An Italian from Naples, Napoli Centrale was formed by the nucleus of The Showmen after the band's split, when James Senese and Franco Del Prete, along with American keyboardist Mark Harris and English bass player Anthony R. Walmsley veered toward a personal blend of jazz-rock and popular music leaving any traces of prog behind them. With lyrics sung in Neapolitan dialect, the first single Campagna became a hit. The six-track debut album was in a similar style, the strong lyrics dealing with social problems while the music was sometimes very original.
After the LP release, bassist Tony Walmsley left the band to join the reformed Il Rovescio Della Medaglia, and was soon followed by Mark Harris.
They were replaced by keyboardist Pippo Guarnera and various bass players, Pino Daniele (for a brief period before his solo debut), Bruno Limone, Giovanni Ferla, and the last one the Trinidad born Kelvin Bullen. This line-up had good live activity, with a couple of important concerts, in Rome opening for Weather Report and the Duke-Cobham Band, and later at the legendary Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland, then they broke up at the end of 1975.
A second album was released in 1976, with help from many well-known session musicians among which drummers Bruno Biriaco (Perigeo), Agostino Marangolo (Flea and Goblin), and Marvin "Bugalu" Smith, and was in the same style as the first LP.
The third album came in 1977, with the founding duo helped by other musicians, and was more jazz-oriented than their previous works. Among the band musicians in these years were keyboardist Ciro Ciscognetti from Fabio Celi E Gli Infermieri and a young Pino Daniele on bass, later a popular solo artist. Even the previous keyboardist, Pippo Guarnera, who in 1976 had joined Eugenio Finardi's band, played on Qualcosa ca nun more.
After the band split James Senese started a solo career with the first two albums in 1983-84, while both he and Del Prete were very active as session musicians.
Keyboardist Mark Harris, still living in Italy, has launched his own record label, Saint Rock, to promote new Italian artists (see link below).
A revamped line-up of Napoli Centrale was created by James Senese in the late '80s, with Savio Riccardi (keyboards), Gigi De Rienzo (bass), and Agostino Marangolo (drums). This line-up released two albums, Jesceallah in 1992, including reworkings of early tracks, and 'Ngazzate nire" in 1994. Another album followed in 2001, entitled Zitte! Sta venenn' 'o mammone.
From 2007 on, the albums released by Senese begin to appear as JNC James Napoli Centrale, placing herewith solo and group work under one roof!
listen here or here
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