Last Updated on 1 hour by Vijay Kumar
Renowned Italian saxophonist and composer James Senese has died at the age of 80 at Cardarelli Hospital. According to Corriere della Sera, he passed away on October 29, 2025, in Naples, Italy, after being hospitalized in September with severe pneumonia. Known for blending jazz, rock, and Neapolitan soul, Senese was regarded as a pioneer of modern Neapolitan jazz and one of Italy’s most influential musicians.
Born Gaetano “James” Senese on January 6, 1945, in Naples, he was the son of an Italian mother, Anna Senese, and an African-American soldier from North Carolina who was stationed in Italy during World War II. Growing up in postwar Naples, Senese often faced discrimination because of his mixed heritage, an experience that profoundly shaped his musical identity and his lifelong mission to give voice to the marginalized through his art.
Senese began playing the saxophone as a teenager and launched his professional career in the 1960s with the rhythm and blues group The Showmen, later known as Showmen 2. The group’s success at the Cantagiro festival in 1968 brought him national recognition. In 1974, Senese co-founded Napoli Centrale, a groundbreaking jazz-rock fusion band that mixed Neapolitan dialect lyrics with progressive and jazz sounds. Their work became a symbol of Naples’ urban culture and musical evolution.
After the group disbanded in 1978, Senese pursued a successful solo career and collaborated extensively with the late Pino Daniele, another giant of Italian music. Over the years, Senese released several acclaimed albums, including his self-titled debut James Senese (1983) and ‘O Sanghe (2016), which won critical praise for its raw emotion and masterful instrumentation. His sound, deeply rooted in Naples but enriched with jazz and funk influences, earned him a reputation as one of Italy’s most soulful and authentic musicians.
James Senese continued performing into his later years, often delivering powerful live shows filled with the same energy and emotion that defined his decades-long career. His final months were marked by health struggles, and in September 2025, he was hospitalized with a severe lung infection. Despite hopes for recovery, the iconic musician passed away surrounded by family and close friends.
Senese is survived by his family, friends, and a vast community of artists and fans who considered him a cultural beacon of Naples. Tributes have poured in from across Italy’s music scene, celebrating a man whose saxophone carried the sound of resilience, identity, and soul.
My name is Vijay Kumar. I work as content writer and founder of this website. I am studying BSC IT. I has been writing content since 2022. I also learn about journalism.
