James Senese
James Senese | |
|---|---|
 Senese in 2010 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | Gaetano Senese 6 January 1945 Naples, Italy |
| Died | 29 October 2025 (aged 80) Naples, Italy |
| Genre | Jazz |
| Occupation | Musician |
| Instrument | Saxophone |
Gaetano "James" Senese (6 January 1945 – 29 October 2025) was an Italian saxophonist, composer and singer-songwriter.
Life and career
[edit]Senese was born in Naples, the son of Anna Senese and James Smith, an American soldier from North Carolina in Italy because of World War II.[1][2] Senese's father moved back to the US eighteen months after Gaetano's birth and never returned.[3] Senese started playing the saxophone at 12 years old.[1] He made his professional debut in the 1960s, as a member of the rhythm and blues band The Showmen (later known as Showmen 2), with whom he won the 1968 edition of Cantagiro.[1][2]
In 1974 Senese co-founded and led the jazz-progressive rock group Napoli Centrale. After the group disbanded in 1978, he started a long collaboration with Pino Daniele, both in studio and on stage.[1][2] During his career, he also collaborated with James Brown, Ornette Coleman, Gil Evans, Art Ensemble of Chicago and Roberto De Simone.[4] His first solo album was released in 1983 by Polydor Records.[1][2]
A documentary film about Senese, James, was directed in 2020 by Andrea Della Monica and premiered at the 77th edition of the Venice Film Festival.[5]
Senese died of pneumonia at Cardarelli Hospital in Naples, on 29 October 2025, at the age of 80. He had been hospitalised since 24 September.[4]
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Discography
[edit]- James Senese (Polydor, 1983)
- Il passo del gigante (Tobacco, 1984)
- Alhambra (EMI Italiana, 1988)
- Hey James (Blue Angel, 1991)
- Sabato Santo (Polosud, 2000)
- Passpartù (ITWHY, 2003)
- Tribù e passione (with Enzo Gragnaniello) (Edel Italia, 2003)
- E' Fernut' 'o Tiempo (Arealive, 2012)
- O sanghe (Alabianca/Warner, 2016)
- Chest nun é a terra mia - (Arealive, 2025)
References
[edit]- 1 2 3 4 5 Livio Quagliata (1 May 2016). "James Senese, "O' sanghe" di un nero a metà". La Repubblica. Retrieved 10 June 2016.
- 1 2 3 4 Enzo Giannelli. "Senese, James". Gino Castaldo (ed.). Dizionario della canzone italiana. Curcio Editore, 1990.
- ↑ "Biografia di James Senese". Cinquantamila.it. Retrieved 2 November 2022.
- 1 2 Aymone, Carmine (29 October 2025). "È morto James Senese, il sax che parlava napoletano, «nero a metà» per eccellenza". Corriere della Sera (in Italian). Retrieved 29 October 2025.
- ↑ "«James» Senese fa ripartire AstraDoc". Corriere della Sera (in Italian). 16 December 2021. Retrieved 11 March 2023.
External links
[edit]
- James Senese at AllMusic
- James Senese discography at Discogs
- James Senese at IMDb
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Artists | |
- 1945 births
- 2025 deaths
- Musicians from Naples
- Italian male saxophonists
- Italian male singer-songwriters
- 20th-century Italian singer-songwriters
- 21st-century Italian singer-songwriters
- Italian male jazz musicians
- Italian people of African-American descent
- 20th-century Italian saxophonists
- 21st-century Italian saxophonists
- 21st-century Italian male singers
- 20th-century Italian male singers
- Deaths from pneumonia in Campania