BLACK & WHITE

The repertoire includes tracks from MY FRIEND RY, a tribute to the great American musician Ry Cooder, as well as from their recent release BLACK & WHITE. Both albums are by SirJoe Polito and published by Gutenberg by Caligola Records. The performance also features classics by David Crosby, Stephen Stills, Jorma Kaukonen, Tom Waits, and John Hiatt, among others.

Born in 1960, Sergio Polito, stage name SirJoe, began playing the guitar at the age of thirteen.

He developed a deep knowledge of pivotal figures in American music, primarily from the West Coast: Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, Jackson Browne, the Eagles, James Taylor, Joni Mitchell, and Bob Dylan. His influences expanded to include Elvis, Jorma Kaukonen, and the foundational country-blues of Mississippi John Hurt, Reverend Gary Davis, and Blind Blake. His journey continued through rock icons like Bruce Springsteen, Bob Seger, Willy DeVille, and Tom Waits, eventually reaching the artist he considers the pinnacle: Ry Cooder (who also introduced him to another pillar of American music, John Hiatt).

A self-taught musician, SirJoe refined his fingerpicking style and began performing at eighteen. In the early 1980s, he played in schools, public squares, and local music venues. In 1986, he co-founded an electric band that would later become B-WOPS, one of the most significant musical entities in the Venice area. Still active after forty years, the group’s sound blends rhythm & blues, rock’n’roll, soul, country, blues, and gospel. With B-WOPS, he released two CDs under the Club De Musique label: Rhythm’n’rollin (1993), featuring guests such as Paul Millns, Andy J. Forest, and Tolo Marton; and Italian Boots (1998). His career includes several compilations, a performance at the 2004 Pistoia Blues Festival, and appearances on Red Ronnie’s television show Roxy Bar, alongside countless concerts across Northern Italy and Switzerland.

Despite his success with electric bands, SirJoe’s passion for acoustic music remained. This led him to launch a solo career as SirJoe Polito and form the Acoustic and Electric Band, the core ensemble behind MY FRIEND RY, a tribute album to the music of Ry Cooder. Released in December 2021 by Gutenberg Music by Caligola Records, the CD features twelve rearranged tracks from the Santa Monica guitarist’s discography. The project was inspired by Aldo Pedron, the esteemed journalist and co-founder of magazines such as Il Mucchio Selvaggio and Il Buscadero.

The album involved exceptional talents, including Jeff Pevar, Paul Millns, Butch Coulter, Inger Nova Jorgensen, and many others, with sound engineering by Martino Favalli and Gigi Campalto. Historic tracks like “Crazy ‘bout an automobile” and “Little Sister” were reborn in fresh, distinct versions.

In July 2025, SirJoe’s latest dream was realized with the release of BLACK & WHITE (Gutenberg by Caligola Records). This latest work consists largely of original material, alongside three rearranged tracks by Stephen Stills, David Crosby, and Tom Waits. Recorded by Pierluigi “Gigi” Campalto and artistically produced by Alberto Boscolo Agostini and SirJoe himself, the album features elite guests such as Carlo De Bei, Veronica Sbergia, and Max De Bernardi, marking a significant new chapter in SirJoe Polito’s career.

Ingresso fino a esaurimento posti. Consumazione obbligatoria: €15.00