Dear readers, it is an honour and a pleasure to offer you in this article an interview with an Italian drummer, known for being a member of Equipe ‘84 and Nuova Idea. We welcome Paolo Siani.
Hi Paolo how are you?
“Hi all, fine thank you.“
How did your passion for music and drums start and what are your sources of inspiration?
“In my family music has always been important: my uncle Alessandro was contrabassist in the 40s & 50s Philadelphia Philarmonica Orchestra conducted by M° Leopold Stokowsky (the orchestra in the original Walt Disney’s movie ‘Fantasia’); he monthly sent records from USA to my father and he put on the old grammophone their sounds so jazzy and modern just to stop my cries in the crib so I can say that I grew up on milk and music. Later my parents gave me toy instruments instead of guns or anything else and inevitably this made me fall in love with music very early. The first instrument I learned to play by myself, by ear, was a small accordion. They then sent me to a school where I began my first musical studies.“
You played Progressive music and more, how did you get into these then avant-garde sounds?
“My first years of High School in the early 60s coincided with the explosion of Beat Music and the Swinging London and in my town (Genoa) a lot of groups of passionate kids were formed. As I didn’t play guitar I sat down once in front of the drums and I never got up again. Playing Prog was not a choice but a consequence of the curiosity that certain music coming from the UK gave me/us and slowly but surely we began with ‘Plep’ (later to become ‘Nuova Idea’) to experiment with sounds and musical forms more complicated than the easy Beat’s songs. We went from the Beatles, The Animals, The Yardbirds etc. to listening to Moody Blues, Traffic, Vanilla Fudge until the moment in which the music we played live was written by us. During that very intense period I also completed my musical studies by attending the ‘N.Paganini’ Conservatory in Genoa.“
You are considered THE drummer of Nuova Idea, what memories do you have of that period and those magical atmospheres?
“It is really difficult to explain in a few lines the beauty, the joy of those youthful years in which we managed to merge, make live national TV accompanied by a real live big orchestra, play at Pop Festivals in front of tens of thousands of people. I can say that I remember that period as the most magical of my life, ‘Nuova Idea’ was a very close family, distant from politicalaffiliations but with clear ideas in their heads. A daydream that lasted many years.“
Do you have any anecdote or particular memory you want to tell us about the early 70s and the birth of Prog in Italy?
“I have tons of anecdotes to tell, almost all funny, but I wouldn’t do justice by mentioning just one. Maybe it could be the subject of future interviews.“
In the 60s you played in the Genovese Beat group Plep, how did the project start and how did it evolve into Nuova Idea?
“‘I Plep’, produced by M° Gianfranco Reverberi, recorded a Beat 45rpm for Carosello (La Scala, L’anima del mondo) but, despite a fair amount of promotion on the radio RAI, it didn’t have the desired success. When we were signed by Ariston Music they imposed the name ‘Nuova Idea’ on us because according to them, ‘Plep’ could at most be the name of a detergent. I think they were right. There was no shake-up in the line-up but a normal evolution of our musical tastes as I
wrote above.“
“One of the most sought-after bands by Italian Progressive music lovers and collectors, how come the project did not continue at the time and there were name changes?
“In the meantime we had become adults and I had personally started a family so, now professionals, we needed to have continuity in our work which, due to the so-called oil crisis of 1973, meant that cars were blocked on Sundays and as a consequence for us the concerts were stopped, a disaster. By mutual agreement I decided to abandon the uncertainties and to accept a tempting offer from the Artistic Director of Ariston (M°Guarnieri) and I became the exclusive drummer for all the musical production of that Record Company.“
After the band disbanded, you formed Track, with an album under your belt, how does it differ from previous works?
“Between one recording and another, many hours often passed, so with Guido Guglielminetti (bass) and Ricky Belloni (guitar) we decided to fill those spaces with original songs and covers under the name of Track, a group born only in terms of recordings.“
Another excellent group you have worked with is J.E.T. collaborating with Antonella Ruggiero first and then Matia Bazar, what did these experiences leave you with?
“One of my first jobs at the Ariston was with J.E.T. & Antonella Ruggiero with whom I had played some summer nights after leaving ‘Nuova Idea’. Fellow citizens and friends we have met again and we have never stopped hanging out until today and this is very pleasant (and rare) in the music scene despite the different choices they and I have made.“
You recently released a collaboration again under the name New Idea, will there be a chance to hear more new releases from the band?
“No, I don’t exactly call it collaboration but they are the result of my desire to resume those styles after 40 years of silence, without nostalgia or regrets. I produced 3 albums from 2011 to 2019 plus a DVD, I did a dozen concerts with old and new friends, I donated the proceeds to an important Pediatric Hospital in Genoa and I put the drumsticks back in their place, closing that experience too.“
What advice would you give to young artists approaching the world of music with more sophisticated sounds like yours?
“It’s always difficult to give advice without falling into the trap of sounding like an old trombone. I suggest, as I did with my children (now adults) to always be curious, to continue looking for newsounds and songs, to not get stuck in the study of technique, to free your instinct; there is so much good music out there, you just have to be the patient and to look for it.“
Do you have any other artistic activities or passions outside music?
“Fifteen days ago I turned 75 and I spend my life writing music every day, many hours a day; I’m working on a rather innovative project that I believe in a lot and that I consider a sort of final challenge between me and music even if it’s still early to talk about it.“
I thank Paolo for the interview, wishing him all the best for the continuation of his artistic career.
“You’re welcome, thank you“
