Sitting With Gianluca

Sitting with Gianluca celebrates the life of British blues guitar player Kim Simmonds leader of Savoy Brown who, along with his contemporaries Eric Clapton & Peter Green of Fleetwood Mac, turned America and the world onto blues music. Sitting with Gianluca is his former manager and producer Arnie Goodman with recollections.

If you’re a fan of Levon Helm, The Band, BB King, Bob Dylan or a myriad of other amazing American artists you won’t want to miss this sit-down with piano wizard Brian Mitchell who has been a first call ivory tickler for a few decades.

Sitting with Gianluca celebrates iconic folk giant Dave Van Ronk, who would have been 85, together with folk singer David Massengill who toured with him for many years. Dave Van Ronk was the center for the 60s folk boom and was mentor to many fresh-faced folk-nick, including a young arrival called Bob Dylan. His knowledge and guitar arrangements of traditional music are legendary

Sitting with Gianluca celebrates the music and importance of late R&B legend Lloyd Price (RIP May 3, 2021) by airing excerpts of a sit-down from a visit to his upstate New York country mansion for MOJO Magazine (Feb ’18). Lloyd not only saw the birth of post war r&b but became a part of the birth of rock and roll when his first single, Lawdy Miss Clawdy, became a smash crossover hit in 1952 - arguably the first single to unite black and white teenagers and start desegregation a decade before Martin Luther King. After having more hits and becoming a teen sensation, Price became a club owner, boxing promoter for Mohammad Ali (along with Don King) and general impresario. Gianluca and Lloyd also candidly discuss music, desegregation and the shooting of his business partner.

Sitting with Gianluca is New York City acoustic blues player, recording artist, actor and author Guy Davis. After soaking up the arts as a child through his parents Ossie Davis & Ruby Dee, he has kept the family tradition alive by performing all over the world for the last four decades.

If you’re a fan of Texan songwriting icon Guy Clark, Sitting with Gianluca is Tamara Saviano, Guy’s friend, former publicist, biographer and producer of “Without Getting Killed or Caught” a documentary on the songwriter available for screening online.

"Sitting with Gianluca" will air an exclusive archive interview and radio session with late Texan songwriting legend Guy Clark. In seventies Nashville, a group of Texan songwriters that included Townes Van Zandt, Steve Earle and honorary Texan Jerry Jeff Walker ushered in a grittier, road-weary type of roots music that allowed long-haired, pot-smoking hippies and the short-haired, conservative country music tribe to bond. To coincide with the release of a documentary of Guy’s life and music: “Without Getting Killed or Caught”, Gianluca airs a conversation with the songwriting legend himself with an exclusive performance of two of his songs. It serves as a good primer for the documentary’s producer Tamara Saviniano’s sit-down next week.

Sitting with Gianluca is New Orleans funky piano player and bandleader Jon Cleary who carries the funky gumbo-ya-ya piano stylings that the Crescent City is known for. Gianluca and Jon celebrate what would have been funkmeister and musical chameleon Johnny “Guitar” Watson’s 86th birthday with some cuts and conversation about what made Watson such a singular talent.

Singer, songwriter, recording artist and activist Michelle Shocked helps celebrate Sitting with Gianluca’s 100th episode with live music and discussion on the history and offensive nature of blackface.

In honor of Justin Townes Earle, who passed away a week ago I am airing one of the conversations I had with him. I was one of the first people to ever interview Justin after his first CD and the second to interview when he came out of rehab. He lived down my street and we drunk at the same bar (before he went to rehab!). Justin was a really lovely lad - genuine, friendly and straight talking. Here is our candid conversation about recovery and songwriting when he stopped by my apartment after getting out of rehab.