Saturday Live at Caffe Trieste has evolved from a small, family show with guitar and mandolin ensemble into an Italian-flavored version of the Lawrence Welk show (one of the Giotta Family's favorite television indulgences from the 1950's through the 1970's). Many new singers have joined the Trieste Musical Family in the last few years.  Wonderful local singers such as Bruce Winslow, Steve Randolph, Irving Mok, Alfredo Tollis, Teddy Vahn, and Arnold Trogman bring new facets of jazz, show tunes, ballads, and vaudeville, as well as songs by Piaf, Weill, and Dean Martin to the Trieste repertoire.

Over the decades, there have been many veterans in the Trieste Musical Family. Cabaret singer Eddie Fonseca croons beautiful renditions of songs by Kurt Weill and Edith Piaf, while the beautiful Oralia's Latin roots shine in her passionate and intense interpretations of traditional Spanish and Mexican songs and American show tunes. She sometimes sprinkles her performances with a bit of Kurt Weill. Soprano Lory Stark absorbs the audience with her powerful renditions of Grand Opera arias and classical Italian songs in several languages. Mary Ann Sfarzo engages the audience with energetic jazz, ballads, and show tunes, usually accompanied by her husband, Ron Sfarzo, on piano along with Fabio and the band.

Special guests consisting of famous and not-so-famous singers and musicians are asked to step-up to the stage area and join-in. On one occasion, two members of THE DRIFTERS were sitting in the audience and quietly, but very obviously, enjoying the concert. It wasn't long before Papa Gianni asked them to come up and do a number or two.

They performed two of their mega-hits. The entire house was swaying to UNDER THE BOARDWALK, after which one of them promptly broke into "La Donna e Mobile" from the opera Rigoletto. It is this kind of musical diversity, flexibility, and "schmaltz" that adds so much charm to this casual, Saturday afternoon affair.

The band can consist of accordion, organ, piano, guitar, mandolin, string bass, bass violin, slide trombone, trumpet, flugle horn, flute, piccolo, harmonica, washboard, banjo, spoons, bongos, and just about any other low-tech instrument (except for Fabio's Petosa Millennium digital reedless accordion). Well known Bay Area favorites such as Donald Wescoat, David Sturdevant, Tony Mance, Mark Selby, and Sheri Crawford are "regulars" with the band.  Duo accordions are not unusual at the concert. Noted Bay Area accordionists such as Dave Baioni, Ron Borelli and Ron Sfarzo often join Fabio and the band. The show is run on an Italian schedule, that is to say, it usually starts around 2:00 p.m. No cover charge.

Trieste Records: New Releases

Our first CD release Senza Te is elder brother Gianfranco's first ever solo album. Younger brother Fabio shared an all-encompassing collaboration in the production of this album with Associate Producer Rob Masud (formerly of Golden State Recorders/Sonic Arts Corp.- San Francisco). The CD includes other members of the Trieste musical family. This collection of previously unreleased recordings spans a wide range of repertoire and includes the original rock ballad "Senza Te"composed and written by Gianfranco. Other upcoming releases will include the expanded, CD version of Saturday Live at Caffe Trieste and yet another solo album for brother Gianfranco. For more information, go to our Trieste Records page. Sound clips and CD's are available at TheOrchard.com and internet underground music archive (iuma.com). CD's also available at amazon.com, CDnow, and CD Universe.