There are those people who when they are born, are pre-destined to have an impact on the lives of others. They are endowed with an instinctive ability to stir the feelings and emotions which resonate deep within people, coaxing them to "reach beyond their grasp". Luigi DeCrescenzo is a rare individual who is so naturally gifted and charismatic that throughout his professional music career he has put the aspirations and needs of his colleagues before those of his own.
Luigi, or "Gino" as he is known to his family and friends, is an Italian singer/songwriter who was born on March 5, 1964 in Milano. His father and mother were originally from the "comuni" (villages) of Bacoli and Salerno, both situated within the southern region of Campania. He showed an early intellectual proficiency in school and was an exemplary student. His interests included the literary arts, specifically composition and poetry. Gino later earned his diploma in accounting and then completed his formal studies by receiving his degree in political science; with concentrations in labor issues and social relations. He broadened his artistic skills by teaching himself both the guitar and piano and by age sixteen was performing in his first musical group known as "La Goccia".
The band explored diverse musical styles which included fusion, jazz and rock and they were profoundly influenced by artists such as Lucio Battisti, The Beatles, Prince and Jeff Buckley. Over the next decade, Gino developed his talents such that by age twenty-five he formed a new alternative-rock music group called "I Rossomaltese"; assuming the role of lead guitarist and principal songwriter. The band performed in clubs and venues throughout the province of Milan and released two obscure albums "Santantonio" and "Mosche libere".
Toward the end of the millennium, Gino chose to expand into other areas of music and found new challenges in composing the scores to theatrical and musical productions including "Sud Side Story" and "Invece che all'una alle due". In 2000, Gino had prepared a demo recording of songs that he had authored but were lacking vocals tracks. Although he had no immediate aspirations of pursuing a solo career, Gino followed the sage advice of noted music producer Paolo Iafelice and added his own voice to the songs. The final product was surprisingly original and remarkably fresh and drew the attention of Carosello Records who signed him to his first recording contract.
The stage had been set, Gino assumed the new stage name of "Pacifico", which was also the name of his 2001 debut recording. The album did not go unnoticed as it was awarded the "Premio Emergente Italiano" (Best Italian Male Debut) by Musica & Dischi Magazine, "La migliore opera prima" (Best Debut Recording) by Targa Tenco and "Premio della Critica" (Critic's Choice Award) by the P.I.M. (Italian Awards Music Media Group). Pacifico embarked on a tour in support of his new recording as the opening act for other established artists such as Daniele Silvestri and Luca Carboni. Upon his return, he entered a new phase in what would become a successful collaborative writing career for numerous other Italian and International artists. His first composition "I passi che facciamo" was written expressly for Adriano Celentano and appeared on his million-selling 2002 recording "Per sempre". Pacifico re-kindled his association with the silver screen by composing the soundtrack to the 2003 film "Ricordati di me". In 2004, Pacifico was invited to participate in the 54th Edition of the Sanremo Music Festival. He presented the song "Solo un sogno" which fared poorly in the competition but received the "Premio Volare - Migliore Musica" (Volare Award - Best Music). During the fourth day of the competition, which happened to be his fortieth birthday, Pacifico officially released his second album "Musica leggera". The recording featured the writing and vocal talents of Italian legend Ivano Fossati on the song "A poche ore". He received an invitation to the prestigious 2004 Concerto del Primo Maggio, held annually in Rome, and performed the duet "Animanera" with Italian Hip-Hop artist Frankie Hi-NRG. Pacifico returned to the studio to record his third album "Dolci frutti tropicali" (2006) which now featured multiple collaborations with artists such as Samuele Bersani, Petra Magoni and Roy Paci. As with his earlier releases, this recording received positive critical acclaim for its lyrical content and musical arrangements and it was also the last to feature Paolo Iafelice as executive producer. That year he also wrote the song "Questa voce" for Simona Bencini, lead vocalist of Dirotta Su Cuba, on her solo recording "Sorgente" (2006). He contributed the hit song "Sei nell'anima" for Gianna Nannini's diamond-selling recording "Grazie" (2006) and "Il nodo" for Raf on his album "Passeggeri distratti" (2006).
Pacifico was becoming increasingly comfortable with the musical associations he was nurturing and the resulting professional collaborations that developed while at the same time reducing his touring schedule commitments. He eventually returned to the studio to release his fourth album "Dentro ogni casa" (2009) on Caterina Caselli's Sugar music label. The recording featured collaborations with Gianna Nannini on "Tu che si parte di me" and Malika Ayane on "Verrà l'estate". The Solis String Orchestra composed and performed the violin arrangements on the album making this his most complex and complete recording to date. Pacifico resumed his collaborations by authoring songs for artists such as Adriano Celentano, Antonello Venditti, Andrea Bocelli, Nina Zilli, Zucchero, Anna Oxa, Noemi and Gianni Morandi. His fifth recording "Una voce non basta" (2012) allowed Pacifico to indulge his desire to record an entire album that featured the guest talents of twenty-one Italian and International music artists. He also handled the complete production of the recording. Pacifico's most recent release "In cosa credi" (2013) contained seven songs that remained from the previous album's recording sessions in addition to the title track which appeared on the previous recording and was re-recorded in an acoustic format. For more information you can visit his website at www.pacificomilano.com.
Photo courtesy of www.pacificomilano.com
