Biography

of the New Trolls

New Trolls were officially born in 1967 but already two years before, there was a band called Trolls that has recorded a 45 rounds, ‘'Dietro la nebbia'' (Behind the Fog) and on the back side ‘'Questa sera'' (Tonight) that immediately entered the ranking.

From the beginning their story has been traced: as a matter of fact, the Trolls, to keep faith to their name (Elf) they gave birth to the first of too many divisions (maybe too many). Due to a local young newspaper's complicity that drafted a ranking of the best musicians ( all this have recently been denied, personally by Vittorio De Scalzi), our ‘'heroes'' met and launched the New Trolls with: Vittorio De Scalzi, Nico Di Palo, Giorgio D'adamo, Gianni Belleno and Mauro Chiarugi, who left the band two year after. From their first appearances, the New Trolls showed up they originality in their pieces (not suggesting covers) and emerged from that
myriad of bands, that used to originate ‘'as mushrooms'' from all the ‘'basements''. Their romantic music, psychedelic, with special chorus and lyrics that made them unique and recognizable also nowadays. The song ‘'Visioni'' (visions) was their first big success from the Festivalbar, then it begins to be a historic event of the Italian music… they published their first long playing ‘'Senza orario, senza bandiera'' (without a timetable, without a flag) and this was the first ‘'Concept album'' with new and catchy music, embellished by Fabrizio De Andre's lyrics (some of the songs are suggested again even nowadays in some concerts).

In 1969 with the piece ‘'Io che ho Te'' (me, that I got you), performed at Sanremo's concert, they begin to win ‘'first places'' in many rankings like the Hit parade and they proceeded with ‘'Davanti agli occhi miei'' (In front of my eyes), ‘'Una miniera'' (A mine) and many more.

The New Trolls are the first who searched and found a new ways of mixing between hard rock and soft melodies highlighting their potentiality and virtuosity, from the percussion of Gianni Belleno's guitar ( played with teeth and behind his back) of Nico Di Palo, but especially the vocal weave of the corporate.

Always firs in testing, the NT created in collaboration with Luis Enriquez Bacalov, ‘'Concerto Grosso'' (Big Concert), first and extraordinary merge of rock and classic melodies; here beings the collaboration of Maurizio Salvi (alias ‘'Piccolo Bach'' (Small Bach)) recruited for his virtuosity with the keyboard!!

Even if they were on the top of the success, the New Trolls don't live on the bays, but in 1971 they recorded a double album: ‘'Searching for a land'', one recorded in the studio and one live (First ‘'live'' of an Italian band), entirely in English. It begins, due to this work, the collaboration of the Italian-Canadian Frank Laugelli (Rodes) with the bass guitar. ‘'Searching for a land'' point out the two main compositions of the band, based on the unstoppable guitar of Nico Di Palo and on the chaste atmospheres of Vittorio De Scalzi: If on the one hand this is the key of success , on the other hand it's a reason to a misunderstanding. For these successful musicians, it begins a period of internal disagreements from which a new album called ‘'UT'' born (Vittorio Di Scalzi puts only the name on the cover for the agreement) and, with alternated moments, they gave birth to the most complicated formations. Nico Di Palo, Gianni Belleno, Frank and , danno vita alle più intricate Maurizio register the album ‘'?''just with their names and afterwards with the name Tritons, they register other two albums and some 45 rounds; in 1973 Gianni Belleno abandons the band and got replaced by Rick Parnell: with this, the band begins to have the name of ‘'Ibis'' while Vittorio De Scalzi, Giorgio D'adamo with Tullio De Piscopo, Rousett and Ramasandiran, create the New Trolls Atomic System.

In 1973 there had been a ‘'thinking cap'' among all the formations of the New Trolls and it lasts till 1975, and during this year Vittorio De Scalzi worked out the rock song ‘'Una notte sul monte calvo'' (a night on the bald headed mount) by Mussorgski (until now a strong point in concerts) and anyway always modifying the New Trolls Atomic system's structure as however happens to Nico Di Palo with his groups Tritons and Ibis.

Thanks to a new idea of Bacalov, the historical New Trolls get united and begin to work for the
‘'Concerto Grosso 2'' (Big Concert 2); Richy Belloni begins to be a part of the band of Nico Di Palo, Gianni Belleno, Giorgio D'Adamo and Vittorio De Scalzi, Richy Belloni was an ex component of the Band Nuova Idea). From this attitude, new big ideas become new big successes like Aldebaran, FS, Quella carezza gruppo Nuova Idea ) . Della sera and many more, switched between tours and albums with Ornella Vanoni and Anna Oxa. Now it's normal to think that things, for the ‘'finally united'' New Trolls are better and that the waves are calmer now, unfortunately as this period is full of works and news Nico Di Palo, Giorgio Usai, Giorgio D'Adamo quit and returned to the band. In 1992 after that Gianni Belleno quitted the band, another person replaced him, he's called Alfio Vitanza ( ex Latte e Miele) and they registered a new album ‘'Quelli come noi'' (Those like us) with the following formation: Nico Di Palo, Vittorio De Scalzi, Richy Belloni and Alfio Vitanza and after some presences in Sanremo's concert and after the umpteenth exit of Richy Belloni, Roberto Tiranti begins to be a part of the band, he had an excellent voice and he perfectly played the bass-guitar. Other appearances at Sanremo's concert were those with Greta and the last one with Umberto Bindi, performing a song of Bindi and Renato Zero:''Letti'' (Bed) that will be placed in the lat official CD of the New Trolls : ‘'Il sale dei New Trolls'' (New Trolls' salt). In 1998 after an umpteenth concert, Nico Di Palo was a victim of a car accident…..the New Trolls were separated while Vittorio De Scalzi with Roberto Tiranti, Alfio Vitanza, Andrea MAddalone (ex guitarist of Anna Oxa) and Mauro Sposito proposed ‘'La Storia dei New Trolls'' (New Trolls' Story) and published two live CDs, the first was a compilation and the second was the two Big Concerts live in a tour with th e live orchestra of the Great master Maurizio Salvi.

Nico, with a big willpower, he tires to upset the scenes, succeeding first of all with Gianni Belleno, Richy Belloni and three great tourists and then with the actual formation of ‘'il Mito dei New Trolls'' composed by Nico Di Palo (vocal and keyboard), Richy Belloni (vocal
composta da Nico Di palo (voce e tastiere), and guitar), Giorgio Usai (keyboard), Alex Polifrone (percussions) and Andrea Lavelli (bass guitar).

 

Meanwhile the multifaceted Vittorio De Scalzi, face new ways with a new show ‘'Il suonatore Jones'' ( Jones the player) and on the 19 March 2005 he registered a concert in Genoa , dedicated to all the fans, a concert bound to make history…..

Even Gianni Belleno wasn't standing and looking without doing anything, with some good musicians: Daniela Chiara, Antonella Zicchella, Andrea Perrozzi, Saverio Gerardi, Mimmo Giannetta and Jerry Ruotolo, he builds ‘'Il Cuore dei New Trolls'' (The Heart of the New Trolls) and on summer 2005, he predates all and writes and brings with him to the tour the CG3, with some new pieces.

16 November 2006
...é still NEW TROLLS