Biography

 

Like the painter Plasson in the novel “Ocean Sea” by Alessandro Baricco used to paint the sea using the sea water obtaining smooth and intangible paints, almost white, it could be said that Joe Berbieri sings the air through the air, the absence through the absence, the empty space through the empty space.

Almost never perfect guitarist; a singer that seems to whisper in your ears the inexplicability of a perturbation; a delicious and meticulous singer-songwriter, who tells about even more dry and evanescent things.
This is Joe Barbieri.

After having collaborated with Pino Daniele and having written for different artists (like Giorgia and Patrizia Laquidara), at the end of 2004 Barbieri released his debut album “In Parole Povere” (produced by Micorcosmo Dischi, owned by himself), which enchanted critics and conquered the estimation of the people of all the countries in which the album was released (United States, Canada, Japan, Austria, Switzerland, China, Germany – in which it has been awarded as album of the year – and of course Italy).

As a producer, he devoted himself to Kantango, producing their first two albums and cooperating with some jazz and world music stars like Lura, Richard Galliano and Susana Baca.

In 2009 Joe Barbieri comes back with a new album, “Maison Maravilha”; 11 new songs ranging between 50s and 60s Italian music and the world music, enriched by a magnificent strings orchestra and the the special contribution of the Cuban guest star Omara Portundo (star of the movie Buena vista Social Club), performing in the fado “Malegrìa”.
The second album of Barbieri is soon acknowledged as work of a rare beauty in the countries in which it has been distributed. Among the dozens of enthusiastic reviews, the French Le Nouvel Observateur defines Barbieri like “a singer-songwriter of an endless talent, with the voice of an angel”, the japan Suburbia tells about “A deep and beautiful breath, that goes deeply into ancient memories that invite us to a marvellous inner journey”, while Les Inrockuptibles present “Maison Maravilha” as a “way to distinguish between mere beauty and grace”.

Up till now more than 20.000 copies of “Maison Maravilha” have been sold all over the world, doubling the previous album by Joe Barbieri, that had reached 11.000 copies. To celebrate this goal, last September Joe called a friend to sing one of the most beautiful songs of “Maison Maravilha”, namely “Lacrime di coccodrillo”, in an unpublished duet (not in the initial tracklist of the album) by two of the voices universally known as the most fascinating of the new Italian music scene. This friend is the marvellous Chiara Civello.

At the first birthday of “Maison Maravilha”, the last 9th of January, Barbieri has called his beloved public to the Teatro Studio of the Auditorium Parco Della Musica in Rome for a special sold-out concert, enriched by the participation of his friend Mario Venuti (singing in “Pura Ambra”, recorded by the twos in the first album of Joe Barbieri “In Parole Povere”).
The show, at first recorded with the mere scope of keeping its memory, has been such an exciting and involving treasure, as to be recorded and released in a new album – the very first live album – of Joe Barbieri.

“Maison Maravilha Viva”, this is the title of the project, is out 9th April 2010, produced by Microcosmo Dischi.