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For many of us, our earliest musical influences were our parents. Whether that be the music they listened to or created themselves, it undoubtedly makes the first permanent mark on our ears. My earliest memories are peppered with my father playing the accordion and our big Wurlitzer organ in the early 80s. It was due to his encouragement that I embarked on my earliest attempts at music creation. Through him I was introduced to the classic crooning of the Rat Pack, the wizardry of Buddy Rich, Max Roach, and Louis Bellson and the various stylings of Miles Davis and his contemporaries and we would regularly attend concerts together through my teenage years. As a successful businessman and electrical engineer, you can imagine his horror at my insistence on pursing a career as a musician.

Some time in late 2011 my dad proposed the idea of playing some Neapolitan and traditional Italian songs together acoustically as a duo (accordion/acoustic guitar). I thought it would be fun so we started getting together weekly and building a short list of songs.

A few months later we thought we would take it out of the basement and play a few gigs, so we expanded to a trio with an added upright bass player (Colt Morris). After recording a short collection of demos in August of 2012, we posted them on YouTube and started booking jobs.

We had no idea what interesting clients and wonderful feedback we would encounter for the following 10 years, highlighted by our first recording “Italian Medley” reaching 13 million YouTube views as of 2023, leading to several licensing agreements. Most notably, placement in the HBO and Starz network original series “Minx”. We performed for a number of high profile events, such as international weddings and were requested to perform for the pope’s Philadelphia visit, even though we had to decline due to prior commitments and logistics issues.

As of late 2022, we have ceased in-person live performances due to several reasons, but we still post recordings and live stream regularly on our YouTube channel. Stop by sometime for a Tarantella, a Tango or some Tony Bennett.

Italian Medley III (Miscuglio Italiano 3)
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Italian Medley III (Miscuglio Italiano 3)

Sicilian Tarantella + Dicitencello Vuie + Non ti Scordar di Me #accordion #fatherandson #italianmusic #italy #medley Tarantella is a group of various southern Italian folk dances originating in the regions of Calabria, Campania and Puglia. It is characterized by a fast upbeat tempo, accompanied by tambourines and is among the most recognized forms of traditional southern Italian music. The specific dance-name varies with every region. The term may appear as tarantello in a linguistically masculine construction. The dance served two purposes in its earliest history: to cure a person of "Tarantism", a diseased caused by a spider bite, or as a dance of courtship for couples. The tarantella is most frequently played with a mandolin, a guitar, an accordion and tambourines. flute, fiddle, trumpet and clarinet are also used. Sometimes in traditional performances, the dancer and the drum player constantly try to upstage each other by playing faster or dancing longer than the other, subsequently tiring one person out first. Dicitencello vuje was written in 1930, music by Rodolfo Falvo, lyrics by Enzo Fusco.  It was subsequently adapted into "Just Say I Love Her" ("Just Say I Love Him" when recorded by a female singer) with English lyrics by Martin Kalmanoff and Sam Ward. A recording by Johnny Desmond was made on January 20, 1950, and released by MGM. It reached #24 on the Billboard chart. Vic Damone's 1950 recording of the song reached #13 on the Billboard chart. 'Non ti scordar di me', was written by Ernesto De Curtis. It is one of his later songs, written in 1935 for a movie of the same title, featuring the tenor, Beniamino Gigli, who helped make many Italian songs famous. Unlike a majority of De Curtis' songs, the text is not in the Neapolitan dialect, but in standard Italian. Also unlike many of his songs, the performer sings that his home is 'cold and sunless', in contrast to, for example his most famous song 'Torna a Surriento'. Personnel: Accordion: Philip S. DiVita Guitar/Percussion/Vocals: Joe DiVita - www.JoeDiVita.com & https://www.youtube.com/user/JoeDiVitaMusic Mandolin: Chris Shepherd : https://www.youtube.com/user/ToneCanyon Violin: Dana Weiderhold Bass: Colt Morris __________________________________________________________________________________________________ Arrangement: Andrew Lipke www.AndrewLipke.com Production/Mixing: Joe DiVita Mastering: Dave Downham www.GradwellHouse.com Illustration: Dallas Arce www.DallasArce.MyPortfolio.com __________________________________________________________________________________________________ The DiVita's come from a heritage of musicians that can be traced back to the "old country". This Father-Son duo brings the sounds of authentic Italian and other romantic music to a variety of settings to provide an atmosphere of class and elegance to any gathering. The two share a love for this culture and music that shines through in their refined attention to detail. Though the delicate sound of guitar and accordion has been a trademark sound of the classic serenade, the duo is supported by an upright bass and occasionally other instruments to complement the group's traditional acoustic nature. Joe DiVita has been playing music professionally for over 20 years in different groups and ensembles ranging from jazz to Caribbean music. He has been playing music since age 5 after taking after his father's lead on the family Wurlitzer. This multi-instrumentalist earned a performance degree from the University of the Arts and has been playing around the nation in a plethora of establishments and positions. Philip DiVita has been playing the accordion since early childhood and was featured on the Ted Mack Amateur Hour at age 9; chosen from 500 contestants in the Philadelphia area. He traveled and played with a six piece band and cut two records in the late 1950s and 60s and has since gone on to establish himself as a successful engineer, entrepreneur and businessman. Now, the two musicians bring the generations together with performances of timeless music sure to bring a special charm to your cocktail or dinner event. www.GruppoNostra.com
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