Artist

NUOVA COMPAGNIA DI CANTO POPOLARE

1970-71
Fausta Vetere (vocals, guitar, flute)
Peppe Barra (vocals, percussion)
Giovanni Mauriello (vocals, percussion)
Carlo D'Angiò (vocals, percussion)
Patrizio Trampetti (vocals, guitar, mandolin, percussion)
Eugenio Bennato (vocals, guitar, mandolin, accordion)

1972
D'Angiò quits, replaced by
Nunzio Areni (flute, guitar)

Folk music has never been very popular in Italy, probably due to the strong differences between the music traditions of the 20 Italian regions, and it's never been as commercially successful as it was with Nuova Compagnia di Canto Popolare. 
Though the progressive rock fans will find NCCP's inclusion here out of place, the group surely deserves a mention for their passionate search of old folk tunes, rearranged and reworked with a modern feel, and in this sense can be considered an example of progressive music.

Formed in Naples around 1967 by composer Roberto De Simone, that never was an active member but rather a sort of inspirer and executive producer, the group released their first LP in 1971 on the small Rare label. Their music, since their beginnings, was strongly based on reworkings of traditional tunes from Naples and its region Campania, with multivocal parts and acoustic guitars, flutes, percussion and all sorts of ancient popular instruments. 

A second album, a double one, came in 1972 with new member Nunzio Areni and in the same vein as the previous one, but a little more elaborate from the musical point of view, but success and interest came with the third album, recorded live, and again simply titled with the name of the group. 
The band had an intense live activity all over Italy and reached a great, unexpected success with their fourth album, Li sarracini adorano lu sole, and a single taken from it, Tammurriata nera. This song was a late 40's post-war popular song, an exception in the group's repertoire compared to their 16th and 17th century usual tunes.

Following their success, Ricordi reissued in 1975 their first two albums, now spanned over three LP's and with different titles and covers.

In 1976 the folk opera La gatta Cenerentola, represented in many Italian theatres, was again very successful, and the band has kept playing until now, with concerts in every part of the world, and still based on the leading figure of female singer Fausta Vetere.

Long time member Eugenio Bennato left the band in 1976 to form a similar band, Musicanova, along with Carlo D'Angiò, also in the first album line-up.

The first two albums are by far the rarest of the NCCP catalogue. 
They were released by the small Rare label (probably connected to the French Riviera and Barclay companies as it had a similar logo and label design). 
After the success of the 1974 LP and single, the albums were re-released by Ricordi, that owned the rights, with different titles and cover, called Lo guarracino, Cicerenella and La serpe a Carolina.

Third album, again called Nuova Compagnia di Canto Popolare, and their first with EMI, was intially released with a gatefold laminated cover, later issues had a non-laminated cover.

No counterfeits exist, nor foreign reissues.

A good non-official site dedicated to NCCP can be found at http://digilander.libero.it/nuovacompagnia