, and mellow style mastering a vast repertoire ranging from the early canzoni della mala—a genre of songs that deal with gangland stories and the underworld of crooks, criminals, and corrupt policemen—to music in the traditions of jazz, bossa nova, and pop. As an eight-time participant in the famous San Remo music festival, she was the lady of la musica leggera, Italian popular music in the style of American crooners (many of whom were of Italian descent). During her long career, she worked with many of the most famous jazz musicians and musical artists both in Italy and internationally.

Out of her more than 100 albums and singles, it is difficult to choose one piece, but let it be “L’Appuntamento,” a song that she recorded in 1970 that constitutes an adaptation of the original Brazilian composition by Roberto and Erasmo Carlos. The song had a rebirth of popularity in 2004 when it was featured on the soundtrack of the movie Ocean’s Twelve.

Do listen to more of her songs, a selection of which is provided in the links below.