Ornella Vanoni | L’Appuntamento

“Born in 1934, to a Milanese family, Italian singer Ornella Vanoni spent most of her twenties alternating between theater and music … She started by singing “le canzoni della mala,” or songs about the underworld, but after meeting Gino Paoli in 1960 (with whom she wrote “Senza Fine,” one of her biggest hits) she began exploring the more sentimental sounds of pop” (AllMusic). She became known as the First Lady of Italian Music.

She later “branched out — both in terms of audience and style — from her homeland, exploring Brazilian music as she sang Italianized versions of Vinicius de Moraes and Toquinho as well as of Erasmo Carlos’ ‘Sent Ado A’beira Do Caminho,’ retitled ‘L’Appuntamento’ (a song which, incidentally, after its inclusion in the 2001 film Ocean’s Twelve, started a resurgence in Vanoni’s popularity stateside). She has also sung with jazz players like Herbie Hancock, Gil Evans, and Beppe Quirici.”

“L’Appuntamento” (1970) features half-step modulations at 1:50, 2:50, and finally 3:49 for the wordless outro. The tune hit #2 in Italy and enjoyed a wave of popularity after its feature in Ocean’s Twelve.

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