James Senese, saxophonist and symbol of the Neapolitan Sound, has died at the age of 80. The artist, hospitalized at Cardarelli in Naples for severe pneumonia, was unable to overcome the complications of the infection. The news of his passing was given by his friend and colleague Enzo Avitabile, who on social media expressed all his pain for the loss of a brother in art and life.
Words are not enough for such great pain but just a THANK YOU! Thank you for your talent, dedication, passion,…
Posted by Enzo Avitabile (Official) on Tuesday, October 28, 2025
The origins and redemption through music
Born Gaetano Senese on January 6, 1945, the son of a Neapolitan woman and an African-American soldier, he grew up amid post-war difficulties in the Miano neighborhood. It was precisely from those streets that he learned the strength and dignity that would characterize his entire career. His love for the saxophone exploded when he listened to John Coltrane, an epiphany that transformed the “son and war” boy into one of the greatest Italian musicians.
From roots to myth: the Showmen and Napoli Centrale
In the 1960s he founded the Showmen with Mario Musella, among the first Italian groups to blend soul, rock and Mediterranean rhythm. But it was in 1975, with the birth of Napoli Centrale, that Senese gave voice to a new Neapolitan musical identity. His songs, like ‘Ngazzate nire And Napule is sorry for youmixed jazz, funk and dialect, describing the popular reality of the South with a civil and poetic force.
The partnership with Pino Daniele and Neapolitan Power
His bond with Pino Daniele was fundamental, as he defined Senese as “an older brother“. The two shared stages and dreams, contributing to the birth of Neapolitan Power, a musical movement that fused the Neapolitan tradition with international sounds. Together with Tullio De Piscopo, Rino Zurzolo, Joe Amoruso and Ernesto Vitolo, Senese was part of one of the most extraordinary bands in Italian history, participating in masterpieces such as My land And Black in half.
With over sixty years of career, James Senese was the rough voice and the beating heart of a Naples that never stopped fighting and singing. Its sound, biting and full of pathos, will remain a symbol of Neapolitan pride, capable of uniting different generations and styles.
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