Page 14 - Italian-American Herald - December 2024

14 ITALIANAMERICANHERALD.COM | DECEMBER 2024 ITALIAN-AMERICAN HERALD
ACHIEVER" Knowing is not enough; we must apply.
Being willing is not enough; we must do."
—Leonardo da Vinci
City Rhythm: Ensemble’s vast
song list includes jazz, swing,
big band and many more
dreamed of going to,” said Vallerio, whose
family came from L’Acquila, Abruzzo, and
Poland. “My mother being Polish, but she
learned to cook Italian.”
“We came up with a slogan for the
anniversary of our church that was ‘faith,
family and tradition,’ Spina said, referring
to St. Nicholas of Tolentine, a church based
on Italian heritage, rather than a geographic
parish and where he has served as choir
director for decades.
“I think that speaks to not just the
church, but life as I know it in South Philly
and my Italian heritage [in Campobasso,
Molise, and Sicily]. I grew up with nothing
but Italian food.”
“We learn new ways of cooking
over there,” Vallerio said, “and we try to
incorporate it into our lives here.”
Still some classics reign, like cacio e pepe.
“My wife Barbara just made it,” Vallerio said.
“She came back from Italy and listening to
everyone talk about it, and she just made it
and blew it out of the park. In fact, we made
our own pasta for that one.”
“They all came down to the Shore this
weekend, and I did linguine pescatore,”
Spina said. “Everybody’s mom makes the
best gravy, right? But my mom’s really was,
so I tried to mimic that, me and my sister,
watching her over the years. Not that she
had any recipes written down.”
In their little free time, they have enjoyed
hiking along trails trod by pilgrims, fi rst the
whole 790 kilometers of the Camino de
Santiago in France and Spain, then trails in
Malta and Menorca. . Next up is some part
of the Via Francigena, which extends 1,700
kilometers.
“We’d listen to a lot of music during
those days,” Vallerio said of their hikes.
“We got exposed to some different sounds,
like the amazing Galician bagpipes in
western Spain.” Spina added. IAH
Continued from front page
comedian Joe Conklin, nightclubs and
dancehalls, mostly on the East Coast, and
also elsewhere in the United States, plus
16 tours of Italy and fi ve riverboat cruises
elsewhere in Europe.
“We always have a fun and an energy of
the band that we think is our trademark,”
Spina said.
“We bring new life to old music,” he told The
Reporter. “It’s the old standards with a kick.”
The founders are today retired from their
day jobs, Spina from the U.S. Department
of Housing and Urban Development
and Vallerio as a music teacher with the
suburban Abington School District.
They’ve halved their performance schedule,
from as many as 200 gigs a year. “We’re now
a little more selective,” Vallerio said.
One recent standout performance was
the July 8 wedding of New York Giants
football player Jon Runyan Jr. and Victoria
Schultz. “The newlyweds shared their fi rst
dance to ‘Beyond’ by Leon Bridges,” People
reported. “The energy on the dance fl oor
was incredible the whole night, thanks to
the live band City Rhythm.”
City Rhythm has issued fi ve big CDs,
and just fi nished a recording session of
music that Billy Byers arranged for Sinatra
and Count Basie – but had never been
recorded. Their music and booking details
are all on www.cityrhythm.com.
They fi rst toured Italy in 2007 when
a promoter from the Poconos with a tour
package needed a last-minute replacement
for singer Deana Martin. And that turned
into a gig almost every summer since, with
50 fans joining them in 2024 in Abruzzo,
for their music and the sights and tastes
of Italy.
“The history and art in Italy is
overwhelming. And when we travel, we
incorporate all these places you always
Saxophone players Pete Spina (left) and Nick Vallerio founded City Rhythm in 1979.
Spina and Vallerio, on the right, join the City Rhythm ensemble in Fano, Italy, where they
performed at a jazz festival.
PHOTOS COURTESY OF CITY RHYTHM
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