Two Italian musicians with a longtime love of Delta blues will give Greenwood a taste of their version of the music Saturday.
Harmonica player Fabrizio Poggi and guitarist Francesco Garolfi will perform at the Blue Parrot Café at 7 p.m.
They have visited Greenwood before, seen the Robert Johnson grave site on Money Road and walked a blues trail. They have also played with such American artists as Bobby Rush and Charlie Musselwhite.
This trip also includes stops in Clarksdale and Memphis, Tenn.
Roger Stolle, owner of Cat Head Delta Blues & Folk Art Inc. in Clarksdale, recommended the duo to Steve LaVere of Greenwood, who helped arrange the performance at the Blue Parrot.
Stolle just met Garolfi on Thursday, but he has known Poggi for a while. He said Poggi is a big fan of the blues who has visited the Delta a few times with his wife.
He was very influenced by the harmonica style of Paul Butterfield as well as the songs of Muddy Waters, Charlie Musselwhite, the Rolling Stones and other artists.
He writes various types of articles for magazines, including music reviews and accounts of his travels and people he has met. He also has written a book about harmonica playing.
Garolfi's guitar playing also shows the influence of Delta and Chicago blues.
It's a dream for Poggi and Garolfi to play with American blues artists and enjoy the food and atmosphere of this area, Stolle said. Poggi has written often about how much he enjoys visiting Mississippi.
"A lot of times, they're not worried about the money; they just want to play," Stolle said.
Poggi and Garolfi also are part of an organization in Italy that books blues artists to perform there. Most of those artists come from the Mississippi Delta or Memphis.
"It's really cool - kind of like a cultural exchange," Stolle said.
