Goodbye to James Senese

He died at the age of 80 James Senesea leading figure on the Neapolitan music scene as the founder of Central Naples and trusted collaborator of Pino Daniele: since September 25th the artist was hospitalized in the intensive care unit of the Cardarelli hospital due to a lung infection that had affected him.

His friend and colleague announced the news of his passing with a post on his official social channels Enzo Avitabile.

The saxophonist James Senesepseudonym of Gaetano Senesewas born in Naples on 6 January 1945, to a Neapolitan girl, Anna Seneseand by an African American soldier named James Smith who after two years abandoned his family and returned to the United States. In 1961 he founded con Mario Musella the complex Gigi and her Asters. In 1963 James and Mario with Vito Russian they form the band Vito Russo and the 4 Connies. Again with Musella, in 1965, he joined other musicians and gave life to the Showmen. In 1968 they won the Cantagiro with “I would like you for just one hour”. They dissolved Showmen in 1972 Senese formed a new band called Showmen 2.

Together with the drummer Franco Del Pretein 1974, he founded i Central Naples. Among the musicians who played in the Naples Central must be cited Pino Daniele, hired as bassist in 1978. James Senese together with Tullio De Piscopo, Rino Zurzolo, Joe Amoruso and Ernesto Vitolo forms the group that he will play with for a few years Pino Daniele. THE Central Naples they disbanded in 1983 and Senese’s solo career began there.