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'CIAO BELLA' - AN ALBUM 35 YEARS IN THE MAKING

Alfredo Malabello's story should be an inspiration to any musician.

Born to immigrant Italian parents, Alfredo was raised in suburban Adelaide, immersed in the European culture of the 1970s. By the mid 1980s, the piano man was entertaining royalty and the glitterati of The America's Cup in Perth before moving on to witness the "underbelly" of Melbourne, all from behind his keyboard as he played in salubrious dens and bars. After a long stint in New York, Alfredo finally settled in Perth where he has now realised his biggest dream.

Ciao Bella is a collection of eight Italian and English songs from the 1960s and 1970s, as well as three original compositions which came out of reconnecting with his Italian roots after years of being on the road, touring and acting.

So how does a piano player who sang his way through the heyday of Australian corruption and violence in the 1980s and '90s wind up releasing an album about passion and burning love?

"It all germinated from the TV series Carla Cametti PD on SBS where I played the role of Leo Cametti, a restaurateur and father of Carla and when I'm in the kitchen, I sing. From there I was approached to record some songs," Alfredo says. "The songs are from the past and they're songs that I heard when I was a little boy at home with mum and dad, aunties, uncles and godparents - these were the songs they were listening to… these were songs I loved."

Now, with SBS Music and Universal Music, he is proud to introduce his album Ciao Bella, which includes three original tracks, My Love, My Heart and Fatti Un Pianto that he co-wrote with fellow local artists Billy Reid and Darren Halifax.

At a later stage in his life, much like Andre Rieu and Susan Boyle, Alfredo Malabello has finally realised his dream of a major recording contract. As he prepares for the next leg of his journey, what has he learnt? "The key lesson, as I tell everyone, is if that fire burns in your heart and even if it dwindles down to a pilot light, if it's still there, keep feeding it."

Alfredo Malabello 'Ciao Bella' Album released on March 19, 2010
www.alfredomalabello.com
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