Story of my new single (and album)

Dario Napoli

Hi everyone,

I’d like to share something I’m particularly proud of.

I’ve just released the title track of my upcoming album Sicilian Blood, which will be my seventh release. This piece has quite a story behind it.

It was originally written for a previous album, which I had actually intended to call Sicilian Blood. The tune is dedicated to John Monteleone, whose work many of you will know. I had the privilege of playing one of his guitars on that recording, and given both his Sicilian roots and mine (I was born in Palermo), it felt natural to dedicate this waltz to him.

However, things didn’t unfold as expected. The album came out under a different title, and this piece, despite its meaning, was left off the record entirely. It was a frustrating moment at the time, and ultimately part of what led me to move on from that label.

So bringing this piece back now, and making it the centerpiece of this new album, feels like closing a loop. In a way, giving it the place it was always meant to have.

The trio on this recording features Tonino De Sensi on bass and Benji Winterstein on rhythm guitar, and the goal was to capture something very close to how we sound live, with minimal edits and a focus on interaction.

We’ll be officially presenting the album on May 9th at the Forbach Jazz Festival, one of the real hubs of this music and community.

For now, the album is only available as a physical CD at our live shows. I know Forbach is not exactly around the corner for many of you, but that’s the current situation. We are looking into possible vinyl and digital releases down the line.

If you’d like to have a listen, here’s the video of the title track:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EO3X0h4e0nY

All the best,

Dario