Daniela Nardi’s ‘Espresso Manifesto and the Songs of Paolo Conte’

If you follow the Italian coast north from Rome, you pass the hills of Tuscany then come to the jagged mountains of Liguria.

One great city dominates the region. This city, nicknamed La Superba, is our Geo Quiz.

It was and is a great seafaring city and its most famous son was perhaps Christopher Columbus.

And this romantic city features in a song from the artist we meet in our global hit today, Daniela Nardi.

Nardi is Italian-Canadian and believes passionately in her culture and heritage.

The muse who inspired her latest album, “Espresso Manifesto, is none other than Paolo Conte”.

The voice of Paolo Conte looms large in the Italian songbook.

The musician and composer became famous in the 1960s and 70s for his romantic, wistful songs.

Paolo Conte’s music and persona are so distinctive that some singers say they hesitate to take on his songs.

But Canadian jazz singer Daniela Nardi took the challenge.

Daniela says that “To try to be like him or to try and find where he’s coming from with his songs, I think would have been a cheap imitation. So, I needed to come up with something that’s true for me.”

Nardi continues, “I thought a lot about the Italian actresses from the 1960s like Sophia Loren and Anna Magnani. They would be the kind of woman who could stand up with him and who could go toe-to-toe with him. So, I had to try and find that place within myself in order to perform these songs.”

One of the songs Daniela Nardi sings on the album is “Genova Per Noi.”

It’s a song about Genoa, Italy.

And GENOA is the answer to our Geo Quiz.