El Negro Zumbón

"El Negro Zumbón" (also known as "Anna") is a baião song written by Armando Trovajoli[1][2] in 1951 for the film Anna, directed by Alberto Lattuada and starring Silvana Mangano.[3]

In the movie, the song is performed in a night club scene by Mangano, though she is lip-syncing; the lyrics are actually sung by Flo Sandon's.

After the U.S. release of Anna in 1953, the Brazilian beat of "El Negro Zumbón" influenced American Pop music.[4] It has also been recorded by many Latin American artists.[4]

Notable recordings and versions

• Pérez Prado (1950s)
• Amália Rodrigues (1953)
• Caterina Valente with Silvio Francesco (1956)
• Abbe Lane with Tito Puente (1957)
• Edmundo Ros (1960s) - Mambo no.5
• Connie Francis (1961)
• Billy Mure Tough Strings (1961)
• Gene Ammons (1963)
• Bob Crewe (1967)
• Juan García Esquivel
• Chet Atkins (1967)
• Imca Marina (1988)
• Regina Do Santos (1995)
• Pink Martini (2004) - vocals by China Forbes, Timothy Nishimoto, and Dan Faehnle[5]
• Nojazz (2005)
• Haruomi Hosono (2017)

Posterity

A clip of the opening of this performance is featured in the film Cinema Paradiso (1988).

In Caro diario (1993), Nanni Moretti dances on a clip of this song broadcast on a TV set.

A sample of the song is used by the band The Avalanches at the end of their track Frontier Psychiatrist, from their 2000 album Since I Left You.

The song can also be heard in the background in a diner in Martin Scorsese's "The Irishman".

Notes

• IMDb as well as the Pink Martini liner notes credit this song to Roman Vatro (music) - one of the multiple alternate names of Armando Trovajoli - and Francesco Giordano (lyrics).[6]

References

1. Moliterno, Gino (2008). Historical Dictionary of Italian Cinema. United States: Scarecrow Press. ISBN 9780810860735. Retrieved 31 December 2014.
2. Lane, John Francis (10 March 2013). "Armando Trovajoli Obituary". The Guardian. Retrieved 31 December 2014.
3. "Anna (1951) Full Cast & Crew". IMDb. Retrieved 31 December 2014.
4. Weisbard, Eric, ed. (2007). Listen Again: A Momentary History of Pop Music. Duke University Press Books. p. 85. ISBN 9780822340416. Retrieved 31 December 2014. reviews of El Negro Zumbon.
5. "Hang on Little Tomato". pinkmartini.com. 4 June 2013. Retrieved 31 December 2014.
6. "Anna (1951) Soundtracks". IMDb. Retrieved 31 December 2014.

External links

• "Silvana Mangano (el negro zumbon)". YouTube. Retrieved 31 December 2014.