Gabriele Mrabassi, Fulvio Sigurtà, Enzo Pietropaoli, Marcello Di Leonardo
Biographie Gabriele Mrabassi, Fulvio Sigurtà, Enzo Pietropaoli, Marcello Di Leonardo
Gabriele Mirabassi
was born in Perugia and studied both modern classical music and jazz improvisation at the prestigious Morlacchi Conservatory, from which he graduated in 1986.
At first, he focused on performing modern compositions under the direction of figures like John Cage and Gunther Schuller, among many others. However, in 1992, he cut the jazz-oriented recording Coloriage with accordionist Richard Galliano, which helped make a name for him on the European jazz scene. Eventually, Mirabassi chose to focus solely on jazz; he went on to perform at numerous high-profile jazz events in Europe and beyond, and began recording regularly for Egea in the mid-’90s. 1995’s Fiabe was a duo outing with pianist Stefano Battaglia, and the 1996 quartet session Come Una Volta helped him win an Italian award as the year’s top new talent. 1997’s Cambaluc was a larger-scale outing that teamed him with Galliano, his brother Giovanni on piano, guitarist Battista Lena, organist Riccardo Tesi, and the Namaste Clarinet Quartet. Mirabassi teamed with guitarist Sergio Assad for the 1999 duets album Velho Retrato, and formed a regular trio with accordionist Luciano Biondi and tuba player Michel Godard. This lineup dominated 2000’s acclaimed Lo Stortino; the same year, Mirabassi recorded Luna Park with a horn-heavy sextet. 2001’s 1 – 0 augmented the trio with mandolin player Patrick Vaillant, and Mirabassi also recorded with Rabih Abou-Khalil that year.
Fulvio Sigurtà
started playing the trumpet at a very early age, and at 15 he entered the “Conservatorio Luca Marenzio” in Brescia. Here, in ’98, he achieved his Diploma in Classical Trumpet. In 2003 he moved to Boston to take up a scholarship at the Berkley College of Music, achieving a Diploma in Jazz in 2004 at the Brescia Conservatory and in 2005, he received a Masters with Distinction at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London.
His professional career started in 2004,while based in the UK capital, he had the opportunity to record with Cam Jazz on the very prestigious project, “Pure and Simple”, with The Guildhall Big Band and John Taylor and the same month he was involved in Gianni Coscia’s quartet together with Dino Piana and Enzo Petropaoli, with whom he recorded the album “Frescobaldi per noi” which is a “jazz revisited” version of some fabulous music of Girolamo Frescobaldi from the renaissance period.
Those two projects were followed thought the years by prestigious Italian and English collaborations both in studio and on tour including several recordings with Nostalgia 77 ,Giovanni Guidi’s Unknown Rebel band; Susaphonix (Mauro Ottolini); The Broken Band (Andrea Lombardini), Lyria dancing company (Giulia Gussago), Paolo Damiani , Enzo Pietropaoli “Yatra” quartet, Mayra Andrade, Cristina Zavalloni & Radar Band,Battista Lena, Bruno Heinen, Gabriele Mirabassi, Lydian Sound Orchestra,Jamie Cullum, Keith Tippet Octet and many many others.
In 2007 he produced his first album as band leader entitled “Conversations” (Impossible Ark Records), a duo with guitarist Federico Casagrande.
In 2010 he produced “Coincidence” (Palomar Records), a duo with bassist Giovanni Maier.
In 2011 he began a productive relationship with prestigious Jazz label, Cam Jazz, who have released three of his albums to great acclaim:
“House of Cards” (2011), “Through The Journey” (2012), “SPL” (2013).
In 2012 Sigurtà was the recipient of the “Best New Talent” Award in the Italian Top Jazz’ Referendum.
Marcello Di Leonardo
Born in Pescara (Italy) in 1969. In 1992, after classical training and many jazz workshops, he moved to Rome. Here he had his early experiences with world-renowned musicians such as Tony Scott, Massimo Urbani, Benny Golson, Jon Faddis. Later he started an intense musical activity in Spain and Portugal where he had the opportunity to play and record with Rick Margitza, Phil Markowitz, Bill Pierce, and Ed Neumeister, Steve Slagle.
In 1996 he joined the quartet of Maria Pia De Vito with Enzo Pietropaoli and Danilo Rea (Rita Marcotulli the following year). At the same time the enduring partnership with Battista Lena commited him to the “Banda Sonora”, “Mille Corde”, “I Cosmonauti Russi” projects together with Enrico Rava, Paolo Fresu, Gianni Coscia and Gabriele Mirabassi (Umbria Jazz ’97 , Odeon Theater Paris ’98, Beijing and Shangai Jazz Festival ’98). Always with Lena he collaborated in the production of several soundtracks for films by Francesca Archibugi and Paolo Virzì.
In 2000 he became the drummer of the Enrico Pieranunzi trio who on several occasions hosted Marc Johnson on bass. With the roman pianist he also joined the “Evans Remembered”, “Sgt. Pepper and Mr. Miles “(Roccella Jonica 2000) and” Fellini Jazz ” projects. In the latter project he replaces Paul Motian in a tour alongside trumpeter Bert Joris, saxophonist Tony Malaby and Marc Johnson (Auditorium Parco Della Musica Roma 2003).
In 2001 he played with the guitarists Mundell Lowe, John Pisano and Philip Catherine at Jazz’n Fall Festival in Pescara.
With the quartet of the saxophonist Rosario Giuliani he carried out an intense activity in France as a result of a record deal with the Dreyfus Jazz label and performed at the major international festivals like Jazz in Vienne, JVC Jazz Festival, Jazz in Marciac, Amphijazz de Lyon, Dinant Jazz Nights, Jazz Des Cinq Continents (France), North Sea Jazz Festival (Holland), London Jazz Festival, Ankara Jazz Festival, Audi Jazz Festival (Germany). He also participated at the “Italian Jazz in New York” festival in the historic Smoke club. This quartet occasionally hosted some world famous artists such as Joe Locke, Philip Catherine, Bob Mintzer (Jazz & Image 2002, Rome).
From 2004 for three consecutive years he has been involved in the television show “Il senso della vita” conducted by Paolo Bonolis with the band of Stefano Di Battista. With the latter he played in two musicals with Alessandro Preziosi, “Datemi tre caravelle” (Teatro Antico di Taormina) and “Il ponte” (Auditorium della Conciliazione of Rome, Teatro Municipale Cilea Reggio Calabria, Auditorium della Guardia di Finanza de L’Aquila). He played with Ivan Lins at Umbria Jazz and Veneto Jazz in 2004 and with Enrico Rava at the Milano Jazzin ‘Festival.
In 2013 with Rosario Giuliani, Fabrizio Bosso and Enzo Pietropaoli set up “The Golden Circle”, based on the music of Ornette Coleman (Qatar Jazz Festival 2016, Umbria Jazz 2016). He recorded three albums for the Cam Jazz with the pianist Claudio Filippini beside Luca Bulgarelli on bass. In 2016 the trio performed in Tokyo at the Italian Institute of Culture and at the Delhi Jazz Festival. In 2014 he was involved in the project “The Beat goes on” by Elisabetta Antonini with Francesco Bearzatti, Luca Mannutza and Paolino Dalla Porta.
From 2013 he’s been playing in Eduardo De Crescenzo “Essenze Jazz” with which he performs in the most prestigious Italian theaters
Among other collaborations to remember, those with Ben Allison, Riccardo Del Fra, Robin Eubanks.
He has taught jazz drums at conservatory of Pescara, Mantova, Fermo, Teramo, Bologna, Latina and Avellino.
