Milan-born singer/songwriter Giorgio Gaber lays claim to two distinct developments in Italian pop. An early rock enthusiast, the notable guitarist seized upon the hot energy of Elvis and Gene Pitney to power a series of groundbreaking singles in the late ‘50s. Yet he also helped create teatro canzone, idiosyncratic pop compositions that borrow heavily from operatic tradition. Gaber's reliance on mid-song conversational asides and monologues would prove his favourite nod to the stage, a theatrically daring technique benefiting enormously from the deep register of his commanding voice.