Tom Waits Sings 'Bella Ciao' For Marc Ribot As An Act Of 'Resistance'

Guitarist Marc Ribot has an unpredictable and far-reaching catalog that's taken him through rock, jazz and many avant-garde variations thereon. Now, he's releasing a pointedly titled set of protest music — Songs of Resistance 1942-2018 — that calls on a group of guests as versatile and iconoclastic as he is.

"Bella Ciao (Goodbye Beautiful)" features Tom Waits' first recorded performance in two years, and the singer's incalculably weary voice is a nice match for this old Italian folk ballad, written to protest fascism in Italy. And, in case the target of Ribot's "Bella Ciao" remake isn't clear, it accompanies a video — directed by Jem Cohen — that incorporates footage from recent rallies protesting President Trump's immigration policies.

Songs of Resistance 1942-2018 comes out Sept. 14 via Anti-.

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