NICOLA FAZZINI
biography
Born in Milan on August 19, 1970 begin playing sax at age 16 when almost immediately start performing in clubs and local festivals while studing jazz with saxophonistMaurizio Caldura.
In 1992 moves to Graz (Austria) where attend for 5 years the jazz department of the Musikhochschule and graduate in Jazz Saxophone.
During this period studies sax with Karlheinz Miklin and Heinrich von Kalnein, but particularly important have been the lessons with the extraordinary saxophonist Karl Drewo.
Here he takes also part at various workshops with Joe Lovano, Clark Terry, Barry Harris, Bill Dobbins, Bob Brookmeier, Hal Crook. Initiate his concert activity in quartet and quintet by his own name, with Enrico Rava as guest, with the nine piece band of Berndt Luef (concerts in Croatia, Slovenia and Bosnia), with the MHS Grazer Big Band under the direction of Steve Gut (with Peter Erskine, Ed Neumeister, Bill Dobbins as guest). Has also the occasion to work with Mark Murphy.
In 1997 is back in Italy for a short time when quickly moves to Paris where get in touch with different musical experiences (raegge, Klezmer, soundtracks).
In 1999 is back in Italy and set in Mogliano Veneto, near Venice. With Dario Volpi, Danilo Gallo and Zeno de Rossi is co-leader of the band Palo Alto which record two cds ("Palo Alto, music by and for Tristano & Konitz" and "Crash Test", the last one published in Germany) and performed at several festivals in Italy, Germany, France, Belgium, Austria and Peru.
Is also member of the Thelonious Monk big band conducted by Marcello Tonolo; with this group collaborate with many musicians as guest, like Steve Swallaw and Carla Bley. In year 2007 records the cd "Night Over, with guest Pietro Tonolo, Marco Tamburini and David Boato. Nowadays the band is involved in presenting the show “I Sillabari di Parise” with the writer Vitaliano Trevisan as guest.
In year 2002 is finalist at the competition “Massimo Urbani” at Urbisaglia, Macerata, one of the most important price in Italy. Didactic activity starts as teacher of saxophone, theory and ensemble music with the school"T. Monk" in Mira (Ve), of which he leads theartistic direction as from 2007.
Set up a a quartet to his name which includes Riccardo Chiarion to the guitar, Stefano Senni to the bass and Tommaso Cappellato to the drums; with this band he has recorded the cd "Watch your step", edit in 2008 by Caligola Records, where original compositions as a tribute to the musicians that more have inspired his artistic run are included.
He is also a member of Elena Camerin’s quintet which has recorded the cd “Grazie dei Fiori?”, a reelaboration of italian songs of the fithties (UT Gandhi on drums, Alfonso santimone on piano) and part of the band “Shtik” leaded by Zeno De Rossi, that has recorded a cd in year 2007.
Plays besides in the quintet of Marcello Tonolo "Music on Poetry" devoted to poetries of Philip Larkin and Gregory Corso.
In these years had played also with Marc Abrams, David Boato, Bob Bonisolo, Paolo Birro, Bruno Cesselli, Fernando Correa, UT Gandhi, Dave Glasser, Simone Guiducci, Kyle Gregory, Steve Gut, Giovanni Maier, Paul Jeffrey, Sandro Gibellini, Jacopo Jacopetti, Alfred Kramer, Piero Leveratto, Maurizio Nobili, Achille Succi, Glauco Venier, Eliott Zigmund, Jimmy Weinstein,Amiri Baraka, Don Moye, Matt Renzi
In year 2008 has graduated in Jazz at the music university of Castelfranco Veneto with full graduation marks.
During the current year Nicola collaborates as composer and performer to the theatrical project "Imeros" on lyrics of the philosopher Romano Gasparotti and set up a new quartet with Paolo Birro, Alfred Kramer and Stefano Senni.
In 2009 he teaches at the Music University "A. Pedrollo" of Vicenza, Italy, the courses of improvisation, composition and big band. In the meanwhile he records the cd "The Lydian Trip" with the Lydian Sound Orchestra, conducted by R. Brazzale; this band won in 2008 the best italian orchestra pool for the magazine Musica Jazz and performed at the most important Italian Jazz festivals.
He also set up a project with the singer Elena Camerin,"Lezioni americane", based on the work of the writer Italo Calvino; with this band he played at various festivals along with the trumpet player Ron Horton as a guest.