Gino Paoli’s story is the stuff of legend in his native Italy, where he has enjoyed a singing and songwriting career that spans decades. His first hit, the swooning 1960 ballad “La gatta”, has become such a staple that it is used in many Italian language classes. Meanwhile, its handsome instrumentation hinted at an empathic edge that subsequently informed Paoli’s career. Through epic tracks such as “Il cielo in una stanza”—used in a key scene in the 1990 film Goodfellas—he has breathed new life into classic balladry.