JHON COLIANNI TRIO LOREDANA MELODIA SPECIAL GUEST 16 agosto ore 21.15
JHON COLIANNI. L'evento che ha posto le basi dell'interesse di John per la musica ha avuto luogo alcuni anni prima che John diventasse un serio studente di pianoforte. John è cresciuto a Silver Spring, nel Maryland, un sobborgo di Washington DC. Duke Ellington, originario dello stesso Washington, ha tenuto un concerto nel 1974 alla Georgetown University con la sua celebre orchestra, e John e la sua famiglia hanno partecipato. John, ancora alle elementari, e ancora realizzando il desiderio di diventare un musicista a tutti gli effetti, rimase incantato dall'opera pianistica di Ellington, dalle orchestrazioni e dalla presenza sul palcoscenico più grande della vita. Dopo il concerto, ha presentato Duke, circondato da ammiratori e ammiratori dietro le quinte, con una copia dell'autobiografia recentemente pubblicata da Ellington, "Music Is My Mistress", che Duke ha gentilmente firmato con un messaggio personalizzato. Ellington rimane il musicista più ammirato da John, come compositore, arrangiatore orchestrale e pianista. In ogni caso, l'impatto che questa performance ebbe su Colianni fu irreversibile. L'ispirazione che ha afferrato John dopo aver ascoltato la musica di Ellington lo ha portato sul percorso del musicista da lì in poi. Mostrando attitudine alla tastiera dai suoi primi anni dell'adolescenza, i suoi genitori cercavano un insegnante adatto per John. I musicisti locali raccomandarono Les Karr, che, oltre a insegnare, era ben noto come un eccezionale pianista. Le lezioni settimanali iniziarono quando John era in terza media. Lo stesso Les Karr aveva studiato con Teddy Wilson alla Juilliard di New York. È interessante notare che Les è stato anche il primo cugino del pianista Dick Hyman. Per le lezioni di John, Les ha enfatizzato la tecnica e ha introdotto gli studi del Mathe 'System, un metodo che fa avanzare la destrezza digitale e massimizza la capacità di suonare il pianoforte ad alta velocità. John, noto per le "costolette" della flotta, cita spesso l'importante ruolo svolto da questi esercizi. John riconosce anche il modo in cui la sua concezione musicale generale si è sviluppata durante questi anni di lezioni con Les, che John ricorda come un eccezionale istruttore in grado di trasmettere e impartire un approccio alla musica e al piano che ha combinato uno studio conciso (ma significativo) della teoria classica e del ventesimo- secolo, idiomi orientati al jazz. I giocatori più ammirati da John, in quei primi giorni (e fino ad oggi) includono Ellington, Art Tatum, Teddy Wilson, Oscar Peterson, George Shearing e Count Basie.
Trad. THE JOHN COLIANNI JAZZ ORCHESTRA, SEXTET, QUINTET, TRIO, AND SOLO PIANO PRESENTATIONS - Currently, John performs with: >The John Colianni Jazz Orchestra, a 17-piece big band; >The John Colianni Sextet, a small combo culled from the ranks of the Orchestra (see the Sextet's new release, below); >The John Colianni Trio (piano, bass drums); >and as Solo Pianist. In these settings, John has been appearing in venues around New York, such as Birdland, The Blue Note, Knickerbocker, Kitano, St. Peter's, Mezzrow, The Cutting Room, Zinc Bar, as well as on the road and overseas. In addition to dozens of performances annualy in the US, JC has also been averaging over 40 European gigs a year Early Career and Influences - THE DUKE The event that set the stage for John's interest in music actually took place some years before John became a serious piano student. John was raised in Silver Spring, Maryland, a suburb of Washington D.C. Duke Ellington, originally from Washington himself, performed a concert in 1974 at Georgetown University with his celebrated orchestra, and John and his family attended. John, still in grade school, and yet to realize a desire to become a full-fledged musician, was mesmerized by Ellington's piano work, orchestrations, and bigger-than-life stage presence. Following the concert, he presented Duke, who was surrounded by awe-filled fans and admirers backstage, with a copy of Ellington's recently published autobiography, "Music Is My Mistress," which Duke graciously signed with a personalized message. Ellington remains the musician most admired by John, as a composer, orchestral arranger, and pianist. In any event, the impact that this performance had on Colianni was irreversible. The inspiration that seized John upon experiencing Ellington's music set him upon the musician's path from there on. PIANO INSTRUCTION Showing keyboard aptitude by his early teens, a suitable teacher for John was sought by his parents. Local musicians recommended Les Karr, who, in addition to teaching, was well known as an outstanding pianist. Weekly lessons began when John was in the eighth grade. Les Karr himself had studied under Teddy Wilson at Juilliard in New York. Interestingly, Les was also the first cousin of pianist Dick Hyman. For John's lessons, Les emphasized technique and introduced studies of the Mathe' System, a method that advances digital dexterity and maximizes the capacity for speedy, high-velocity piano playing. John, noted for fleet "chops," often cites the important role these exercises play. John also acknowledges the way his overall musical conception developed during these years of lessons with Les, whom John remembers as an exceptional instructor who was able to convey and impart an approach to music and the piano that combined a concise (but meaningful) study of classical theory and twentieth-century, Jazz-oriented idioms. The players most admired by John, in those early days (and to this very day) include Ellington, Art Tatum, Teddy Wilson, Oscar Peterson, George Shearing, and Count Basie. AROUND WASHINGTON Still in high school, Colianni ventured forth into the Washington, D.C. jazz scene, playing in jam sessions, but also in some initial professional situations, at colorful venues such as The Pigfoot, One Step Down, Blues Alley, The Bayou, The Famous Ballroom (Baltimore), Frankie Condon's (Rockville, Md.), Mr. Y's Gold Room (where John jammed under the watchful aegis of the club's resident pianist John Malachi, himself a celebrated D.C. musician), and many more. During this period John also played gigs directed by Ella Fitzgerald's bassist, Keter Betts (also a Maryland resident), who recruited the 16-year-old John for the revue "Jazz Stars Of The Future.", a troupe of young, local Jazz musicians who performed concerts in DC and Baltimore. Amid these happenings, Jazz Studies Director George Ross recruited John, still in tenth grade, to play regularly with the University of Maryland Jazz Ensemble. ATLANTIC CITY The Colianni family relocated to the Jersey Shore in the Atlantic City area, during John's senior year in high school. It was there that John caught the attention of pianist Carlton Drinkard, former accompanist to the one and only "Lady Day" - Billie Holiday. Drinkard (loosely portrayed by Richard Pryor as "Piano Man" in the film "Lady Sings The Blues"), who lived locally, recruited players for John's new trio, and coached him in creating new arrangements and performing before live audiences. TOURING WITH LIONEL HAMPTON Soon afterward, when he was 19, John visited Lionel Hampton backstage at an Atlantic City casino performance. Within weeks of their first meeting, following an informal audition at his New York City apartment, Hampton hired John to play with his orchestra. John toured internationally and recorded three albums during his three years with the band, which at that time (the early to mid 1980s) often included hosts of noted musicians among the sidemen, such as tenor sax great Arnett Cobb, saxists Paul Jeffrey and Tom Chapin, drummers Frankie Dunlop, Oliver Jackson and Duffy Jackson, bassists George Duvivier, Milt Hinton, and Arvell Shaw, and others. CONCORD SIGNING After the Hampton years, in 1986 John made a modestly budgeted studio demo with a trio, and sent the tape to Carl Jefferson, the owner and director of Concord Records, then headquartered near Berkeley, California. Sufficiently impressed with the demo, Jefferson signed John, who has to date recorded three critically acclaimed releases for the label (see the discography below). MONK PIANO COMPETITION In 1987, several months after the release of the debut Concord recording, John was a cash-prizewinner in the First International Thelonius Monk Piano Competition. Also in 1987, Colianni and his fiance, Denise, were married, and moved from the Atlantic City area to North Jersey, just outside of Manhattan. Their son, Torre, was born in 1989. MEL TORME Colianni worked for more than four years as Mel Torme’s pianist, from 1991-1995. John and Mel first connected through an interesting series of events. Mel had been singing a month long engagement at Michael's Pub in NYC. At this same club, John had recently completed several weeks of gigs with film director/musician Woody Allen's New Orleans style ensemble, and the club owner, who was fond of John's work, subsequently played John's aforementioned debut recording on Concord Records ("John Colianni") continuously over the house system between sets, throughout Mel's stint. Night after night, Mel listened intently, liking what he heard. To John's amazement, Mel thereupon called John at his home and offered him the piano chair in his trio, without an audition! Four years of international touring followed. John also played on six of Mel's albums, three each on Concord and Telarc. LES PAUL Les Paul, the renowned guitarist (and inventor), added John to his group in 2003, on the recommendation of fellow guitarist Bucky Pizzarelli, and the trio held down a weekly club performance in NYC throughout John's six-year tenure. The group also toured, recorded, and appeared many times on national media. The gig ended with Les's death in August, 2009. LARRY CORYELL John was a recent member of the late guitarist Larry Coryell's trio, touring and recording. John plays on Coryell's 2011 cd release, "Montgomery". MSNBC HOUSE BANDLEADER John was the house bandleader on the MSNBC television program "After Hours with Dan Abrams", for that show's final season STEVE MILLER Amid these activities, in recent years there have also been numerous gigs (including two concerts at NYC's Metropolitan Museum Of Art) and recordings with the great Rock/Pop idol, Steve Miller (who is also rapidly proving himself to be an exceptional Jazz vocalist). Other notable gigs have materialized over the past few years with an array of Pop/Rock/Jazz performers, such as Gerald Wilson, Jane Monheit, Mike Stern, Larry Carlton, Stanley Jordan, Anita O'Day, Chuck Berry, Joe Walsh, Jose Feliciano, Jimmy Buffet, Robbie Krieger, Lee Ritenour, Eric Johnson, and Ted Nugent (!), among others.
LOREDANA MELODIA. Diplomata in pianoforte nel 1990, ha poi continuato la sua attività musicale anche come cantante e compositrice. Nel 1994 si avvicina alla musica jazz casualmente, ampliando le proprie esperienze musicali grazie ad alcuni musicisti siciliani. Collaborazioni live: Bruno De Filippi, Oscar Klein, Lorenzo Petrocca, Salvatore Bonafede, Lino Patruno, Carmelo Salemi, Giovanni Buzzurro, Francesco Buzzurro, Giampaolo Terranova, Giuseppe Bassi, Carmelo Coglitore, Mirko Scarcia, Giuseppe Vasapolli, Riccardo Lo Bue, Dino Rubino, Stjepko Gut, Renato Chicco, Marco Ferri, Fabio Grandi e tanti altri. Nel 1999 è finalista in quartetto, al concorso internazionale di musica ( T.I.M ) tenutosi a Weimar. Nel 2005 vince il concorso di canto ed improvvisazione jazz, indetto dall’ Arts Symposia di Spoleto, tenuto da Michele Hendricks, in collaborazione con Renato Chicco Trio. Nel 2010 è finalista al concorso per compositrici “ Note di Donna”, organizzato dal Piacenza Jazz Festival. Nel marzo 2012 esce il CD “Sleepless” con la Dodicilune Records, che, oltre che come cantante, la vede anche come compositrice. Discografia: 1998 – Licata Jazz Festival - live 1999 – Riff Quartet 2007 – Sicilian Jazz Collection 2012 – Sleepless – Dodicilune Records 2015 – Partecipazione ad “ Hunger and Love” Tributo a Billie Holiday - Dodicilune Records. 2017- My Sea – AlfaMusic Label
FABIO GRANDI nasce a Vignola, in provincia di Modena, nel 1967 e si avvicina alla musica all'età di dieci anni iniziando a suonare il pianoforte, per passare poi, circa un anno dopo, alla batteria. Frequenta per quattro anni il Conservatorio Giovan Battista Martini di Bologna e, successivamente, prosegue il suo perfezionamento con il M° Rivi. Le prime esperienze performative avvengono nell’ambito del rock-fusion con il gruppo NUVOLARI, che nel 1980 incide un 45 giri prodotto dagli STADIO (successivamente il gruppo sarà prodotto da Vasco Rossi, al quale farà da spalla in un tour italiano). Ha suonato inoltre con LADRI DI BICICLETTE e con SKIANTOS, con questi ultimi ha registrato un LP nel 1989. Nel 1986 partecipa ai seminari della BERKLEE SCHOOL di UMBRIA JAZZ, e qui nasce la sua passione per il jazz che lo porta in breve tempo a collaborare con diversi musicisti italiani, tra i quali JIMMY VILLOTTI con cui registra tre LP. Nel 1989 incontra STEVE GROSSMAN e la collaborazione con questo artista segna una svolta importante nella sua crescita musicale: con lui partecipa a numerose tournée e festival jazz in tutta Europa, e fra questi citiamo quello dedicato al grande MILES DAVIS, tenutosi a Parigi nel 1991, che lo ha visto suonare con REGGIE JOHNSON e RENÈ UTREGER oltre che, naturalmente, con Steve Grossman. Diverse le collaborazioni realizzate nel corso degli anni, tra queste segnaliamo quelle con SAL NISTICO, SCOTT HAMILTON, CHARLES DAVIS, BARRY HARRIS, JOE MAGNARELLI, EDDIE GOMEZ, RAY MANTILLA, DUSKO GOIKOVIC, CEDAR WALTON, SLIDE HAMPTON, BOBBY WATSON, KENNY WHEELER, FRED HENKE, RONNIE MATHEWS, MASSIMO URBANI, TONY SCOTT, FLAVIO BOLTRO, ENRICO RAVA, BENNY GOLSON, STJEPKO GUT, e le registrazioni con JACK WALRATH, CHARLIE MARIANO, JIMMY VILLOTTI, PIERO ODORICI. Alla sua attività musicale, Fabio Grandi affianca anche l’attività didattica come insegnante di batteria e percussioni in diverse scuole musicali.
SETH MYERS. Nato a Filadelfia nel 1981, ha iniziato a esplorare la scena jazz e blues a metà Anni '90 ed è stato influenzato dalla musicalità di musicisti locali come Edgar Bateman, Mike Boone, Sid Simmons e Byron Landam. Nel 1999, ha iniziato a studiare jazz a New York SUNY Acquista il Conservatorio di musica con Kermit Driscoll, Dennis Irwin e Todd Coolman. Dopo la laurea nel 2003, Seth si è trasferito ad Harlem dove ha mantenuto la residenza. Essere a New York ha permesso un'ampia varietà di esperienze musicali e personalità. Suonare con grandi maestri del jazz come Joe Cohn e Danny Walsh lo ha sempre stimolato. La band è un trio di sassofoni che combina jazz, pop, hip hop, e musica latina in puro divertimento. Lo hanno segnato la collaborazione con i fratelli Altino di Haiti e le diverse esperienze accumulata negli anni. I fratelli sono pianisti classici che uniscono la loro passione per i classici con la musica gospel e alcuni ritmi haitiani. La loro relazione di lavoro ha incluso spettacoli in Carnegie Hall, Mechanics Hall, Merkin Concert Hall e Riverside Cathedral. Altri punti salienti di New York includono la collaborazione con Kazu Yokoshima, Stacy Dillard, Lawrence Clark, Joel Holmes, Emily Braden, Lamy Isrefi Jr., Lawrence Leathers, Charenee Wade, Tamar Korn e Michaela Gomez.
Trad. SETH MYERS born in Philadelphia in 1981, Seth began exploring the jazz and blues scene in the mid 90s and was influenced by the musicianship of local musicians like Edgar Bateman, Mike Boone, Sid Simmons, and Byron Landam. In 1999, he began to study jazz in New York’s SUNY Purchase Conservatory of Music with Kermit Driscoll, Dennis Irwin, and Todd Coolman. After graduation in 2003, Seth moved to Harlem where he has kept residence. Being in New York has allowed for a wide variety of musical experiences and personalities. Playing with great jazz masters such as Joe Cohn and Danny Walsh is always inspiring while starting spontaneous dance parties in the streets with Receta Secreta is invigorating. The band is a saxophone trio that combines jazz, pop, hip hop, and latin music into pure fun. Playing with the Altino Brothers from Haiti is a completely different experience that has accumulated over the years. They are classical pianist brothers that combine their passion for classics with gospel music and some Haitian rhythms too. Their working relationship has included performances in Carnegie Hall, Mechanics Hall, Merkin Concert Hall, and Riverside Cathedral. Other NYC Highlights include working with Kazu Yokoshima, Stacy Dillard, Lawrence Clark, Joel Holmes, Emily Braden, Lamy Isrefi Jr., Lawrence Leathers, Charenee Wade, Tamar Korn, and Michaela Gomez.
"Jhon Colianni Trio" Loredana Melodia Special Guest
pianoforte: John Colianni contrabbasso: Seth Myers batteria: Fabio Grandi voce: Loredana Melodia