“Messaggero Veneto” Article about Pordenone song
Article in the “Messaggero Veneto,” the regional newspaper
Years ago, I wrote a song called "Pordenone," after visiting that small town in the Eastern part of Italy, while I was on tour with The Jive Aces. It was the first jazz song I ever wrote, and I wrote it on the train to Switzerland when leaving Pordenone. You can hear the song here: https://youtu.be/fdPvzs0pJHo
At the time, I had just started writing songs, and I didn't know how successful this song would end up being (it being my first), but I had a fleeting thought about how cool it would be if one day people in Pordenone discovered this song and were at least pleased that someone had written a song about their town.
Anyway, about two weeks ago, someone from Pordenone randomly discovered the song online. The news apparently spread like wildfire, because within days I was receiving messages from many people in Pordenone and there were posts on Instagram by a candidate running for mayor of the city. Also, an article appeared in the regional newspaper, and the song was featured on a local TV station: https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=2896595653959798
I've also had over 3500 views on my Pordenone YouTube video in the last two weeks. From the people writing to me, it seems that the biggest part of their fascination is why a jazz singer in Los Angeles would write such a song about their small and relatively little-known town. It is true that Pordenone is not as well known as other cities, and it's off the beaten track of Italian tourism (which is one of the things that makes it so great!). I will say that I personally had a great time there—the people were really friendly, and they were noticeably welcoming of live music. Additionally, the whole town had an unusually tranquil, very pleasant and peaceful atmosphere about it, and it was very beautiful, with all the traditional architecture that you would expect in an Italian town, PLUS the high mountains of the Alps as a stunning backdrop behind the town. Just fabulous! At the time, I thought to myself if I really wanted a vacation, a REAL vacation, where you could just relax in a really pleasant environment, just hanging out, this would be a great place to go.
It's so cool to see the reactions. I am pleased not only that the song is finding new appreciation in the hearts of the people whose town it was actually about, but also that Pordenoneans are apparently discovering an unexpected appreciation of their own town from a new quarter, and I hope to be able to visit again one day.
Special thanks to Marzia Boni de Nobili, who was the first person to discover the song online and spread the word to her friends. Thank you!