A Beautiful Day In Sanremo
Nostalgia.
Nineteen-Fifty-Eight. In Sanremo
it is a beautiful day in the Spring:
we bask in the sun on the beach
under a sky of a cerulean hue.
On the radio Modugno, the singer,
gives us a rendition of his latest,
Nel blu dipinto di blu.
We are alive, happy and in love,
there is no reason for feeling blue,
everything in the world seems right.
Mussolini, not Benito but his son Romano,
will play jazz, on the piano, tonight.
His style is said to remind one of
“ a slightly melancholic Oscar Peterson.” *
Not knowing him, we have no clues
on how polished a performer he is
yet he must be a good music maker
as he toured with such famous artists
as Gillespie, Ellington and Chet Baker.
We shall see, but we have a hunch
he’ll make “the refrains run on time”. *
We believe in our heart that we are
a sophisticated and cultured bunch.
We equally like Stravinsky and Mozart.
We love Picasso’s Blue Period and all
We love Picasso’s Blue Period and all
of Chagall’s colourful paintings.
In truth we don’t know much about Art
but as they say, we know what we like.
© Luigi Pagano 2017
* Mark Steyn – May 2006 – The Atlantic magazine
Well at least two of us recognise the names you mentioned Luigi. I was just going in the Forces and you were laying on a beach with a girl 😉 !!! It’s hard to dislike anything in such conditions 😉
gerry
It is ‘golden oldies’ like us who remember those days, Gerry, although sometimes nostalgia is viewed with rose-tinted glasses.
Thanks for your comment, Luigi.
Ah, those rose tinted glasses, they have a lot to answer for. Then again, without our memories what do we old farts have left.
Much enjoyed Luigi
Mik
Nice hearing from you, Mike.
Whilst I treasure my memories, which incidentally provide good material for writing, I would hope that they are not the be-all and end-all of our life and that even old fogeys like me can look forward to future challenges.
Best, Luigi.