deutsch | english Paolo Fresu
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Paolo Fresu began studying the trumpet at the age of eleven while playing in his own town band. After his experience with pop music he discovered jazz in 1980 and began his professional career in 1982; first attending the "Siena Seminars" and then recording for the RAI (Italian State Radio and Television) under the direction of Bruno Tommaso (Radio 3 'Un certo discorso'). In 1984 he graduated in trumpet studies at the Conservatory of Cagliari (Sardinia) after studying under M° Enzo Morandini and attended the University of Musical and Performing Arts in Bologna (DAMS). That same year he received numerous awards, among them: the "Radio Uno Jazz“ award by RAI; the „Arrigo Polillo“ award from the „Musica Jazz“ magazine; and in August 1985 he received the "RadioCorriere TV" prize and the „Città di Alassio“ prize. Since then he has always been first in the „Top Jazz polls“ of the magazine "Musica Jazz" both as best artist as well as group leader, or thanks to his own recording production. In 1990 he wins the prize "Top Jazz 1990" as best Italian musician, best group (the "Paolo Fresu Quintet") and best record ("Live in Montpellier"). While in 1991 he receives a public acknowledgement from the President of the Regional Council of Sardinia for his own artistic activity and since then many other awards have been given to him, both coming from musical as well as from cultural departments in general (Prize „Città di Ozieri“ 1996; Prize "Concorso Golfo degli Angeli/Lyons di Cagliari" 1996; Prize "Accademia Mozart" in Taranto, 1996; and many others). He has taught Musical Education at the Scuole Medie Statali and for more than fifteen years he has been actively involved in the didactic aspects of his art. Since 1985 he has been a teacher at the "Siena Jazz International Seminars" and by the "Nuoro Seminars"; and since 1993 he has held the "EEC specialization courses of Siena Jazz". Moreover, from 1987 to 1991 he has been a teacher at the courses of the "Jazz University of Terni". >From 1988 he has taught at the "CPM of Siena jazz"; from 1990 to 1995 he taught at the "San Lazzaro courses" and from 1993 to 1994 at the "Th. Monk Courses in Vicenza".
He held courses and Master Classes in various Italian cities as well as abroad. Among them: Pordenone, Palermo, Bari, Matera, Pisa, Segni, Sassari, Cagliari, Porto Torres, Ozieri, Brescia, Siracusa, Marsala, Benevento, Accademia Chigiana in Siena (Contemporary Music Course by F. Donatoni), Atlanta (Georgia States and Georgia Teach University), Boston (Berkley School), Melbourne (Victoria School of Arts), Pecking (Conservatory of Music), Nijmegen (Holland), Eilat (Israel), Martinica (France/DOM) and Sevilla (Spain). He has played periodically in Contemporary Music orchestral groups (M. Nyman, C.G. Schiaffini, R. Laneri, P.L. Castellano, T. Popoli, M. Dalpane, T. Calvisi, A. Doro), Ritmo-Sinfonica and the RAI Orchestras, as well as in the "Big Bang" of Mario Raia, in the Orchestra of the "Barga International Competition", in the "G.O.N. - Grande Orchestra Nazionale Italiana" and in antique music groups (Accordone).
He works as a journalist by various music magazines and has held radio broadcast for the RAI. He also writes for the theatre: having often collaborated with the Spanish mime Joan Minguell; with the 5th "Inner Voices" (Alghero, 1986); "Oltre (Beyond)" (Cagliari, 1986); "Mamut" (Barcelona, 1987); "Concerto per un attore (Concert for only one actor)" (Salerno 1988); "Sfera (Sphere)" (Barcelona/Sitges, 1990); in duo with Furio di Castri in "Sotto il sole di Mezzogiorno in una terra austera e dura (Under the midday sun in a harsh and austere land)" (Bologna, 1993); "Urlo (Scream)" (Nuoro/Cagliari, 1993) under the direction of Marco Gagliado; "Interazione (Interaction)" in trio with A. Salis and Furio di Castri in Sant'Anna Arresi (1997); he has also worked with the poet Patrizia Vicinelli and with Joan Minguell by putting on stage "Majakowski, the 13th Apostle" produced by Michele Schiavino performing it in various poetic Festivals (Parma '88, Salerno '89, Milan '89, Spoleto - the two World Festival '89); once again with Furio di Castri and the American poet Al Young in "Jazz and Poetry/Milan '97". Dated 1999 is the edition by Bompiani of the "Rap di fine Millennio (End of the millenium rap)" by the poet Lello Voce and the meeting with the writer Stefano Benni for "Sconcerto" together with the cello player Paolo Damiani and also with the writer Massimo Carlotto about the project 'Le Irregolari'. He also collaborates dancing performances: "Verdi Colline (Green Hills)" by Paolo Damiani (Rome, 1984); "A Mar Mediterraneo" by Flavia Buccero-Movimentinactor (Pisa-Sassari, 1993) and "Ogni donna una sera diversa (Every woman a different night)" (Turin, 1994) by Giorgio Rossi/Sosta Palmizi together with Furio di Castri; Anaglifo by Roberto Zapppalà-Balletto di Sicilia (Sicily Ballet) (Messina, 1996/97); and "Janas" (Sassari, 1997) performed for the Chamber Orchestra of Bologna; the Internos Quartet, the singer Tomasella Calvisi and the "Su Cuncordu 'e su Rosariu" choirs for the ASMED with the choreography by Enrica Palmieri and the arrangements by Claudio Scannavini.
He has taken part in the live accompaniment of some films: among these: "La Fanciulla di Amalfi" composed by Paolo Fresu Quintet commissioned by the "Midnight Movie" Festival of Salerno (1989); "Rapsodia Satanica" for the "Musica e Immagine" Laboratory of the University of Bologna; "Ossi di seppia" and "Le età della vita“ for the Nuoro and San Lazzaro courses; "Silent Movie" by Mel Brooks in Matera (1992); "Regen" by J. Ivens for CinemaZero in Pordenone; "Una giornata in Barbagia" and "Pastori a Orgosolo" by Vittorio de Seta for the Nuoro Seminars (1996); "Fievre" by Louis Delluc for the Dunkerque film Festival (1998) as well as others (short films by Melieu, Man Ray, Lumière and others) in duo with Furio di Castri.
He has also used other artistic means (painting, sculpture, installations, video, etc.) with various groups collaborating with artists such as P. Sciola, T. Casula and F. Piras, S. Ravo, P. Cossio Gomez, Ben Djab Ahmed, S. Benni or getting inspiration from Sardinian artists such as the sculptor Costantino Nivola (Nuoro/Orani, 1994) and the speaker/intellectual Pietro Casu "Time in Jazz/Berchidda", 1995). In the field of the image, to be remembered are the sound tracks for "Naufraghi del desiderio" produced by RAI under the direction of M. Schirru (1993); "One Absolutely Normal Day in East Berlin" by Roberto Tarallo (Turin/Berlin, 1992) sound track composed together with Flavio Piras (1996); "I semi di pietra" (1999) by Pinuccio Sciola with Pierre Favre and "La Valle del Tirso" (1999) by Bianca Laura Petretto and the Vietnamese guitar player Nguyên Lê, sound track by Fresu with Salis and Di Castri.
Dated 1994 is "Sonos 'e memoria" about the Sardinian cine-news of the '20s, directed by Gianfranco Cabiddu and the collaboration of the most well known musicians belonging to the Sardinian tradition (Luigi Lai, Elena Ledda, Su Cuncordu 'e Su Rosariu of Santulussurgiu and others) with its presence to the Mostra del Cinema in Venice (1995) with several tournées in France, Belgium, Brasil and Argentina; "Scalabrün" always with Furio di Castri and recorded at 1750 meters of altitude; "In viaggio con Patrizia" by Alberto Grifi. Moreover he has taken part as soloist in the sound track of the film "Il figlio di Bakunin" (1987) by the director Gianfranco Cabiddu and produced by Giuseppe Tornatore and the sound track of the film "Il Prezzo" directed by Rolando Stefanelli and recorded with the Paolo Fresu Quintet in 1999. Since 1988 he has directed the artistic lines of the International Festival "Time in Jazz" of Berchidda and in 1994 he has created the European Competition for young jazz groups "Eurojazz" in the town of Oristano. He is also the artistic director of the Jazz Seminars in Nuoro, since 1989. Since 1983 he has steadily appeared in the following groups: P. Damiani, R. Ottaviano, T. Ghiglioni, B. Tommaso, G. Tommaso, M. Cafiero, E. Rava, A. Romano and others. He directs at the moment, besides his own quintet (with Tino Tracanna, Roberto Cipelli, Attilio Zanchi and Ettore Fioravanti) sometimes sextet with the presence of GL. Trovesi or the Belgian Erwin Vann, the Duo Fresu-Di Castri; the Open Trio (with Di Castri and John Taylor); the P.A.F. Trio (Fresu.Salis.Di Castri); the quartet still with Di Castri plus the Norwegian pianist Jon Balke and the Swiss drum-percussionist
Pierre Favre and the Paolo Fresu "Angel" Quartet (with Nguyên Lê, Furio di Castri and Roberto Gatto) sometimes together with the singer Ornella Vanoni, the pianist Jon Balke or the accordion player Antonello Salis. He moreover steadily works with the Palatino Quartet (Ferris, Romano, Fresu, Benità); the "Celtic Procession" with J. Pellen; the Marchand-Pellen-Fresu Trio; the "Contes du Viêtnam" of the guitarist Nguyên Lê; the "Internos" Quartet, the "Treya Quartet" about Gabriel Fauré's music with the australian piano player Peter Waters and the "Tanit" group performing with them an intense activity in Italy and abroad. "Heartland" is a 1999 project carried out with D. Linx, D. Wiessels, P. Danielsson, J. Christensen and the Strings Orchestra. Prestigious is the list of collaborations, starting from the greatest Italian musicians as F. d'Andrea, G.L. Trovesi, G. Gaslini, E. Rava, B. Tommaso, A. Salis, G. Tommaso, M. Urbani, E. Pieranunzi, M. Giammarco, P. Damiani, G. Manusardi, T. Ghiglioni and others; to the European and American ones, to be mentioned are: K. Berger, K. Wheeler, J. Taylor, D. Liebman, D. Holland, Ph. Woods, M. Mengelberg, H. Benning, T. Oxley, D. Humair, A. Romano, P. Favre, Tamia, G. Mulligan, B. Brookmayer, A. Mangelsdorf, J. Zorn, P. Danielsson, R. Beirach, A. Lande, J. Abercrombie, H. Merril, J. Christensen, G. Ferris, J. Bergonzi, C. Bauer, J. Kuhn, A. Pinho Vargas, Farafina, M. Portal, R. Galliano, Jon Balke, R. Towner, T. Gurtu, G. Shuller, Jeanne Lee, D. Linx, D. Wissels, JM. Machado, Riccardo del Fra, L. Janssen, P. McCandless as well as others; plus some European Orchestras such as the French Orchestre Nationale de Jazz (Paris/Olympia and Turin/Lingotto) and the NDR - Orchestra of the Hamburg Radio (Pecking).
He has played in the most important Italian and International Festivals, in all the continents and in prestigious places such as the Olimpya and the Salle Pleyel in Paris; the Blue Note in New York or in the Konzerthall in Wien.
He has recorded 160 albums, about twenty of which by his own name, the others with international collaborations. He has taken part in mixed recording projects such as Ethnic jazz-music (Cordas et Cannas, Tanit, Sardegna oltre il mare, Nguyên Lê, Trilok Gurtu, Jorge Pardo, Sonos 'e Memoria, Trasmigrazioni, Soriba Kouyaté); New Age (Popoli/Dal Pane, P.P. Marocco, Alice) and Poetry (Minguell/Vicinelli/Al Young/Voce) and pop music (Ornella Vanoni, Ivano Fossati, Vinicio Capossela).
Many are the recording for the Italian and International Radios and Televisions (in 1990, he has produced "Risultanze" for the AudioBox-Radio Tre in Matera; in 1992, the week of the European jazz award for the German Radio in Baden Baden, and in 2000 the 'Nordic Meeting 2000' for Swedish Radio in Gotebourg). To be mentioned are also the articles or the acknowledgements received by international specialized magazines for his recording productions: Cadence, an American magazine, has selected "Ostinato" as one of the most important records of the year 1986; while the French magazine "Jazzman" has given to the record „Night on the City“ the "Shoc" prize in 1995; in 1998 the same prize was awarded to the Cd "Tempo" by the Palatino Group. The record "Angel" (1998) has been
awarded with the prize of the French review Télérama, being the Paolo Fresu "Ange" Quartet awarded at the Olympia in Paris; "Condaghes" by the Trio Fresu-Marchand-Pellen wins the "Shoc" of the Le Monde de la Musique in 1998. In 1996 he wins in Paris the well known prizes "Bobby Jaspar" awarded by the Académie du Jazz and "Django d'Or" as the best European Jazz Player. It is in 1996 that in Pescara the first world performance of "Porgy and Bess" by Miles Davis and Gil Evans are commissioned to him, under the direction of Gunter Shuller and he recorded this opera in 2000 in Sassari with the "Orchestra jazz della Sardegna". As a producer he works for the record "Argilla" by Ornella Vanoni (1997) for the Warner/CGD together with Beppe Quirici. In 2000 he wins the prize „Top Jazz 2000“ of the magazine "Musica Jazz" as best record "Shades of Chet" recorded with the trumpet player Enrico Rava. Some of his compositions have been published in the book „The first 63 jazz compositions by artists recording for Splasc(h)“ and in the book "49 Compositions" edited by Senz'H are included all Paolo Fresu Quartet and Sextet compositions from 1984 until 1994. He lives in Paris, the Tosco-Emiliano Apennine and Sardinia and is the President of the Cultural Association TIME IN JAZZ in Berchidda, which organizes the homonymous Jazz Festival as well as other important cultural events.
PAOLO FRESU DEVIL QUARTET
Paolo Fresu (tpt, flh, eff)
Bebo Ferra (g)
Paolino Dalla Porta (cb)
Stefano Bagnoli (dr)
The philosophy of this new musical adventure of Paolo Fresu born at the end
of 2003, after the fortunate success of the famous “Angel Quartet”.
Joking around the name, “Devil” is born right in opposition with the old
experience, but nothing can be compared with the “Angel” years. “Devil” was
only the first logical answer to the question: “Which name?”
In the same way of Angel, the new quartet is born with the peculiarity to be
an “international combo”. Paolino Dalla Porta and Bebo Ferra are old musical
friendship of Paolo, active and re-active in the close past of the Italian
jazz. Paolo met Morten Lund in Göteborg (Sweden) during the 2000 edition of
the “Nordic Meeting”, in a group with the Nordic piano player Lars Jansson.
The sound of the group is surely more “acoustic” than other experiences of
Paolo but filtered through the electronics ways of Paolo and Bebo, who often
uses the acoustic guitar, too.
The “live-program” is a real modern encyclopaedia of modern sounds, with
several original composition and revisited standards.
It is “jazz”, mainly, but surely “melange” with deep and modernized
philosophies
Bebo Ferra:
One of the most requested Italian guitarists. He worked with names like Paul
Mc Candless, Billy Cobham, Enrico Rava, Franco D'Andrea, Pietro Tonolo,
Mauro Negri, J.P Ceccarelli, Carol Welsman and Gianni Coscia. Since years,
he’s recognized like one of the most creative composers of the “new wave” of
the Italian jazz. He performed in most important international festival and
recorded more than 20 records, including the last, fortunate, “Mari Pintau”,
which is the same name of his last group with him as band-leader.
He worked for some important cinema & theatre productions, too, recording
with the worldwide famous “Scala Orchestra” directed by Carlo Boccadoro.
Paolino Dalla Porta:
Paolino is one of the historical names of a very important generation of
contrabass innovators in the Italian jazz scene. He recorded more than 80
productions, including a long serie with names like Kenny Wheeler, Kurt
Rosenwinkel, Lester Bowie, Michel Petrucciani, Oliver Lake, Dominique
Pifarely, Aldo Romano and Enrico Rava.
He was in tour in Europe, Usa, Australia and Polinesia, performing in the
most important international festivals. Recently he wrote the music of the
film-documentary "Magie d'Africa" (Achille Mauri), the soundtrack for the
movie "La ballata di Domenica" (Wilma Labate) and formed a new own project
in quintet.
Stefano Bagnoli:
Very well-know in Italy as master Jazz classic drumming exponent, Stefano
"brushman" Bagnoli is a real specialist in the use of brushes. Since 1978 he
has been carrying out a remarkable musical activity together with some of
leading italian and foreign jazzmen. Thanks to his collaboration (1982-85)
with the “G.Verdi Symphony Orchestra of Milano”
S.Bagnoli achieved a considerable instrumental skill, that makes him
indispensabile whenever instrumental reliability and jazz-feeling are
required.
2005-2006 italian collaborations: Francesco Cafiso, Paolo Fresu, Dado
moroni, Franco Ambrosetti, Gianni Basso, Franco Cerri.
International collaboration:
Clark Terry, Cedar Walton, Benny Golson, Johnny Griffin, Buddy de Franco,
Bob Wilber, Kenny Davern, Lee Konitz, Slide Hampton, Carl Fontana, Al Grey,
Benny Bailey, Harry Sweet Edison, Curtis Fuller, Jimmy Woode, Sam Most, Dado
Moroni, Sir Roland Hanna, Don Friedman, John Stowell, Red Holloway, Jimmy
Withespoon, Mike Melillo, Irio De Paula, Chico Buarque, Jesse Davis, Grey
Sargent, Mark Elf, Rebecca Parris, Shawn Monteiro, Lean Skeat, Lilian
Bouttè, Jasper Thilo, Buster Cooper, Gene Conners, Glen Zottola, Adrienne
West, George Robert, Chucho Valdes, Bob Mintzer, Sarah Jane Morris, George
Garzone.
STEFANO BAGNOLI plays ZILDJIAN CYMBALS - TAMA DRUMSET - ZILDJIAN BRUSHES
Paolo Fresu Devil Quartet
Paolo Fresu tp; Bebo Ferra git; Paolino Dalla Porta b; Stefano Bagnoli dr
TRIO PAF
Fresu - Salis - di Castri
Paolo Fresu & "Sonos ´e Memoria"
Music & original Soundtrack from the Film of Gianfranco Cabiddu
music with film performance & band & choir from Sardegna