RIP Francesco Di Giacomo (Banco) |
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Finnforest
Special Collaborator Honorary Collaborator Joined: February 03 2007 Location: The Heartland Status: Offline Points: 16983 |
Posted: February 21 2014 at 20:40 |
Yeah, at first I was just shocked......now it is starting to hit home.
This is really a great tragedy for RPI and the music loving world.
While he shunned the role of "star" there could be no denying it, he was
not only a force in one of the greatest progressive rock bands, his
voice was as unique and special as any in rock music. Think about
it....you hear this man....do you not instantly know who it is and how
cool it will be? His voice just wraps the listener in warmth, passion,
drama. Operatic but unpretentious, larger than life yet down-to-Earth.
I am just heartbroken that I was never able to hear him sing live. How
lucky are you folks who did.
Banco was one of the first to pull me in. There was QVL, Metamorfosi, Balletto di Bronzo.....and there was Banco. The biggest of the "Big 3", the most "Italian" of Italian progressive rock. I will be listening to all of those albums over the next several days and hope all RPI fans do the same. I will say a prayer for a good man and his family who must be devastated at this premature passing. If any of his friends or family members read this, please pass on the fact that many, many music fans are with you tonight and the music of Francesco is playing all over the world, tonight and always. You have the love of the "Italian prog" community with you and there are a lot more of us than people realize. As a long time fan of RPI at this site, I can say.....when I think of a summation of Italian prog music in my mind....I hear a slow and sweeping piano intro, I hear a violin come in, and then I hear Francesco start to sing.....he will always be a component of the form itself, not just a singer in one of the bands. I can give no greater compliment than that. Thank you my friend.... |
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...that moment you realize you like "Mob Rules" better than "Heaven and Hell"
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Cesar Inca
Special Collaborator Honorary Collaborator Joined: May 19 2004 Location: Peru Status: Offline Points: 4888 |
Posted: February 21 2014 at 20:52 |
R.I.P., master of singing and feeling - you were and willalways remain a central figure of progressive rock both in Italy and worldwide.
Your voice was not only a vocal sound, it was also and mostly an epiphany of beauty and sweetness
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DamoXt7942
Special Collaborator Joined: October 15 2008 Location: Okayama, Japan Status: Offline Points: 17493 |
Posted: February 21 2014 at 21:03 |
What?!
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Atavachron
Special Collaborator Honorary Collaborator Joined: September 30 2006 Location: Pearland Status: Offline Points: 65457 |
Posted: February 21 2014 at 21:08 |
What a face |
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ginodi
Forum Groupie Joined: September 13 2011 Location: Pennsylvania Status: Offline Points: 62 |
Posted: February 21 2014 at 21:27 |
NOOOOOOO!
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progbaby
Forum Senior Member Joined: April 20 2007 Status: Offline Points: 286 |
Posted: February 21 2014 at 22:05 |
One of the best singers ever. And best bands ever.
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octopus-4
Special Collaborator RIO/Avant/Zeuhl,Neo & Post/Math Teams Joined: October 31 2006 Location: Italy Status: Offline Points: 14325 |
Posted: February 22 2014 at 01:42 |
The newspaper says that he has likely had a heart attack before losing the control of his car. Just for information.
Many years ago I had the possibility to meet him through a common friend but it never happened, and how happens too often in a lifetime, now it's too late
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I stand with Roger Waters, I stand with Joan Baez, I stand with Victor Jara, I stand with Woody Guthrie. Music is revolution
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Aussie-Byrd-Brother
Special Collaborator Honorary Collaborator Joined: October 12 2011 Location: Melb, Australia Status: Offline Points: 7951 |
Posted: February 22 2014 at 02:22 |
For those unfamiliar with Francesco or Banco, this is the first track I always go to when I think of them, because I still remember feeling like I'd beeen knocked on my backside the second I heard it. It still evokes such a reaction in me now. I've had a few friends where I've said `Hey, you want to hear something cool, like you've never heard before?....', and I've played them the following track, and they usually are fascinated and stunned by what they hear.
So for me, the defining Banco track, ironically called `R.I.P', off an impossibly good album and defining Italian release: |
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Tony R
Special Collaborator Honorary Collaborator / Retired Admin Joined: July 16 2004 Location: UK Status: Offline Points: 11979 |
Posted: February 22 2014 at 02:30 |
Sad news, what a voice!
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Moogtron III
Prog Reviewer Joined: April 26 2005 Location: Belgium Status: Offline Points: 10616 |
Posted: February 22 2014 at 03:00 |
Oh, this is really sad
He was great prog artist.
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Utnapishtim
Forum Senior Member Joined: December 15 2013 Location: Italy Status: Offline Points: 260 |
Posted: February 22 2014 at 03:42 |
I learned of his death this morning, reading newspaper...
Fades away a Cantor of our time Whose voice has intoxicated our senses Fades away the voice of RPI And Your sleep will never be disturbed Ciao Franceso... |
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Per Fortuna C’č Sempre Qualcuno Che Pianta Le Querce Senza Preoccuparsi Di Vivere Troppo A Lungo Per Raccogliere Le Ghiande
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apps79
Special Collaborator Honorary Collaborator Joined: March 15 2007 Location: . Status: Offline Points: 1551 |
Posted: February 22 2014 at 04:45 |
he was THE MAN, one of the top 3 Italian voices according to my ears...Always will be in my heart...
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When the power of love overcomes the love of power,the world will know peace...
listen to www.justincaseradio.com , the first ever Greek Progressive Rock radio |
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apps79
Special Collaborator Honorary Collaborator Joined: March 15 2007 Location: . Status: Offline Points: 1551 |
Posted: February 22 2014 at 04:47 |
best choice...I always wished the day to use it in such a way would never come
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When the power of love overcomes the love of power,the world will know peace...
listen to www.justincaseradio.com , the first ever Greek Progressive Rock radio |
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Nightfly
Special Collaborator Honorary Collaborator Joined: August 01 2007 Location: United Kingdom Status: Offline Points: 3659 |
Posted: February 22 2014 at 05:47 |
Very sad news. A great loss. RIP.
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arvinm1
Forum Newbie Joined: February 10 2014 Status: Offline Points: 1 |
Posted: February 22 2014 at 06:31 |
RIP
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la Volpe
Forum Newbie Joined: March 08 2007 Location: Italy Status: Offline Points: 3 |
Posted: February 22 2014 at 07:16 |
A great loss indeed. I was lucky to see Banco around 2005, if I recall correctly, and he was fantastic, it was like hearing him sing from the albums. I read that in his last years he had developed some problems to his vocal chords that made it more difficult for him to sing. Francesco Di Giacomo, for those who don't live in Italy or don't understand Italian, was also a very down-to-Earth person, at least in interviews and in the public eye. He was the greatest Italian prog singer bar none (dont' mess with me, Demetrio Stratos fans - since Stratos was actually Greek ;) ). A defining figure of the subgenre and more. A devastating loss.
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NotAProghead
Special Collaborator Errors & Omissions Team Joined: October 22 2005 Location: Russia Status: Offline Points: 7892 |
Posted: February 22 2014 at 07:55 |
Greg Walker shares his memories of Francesco Di Giacomo:
It is with great sadness to announce that Francesco Di Giacomo (the beloved tenor singer of Banco Del Mutuo Soccorso) passed away today from the result of a car accident. Details are sketchy about what caused the accident but it may be health related. Here is the posting on the internet and the English translation: "Č morto il 21 febbraio 2014 a Zagarolo, in provincia di Roma, per un incidente stradale avvenuto in via Valle del Formale. Nel tardo pomeriggio Di Giacomo era alla guida della sua auto di cui pare abbia perso il controllo schiantandosi, poi, contro un'altra autovettura che proveniva in senso contrario. Di Giacomo č deceduto durante il trasporto all’ospedale di Palestrina. La sera stessa č stato annunciato l'accadimento e ricordato da Fabio Fazio durante la diretta televisiva delFestival di Sanremo seguito dal cordoglio del pubblico." "Francsco Di Giacomo died today February 21, 2014 in Zagarolo, a province of Rome, from a road traffic accident in Valle del Formale. In the late afternoon Di Giacomo was driving his car which seems to have lost control and crashed into oncoming traffic. Di Giacomo died during transport to Palestrina hospital. He was 66 years old. This evening, the news was announced by Fabio Fazio during the live broadcast of the Sanremo Festival followed by public mourning." A few personal comments amd memories regarding Francesco... As most of you know, Francesco was the closest thing that prog had to Pavarotti. He fronted the greatest Italian 70's prog band and his amazing voice and stage presence was second to none. I still remember as a youngster (circa 1981 when I was 15 and just learning about progressive music) walking through the record aisles of an L.A. K-Mart trying to find a third album in the 3 for .99 cents record deal they were having (ah, those were the days!) when I came across the self-titled 1975 compilation release. Looking at it and chuckling over the cover of a fat guy throwing up a shoe and then turning it over to see the same fat guy on a scale I thought, well...I might as well buy it (as a joke). I then noticed the instrumentation and thought, holy crap, this thing might actually be good. I still remember taking it home and being blown away over the music, vocals and level of musicianship. I owned every Banco record soon after. In 2000 we invited Banco to our Progfest 2000 festival. We didn't know that we were supposed to pay for their food while they were here (they never mentioned it in advance) and I remember the sweat dripping down my forehead as I begrudgingly handed over my credit card to Francesco. Spock's Beard was performing that evening at the Troubadour in Hollywood and I drove the band out there to see them. About halfway through they decided to go nearby to get something to eat. About an hour later I went to check up on them and found them next door at an Italian restaurant (of all places!). The band and crew was sitting around a 12 foot table amid piles of salad, pasta, bottles of wine and everything else they could possibly order. I'm almost in tears at the site and I think I'm still paying off that darn meal to this day. They had a great performance and we had an after-festival party at my house the next evening. I have a picture somewhere of Francesco asleep on my couch. It was kind of a surreal moment as here it was 20 years later and Francesco's in my living room. Back in the early days, these guys might as well of lived on the moon as you figured you would never see them in concert and certainly never meet them. Of course those were the days before the invention of the internet (thanks Al Gore!) and the prog music festivals which changed everything (for the meager prog community). The next day I drove him to the airport and we talked about music and art the entire way. I was fortunate enough to see Banco perform at NEARfest in 2001. To this day, it stands out as my all-time favorite concert. It was one of those magical concerts you rarely see. Those of you who were there know what I mean. R.I.P. Francesco! http://www.youtube.com/watch? |
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Who are you and who am I to say we know the reason why... (D. Gilmour)
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ExittheLemming
Forum Senior Member Joined: October 19 2007 Location: Penal Colony Status: Offline Points: 11420 |
Posted: February 22 2014 at 08:22 |
This was a voice that caused rivet eating welders, tax accountants and rugby players to weep unashamedly upon hearing, such was its evocative and plaintive beauty. Our Francesco was tantamount to the embodiment of the 'Italian melodic tradition'
that Banco preserve jealously in their otherwise healthy disavowal of the yoke of the past.
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Norbert
Forum Senior Member Joined: October 20 2005 Location: Hungary Status: Offline Points: 2506 |
Posted: February 22 2014 at 08:31 |
Very sad news indeed...
Such an amazing singer he was. At first I was glad that Banco is the most popular artist on ProgArchives when I opened the PA frontpage a few moments ago, but suddenly hit me the thought that probably a member of the band recently died, and this caused Banco's current lead... |
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rdtprog
Special Collaborator Heavy, RPI, Symph, JR/F Canterbury Teams Joined: April 04 2009 Location: Mtl, QC Status: Online Points: 5342 |
Posted: February 22 2014 at 11:09 |
I received that story from Greg Walker, like Notaproghead, i don't know if i could afford to pay the lunch for a crew of musicians like he did, but at least it makes a great story...
On a more serious matter, the way Francesco died remind me what happened when my dad died suddenly in his chair and my mother said "i could have died earlier with him in the car if he had his heart attack"... RIP Francesco Di Giancomo |
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Music is the refuge of souls ulcerated by happiness.
Emile M. Cioran |
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