| Origin | Italy |
| Style | SingerSongwriter |
| Label | |
| Album | |
| Territory | GAS |
| Booking | Basti Hofmann |
No shows booked at the moment.
Vinicio Capossela, phantasmagorical singer-songwriter, poet, writer, but also illusionist and showman, described as 'Italy's greatest secret' by The Sunday Times and 'Italy's most intriguing musical traveller' by Mojo, has navigated an inimitable musical path to consistent acclaim during his 30-year career, drawing on a diverse range of influences, from Italian folk and Greek Rebetiko to Americana and burlesque.
Phantasmagorical singer-songwriter, poet, writer, but also illusionist, showman and cultural operator, Vinicio Capossela debuted in 1990 with the album All'una e trentacinque circa, which followed the path of Paolo Conte and Tom Waits; it was awarded Targa Tenco Best Debut Album, an award he would be given another four times in the following years for the Best Album. After the first albums - which are Modì (1991) and Camera a sud (1994) - rooted in jazz and South American rhythms, came the telluric Ballo di San Vito with Marc Ribot and Evan Lurie, the explosive Live in Volvo with the balcanic brass band Kocani Orkestar, followed by the pataphysique Canzoni a Manovella (2000). After that, he shifted his attention to more universal themes, often inspired by classical literature, from Melville to Céline, Dante and Homer. Works such as Ovunque Proteggi, Da Solo and Marinai, Profeti e Balene have been staged as total works of art. Ovunque Proteggi, in particular, has been ranked at #2 in Mojo's Top Ten World music albums in 2006. In 2007, he played a few special concerts, interpreting Michelangelo's sonnets, a project (Fuggite, amanti, amor: rhymes and lamentations for Michelangelo) that is still unreleased. It featured the cello player Mario Brunello.
In 2004 he wrote his first book, Non si muore tutte le mattine (Feltrinelli), which gave rise to a shadow play performance called Radiocapitolazioni, later a broadcast by Radio 3.
He dedicated several works to Greece and rebetiko music: the album Rebetiko Gymnastas, recorded in Athens (Best World Music album in 2013 according to the German Plattenkritik), a documentary made with the filmaker Andrea Segre named Indebito and the book Tefteri, published by Saggiatore and translated in Greek and Spanish. In 2013, searching for his folk roots and the fiesta music of the fathers, he also started a new project with Banda della Posta, an elderly but still wild bunch of frontier serenaders, between Buena Vista Social Club and the Pogues; a concert in which you could find marriage music, anarchist songs and Sixties’ standards like Adriano Celentano.
2015 and 2016 are very important years for Vinicio: his book Il Paese dei Coppoloni (finalist at Premio Strega and winner of Dante Alighieri Society's Prize), the docufilm Nel Paese dei Coppoloni and his studio album Canzoni della Cupa, are the result of a deep elaboration about Irpinia, a personal journey into folk music, with the participation of Los Lobos, Calexico, Flaco Jimenez and national icons like Giovanna Marini and Antonio Infantino. In 2013 Capossela created and became the artistic director of one most original festivals in Italy, that mixes social engagement, music and attention to the environment.
In 2017, he was awarded the Premio Tenco for his career.
In 2019, he released Ballate per uomini e bestie, an album that focuses on Middle Ages and the plagues of current times, followed by 2020 Bestiario d'amore, a four songs EP whose title-track is the translation and adaptation of a poem by the 13th century French troubadour Richard de Fournival. His latest work is the book Eclissica, published in 2021 by Feltrinelli; it focuses on Capossela's last fifteen years of career and life. He is now about to release a new album.
21st April 2023 is the release date of his latest studio effort, Tredici canzoni urgenti (Thirteen urgent songs), a bunch of songs written as a direct consequence of the historical moment we are going through and anticipated by the anti-war ballad La crociata dei bambini (Children’s crusade).
Touring and recording abroad
Vinicio Capossela made his first appearance outside Italy in 1995, while touring in support of his album Camera a sud: he played a sold out concert at Théatre de la Ville in Paris in February, and in the same year, a compilation of his first three records came out in Germany. In 1996 he toured Switzerland, just before the release of Il ballo di San Vito. But it is in 2006 that he started a stable presence abroad: in fact, he released Ovunque proteggi in Spain and then he embarked for his Minotour, during which he played in Europe (Greece, Spain, Netherlands, Belgium, Switzerland, Luxembourg) and America, for the first time (Canada and USA). The 2008 release was Da solo, an album that has been partly recorded in Tucson and New York (USA) and co-produced with JD Foster; the following year Capossela started Solo Show, a long and spectacular tour that was inspired by side shows and that featured the Los Angeles punk magician Christopher Wonder. The tour took place in European capitals (three concerts in Berlin, then Zurich, Paris, London, Luxembourg, Bruxelles) and, in 2010, in Canada (with shows in Toronto and Montréal), United States (Chicago, New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco) and Portugal. Before the New York show, he presented the docufilm La faccia della terra, directed by Gianfranco Firriolo; it shows the back stories of Da solo's creative process. In the same year, the English label Nonesuch Records released Capossela's first international compilation of songs, called The story faced man.
The 2011 release Marinai, profeti e balene was partly recorded in Castello Aragonese (Ischia - Italy) and Crete, with the participation of Crete aedo Psarantonis. He toured Europe again in 2012, in support of this album, which also was released in the UK and in France, and in 2013, in support of Rebetiko Gymnastas, released in France too. Besides playing concerts in the whole Europe, he also performed for the first time in the Middle East, with shows in Beirut (Lebanon) and Istanbul (Turkey).
2015 marked Capossela's twenty-five years of career: he celebrated with a particular tour called Qu'Art de Siècle. Each show was unique as it featured different musicians: e.g., Marc Ribot took part in the London show, or Pascal Comelade, along with Mario Brunello, performed at Les Bouffes du Nord in Paris. During this tour, he also presented his book Il paese dei Coppoloni in Bruxelles and Berlin. After two years of stop, in 2017 Canzoni della Cupa was released in Germany, Austria, France and Spain, and so he toured these countries too, in May and July, with shows in clubs, theaters and festivals, such as Les Nuits de Fourvière in Lyon (FR). In September, supported by the Italian Embassy, he played in Bosnia and Herzegovina, with shows in Mostar, Sarajevo and Banja Luka's National Theaters. In Autumn he embarked for another tour in Europe's biggest cities and capitals. In February 2018 he played two concerts in South America (Buenos Aires and Santiago del Chile), followed by three shows in Indonesia in March (Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok and Jakarta); he came back to Europe and toured Spain in April with Folk Trio (together with guitarists Alessandro “Asso” Stefana and Victor Herrero), proposing Canzoni della Cupa's songs. This album, like Da solo, was also partly recorded in the United States.
In May 2019, before the release of Ballate per uomini e bestie, he performed four “preview” shows in the United States, playing in important venues such as the Georgetown University in Washington and the Kennedy Center in New York. During summer, he performed the so-called Atti unici tour (Single acts tour) at Roskilde Festival in Denmark, then in Madrid and again at Les Nuits de Fourvière, with Lyon's Opera Orchestra. In 2020, he released his most recent discographic work, Bestiario d'amore, on Valentine's Day and presented it on the same day in London's Union Chapel. He played Bestiale Comedìa, a show inspired by Dante's Divine Comedy, in Bruxelles in September 2021 and in Dubai, at Expo's Italian Pavillion, in November 2021. He performed there again in March 2022. After a show in Barcelona in September, the final months of the year were the richest of abroad touring: in November he embarked for the Balkangiro, a series of concerts in the Balkan area (Albania, Northern Macedonia, Serbia and Kosovo); then in December 2022 he performed his Personal Standards in European capitals such as London, Paris, Berlin, Lisbon and Bruxelles.
In February 2023 he released the single La crociata dei bambini, which anticipated the new album Tredici canzoni urgenti, out on April 21st. This album was presented the previous day with a concert at Milan's Conservatory, featuring many guests such as Margherita Vicario, Sir Oliver Skardy and FiloQ. Tredici canzoni urgenti was awarded the Targa Tenco as Best Album; it is the sixth time for Capossela. During the summer, he performed some Concerti urgenti (Urgent concerts), while in October he embarked on a long tour called Con i tasti che ci abbiamo. Tredici canzoni urgenti a teatro, a series of concerts in the most important Italian theatres.
Vinicio Capossela, phantasmagorical singer-songwriter, poet, writer, but also illusionist and showman, described as 'Italy's greatest secret' by The Sunday Times and 'Italy's most intriguing musical traveller' by Mojo, has navigated an inimitable musical path to consistent acclaim during his 30-year career, drawing on a diverse range of influences, from Italian folk and Greek Rebetiko to Americana and burlesque.
| Origin | Italy |
| Style | SingerSongwriter |
| Label | |
| Album | |
| Territory | GAS |
| Booking | Basti Hofmann |
No shows booked at the moment.
Phantasmagorical singer-songwriter, poet, writer, but also illusionist, showman and cultural operator, Vinicio Capossela debuted in 1990 with the album All'una e trentacinque circa, which followed the path of Paolo Conte and Tom Waits; it was awarded Targa Tenco Best Debut Album, an award he would be given another four times in the following years for the Best Album. After the first albums - which are Modì (1991) and Camera a sud (1994) - rooted in jazz and South American rhythms, came the telluric Ballo di San Vito with Marc Ribot and Evan Lurie, the explosive Live in Volvo with the balcanic brass band Kocani Orkestar, followed by the pataphysique Canzoni a Manovella (2000). After that, he shifted his attention to more universal themes, often inspired by classical literature, from Melville to Céline, Dante and Homer. Works such as Ovunque Proteggi, Da Solo and Marinai, Profeti e Balene have been staged as total works of art. Ovunque Proteggi, in particular, has been ranked at #2 in Mojo's Top Ten World music albums in 2006. In 2007, he played a few special concerts, interpreting Michelangelo's sonnets, a project (Fuggite, amanti, amor: rhymes and lamentations for Michelangelo) that is still unreleased. It featured the cello player Mario Brunello.
In 2004 he wrote his first book, Non si muore tutte le mattine (Feltrinelli), which gave rise to a shadow play performance called Radiocapitolazioni, later a broadcast by Radio 3.
He dedicated several works to Greece and rebetiko music: the album Rebetiko Gymnastas, recorded in Athens (Best World Music album in 2013 according to the German Plattenkritik), a documentary made with the filmaker Andrea Segre named Indebito and the book Tefteri, published by Saggiatore and translated in Greek and Spanish. In 2013, searching for his folk roots and the fiesta music of the fathers, he also started a new project with Banda della Posta, an elderly but still wild bunch of frontier serenaders, between Buena Vista Social Club and the Pogues; a concert in which you could find marriage music, anarchist songs and Sixties’ standards like Adriano Celentano.
2015 and 2016 are very important years for Vinicio: his book Il Paese dei Coppoloni (finalist at Premio Strega and winner of Dante Alighieri Society's Prize), the docufilm Nel Paese dei Coppoloni and his studio album Canzoni della Cupa, are the result of a deep elaboration about Irpinia, a personal journey into folk music, with the participation of Los Lobos, Calexico, Flaco Jimenez and national icons like Giovanna Marini and Antonio Infantino. In 2013 Capossela created and became the artistic director of one most original festivals in Italy, that mixes social engagement, music and attention to the environment.
In 2017, he was awarded the Premio Tenco for his career.
In 2019, he released Ballate per uomini e bestie, an album that focuses on Middle Ages and the plagues of current times, followed by 2020 Bestiario d'amore, a four songs EP whose title-track is the translation and adaptation of a poem by the 13th century French troubadour Richard de Fournival. His latest work is the book Eclissica, published in 2021 by Feltrinelli; it focuses on Capossela's last fifteen years of career and life. He is now about to release a new album.
21st April 2023 is the release date of his latest studio effort, Tredici canzoni urgenti (Thirteen urgent songs), a bunch of songs written as a direct consequence of the historical moment we are going through and anticipated by the anti-war ballad La crociata dei bambini (Children’s crusade).
Touring and recording abroad
Vinicio Capossela made his first appearance outside Italy in 1995, while touring in support of his album Camera a sud: he played a sold out concert at Théatre de la Ville in Paris in February, and in the same year, a compilation of his first three records came out in Germany. In 1996 he toured Switzerland, just before the release of Il ballo di San Vito. But it is in 2006 that he started a stable presence abroad: in fact, he released Ovunque proteggi in Spain and then he embarked for his Minotour, during which he played in Europe (Greece, Spain, Netherlands, Belgium, Switzerland, Luxembourg) and America, for the first time (Canada and USA). The 2008 release was Da solo, an album that has been partly recorded in Tucson and New York (USA) and co-produced with JD Foster; the following year Capossela started Solo Show, a long and spectacular tour that was inspired by side shows and that featured the Los Angeles punk magician Christopher Wonder. The tour took place in European capitals (three concerts in Berlin, then Zurich, Paris, London, Luxembourg, Bruxelles) and, in 2010, in Canada (with shows in Toronto and Montréal), United States (Chicago, New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco) and Portugal. Before the New York show, he presented the docufilm La faccia della terra, directed by Gianfranco Firriolo; it shows the back stories of Da solo's creative process. In the same year, the English label Nonesuch Records released Capossela's first international compilation of songs, called The story faced man.
The 2011 release Marinai, profeti e balene was partly recorded in Castello Aragonese (Ischia - Italy) and Crete, with the participation of Crete aedo Psarantonis. He toured Europe again in 2012, in support of this album, which also was released in the UK and in France, and in 2013, in support of Rebetiko Gymnastas, released in France too. Besides playing concerts in the whole Europe, he also performed for the first time in the Middle East, with shows in Beirut (Lebanon) and Istanbul (Turkey).
2015 marked Capossela's twenty-five years of career: he celebrated with a particular tour called Qu'Art de Siècle. Each show was unique as it featured different musicians: e.g., Marc Ribot took part in the London show, or Pascal Comelade, along with Mario Brunello, performed at Les Bouffes du Nord in Paris. During this tour, he also presented his book Il paese dei Coppoloni in Bruxelles and Berlin. After two years of stop, in 2017 Canzoni della Cupa was released in Germany, Austria, France and Spain, and so he toured these countries too, in May and July, with shows in clubs, theaters and festivals, such as Les Nuits de Fourvière in Lyon (FR). In September, supported by the Italian Embassy, he played in Bosnia and Herzegovina, with shows in Mostar, Sarajevo and Banja Luka's National Theaters. In Autumn he embarked for another tour in Europe's biggest cities and capitals. In February 2018 he played two concerts in South America (Buenos Aires and Santiago del Chile), followed by three shows in Indonesia in March (Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok and Jakarta); he came back to Europe and toured Spain in April with Folk Trio (together with guitarists Alessandro “Asso” Stefana and Victor Herrero), proposing Canzoni della Cupa's songs. This album, like Da solo, was also partly recorded in the United States.
In May 2019, before the release of Ballate per uomini e bestie, he performed four “preview” shows in the United States, playing in important venues such as the Georgetown University in Washington and the Kennedy Center in New York. During summer, he performed the so-called Atti unici tour (Single acts tour) at Roskilde Festival in Denmark, then in Madrid and again at Les Nuits de Fourvière, with Lyon's Opera Orchestra. In 2020, he released his most recent discographic work, Bestiario d'amore, on Valentine's Day and presented it on the same day in London's Union Chapel. He played Bestiale Comedìa, a show inspired by Dante's Divine Comedy, in Bruxelles in September 2021 and in Dubai, at Expo's Italian Pavillion, in November 2021. He performed there again in March 2022. After a show in Barcelona in September, the final months of the year were the richest of abroad touring: in November he embarked for the Balkangiro, a series of concerts in the Balkan area (Albania, Northern Macedonia, Serbia and Kosovo); then in December 2022 he performed his Personal Standards in European capitals such as London, Paris, Berlin, Lisbon and Bruxelles.
In February 2023 he released the single La crociata dei bambini, which anticipated the new album Tredici canzoni urgenti, out on April 21st. This album was presented the previous day with a concert at Milan's Conservatory, featuring many guests such as Margherita Vicario, Sir Oliver Skardy and FiloQ. Tredici canzoni urgenti was awarded the Targa Tenco as Best Album; it is the sixth time for Capossela. During the summer, he performed some Concerti urgenti (Urgent concerts), while in October he embarked on a long tour called Con i tasti che ci abbiamo. Tredici canzoni urgenti a teatro, a series of concerts in the most important Italian theatres.
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