Flavio Giurato
Il Tuffatore

“Love love love, Daughter don't go with the songwriters. Love love love, because then you end up in the songs.” This album from 1982 by Flavio Giurato, a Roman singer-songwriter inexplicably not recognized by the market and the critics who "make" the market, begins this way. It was the year when the Italian national football team was about to win the World Cup in Spain, sparking unprecedented enthusiasm for a team and for the sport in general. But, before all this happened, there was a television show that, by making the necessary proportions, also attracted the attention of a significant portion of music lovers: “Mr Fantasy” by Carlo Massarini. And it was in that context that I became acquainted with the music and art of Flavio Giurato.

Two tracks were featured in the video: “Il tuffatore,” a guitar and voice ballad that starts with a curious (at least for the time) intro sung in English, and the stunning “Orbetello/Orbetello ali e nomi” (I say “the” because there are two tracks, even though they are united), with a thrilling initial piano and warm voice, combined with the absolutely brilliant lyrics (“A tall woman is never banal it will be because the gaze is necessarily superior”), of Flavio equally intense, and an epic crescendo finale with obsessive percussion on which Toto Torquati's piano climbs virtuously. The album shows no drop in tone, in fact, it reaches very high peaks with tracks like “Valterchiari,” “Marcia nuziale,” and the aforementioned “Orbetello/Orbetello ali e nomi.” The musicians are absolutely up to the task, and it is worth mentioning, besides the already cited Torquati, the presence of the always perfect saxophone by Mel Collins.

If I may be bold, this is one of the best works of the Italian scene ever, and it is a shame that an album of this kind, except for a still considerable portion of admirers, has fallen into oblivion to the point that today it is impossible to find it on CD and even less on vinyl. I recommend searching for it online, I think you can find something (even on our artist's site, which is also well done), you won't regret it. If I have to find some flaws in the good Flavio, I'm forced to dive into gossip and tell you that his brother is Luca Giurato, but you know: friends are chosen, relatives, unfortunately, are not... “I want to be a diver To be reborn every time from water to air”