Paolo Fresu | |
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 Fresu in 2010 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | (1961-02-10)10 February 1961 (age 64) Berchidda, Sardinia, Italy |
| Genres | Jazz |
| Occupations |
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| Instruments | |
| Labels | |
| Website | paolofresu |
Paolo Fresu (Sardinian:Pàulu; born 10 February 1961)[1] is an Italianjazz trumpet andflugelhorn player, as well as a composer and arranger of music. His unique trumpet sound is recognized as one of the most distinctive in the contemporary jazz scene.[2]
Fresu plays four distinct instruments: trumpet, flugelhorn, muted trumpet, and electronics. He selectively uses a t.c. electronic effects unit and "one from the past" by DigiTech, through this equipment, he see it as a way to go back in time.[3] Fresu demonstrates his versatile trumpet skills through his rendition of Monteverdi's "Si dolce è il tormento" and Handel's aria "Lascia chi's Pianga."[4]
Fresu began studying the trumpet at age 11 in the "Bernardo De Muro" music band of Berchidda.[5] At a young age, Fresu joined "Banda" a local marching band, where a member gave him a cassette ofMiles Davis in Europe, with "Autumn Leave."[3]
Fresu professionally started in 1982, where he recorded with RAI, an Italian public broadcasting corporation, under the direction of Bruno Tommaso.[5]
In the early 80s, Paolo Fresu had attended the Siena Summer Jazz Seminars and impressed Enrico Rava with his performance. It was over the next 10 years did Fresu become a major player in the Italian scene. He started with his quintet, which is currently going, and then began to branched out through a variety of projects.[6]
Born inBerchidda, Sardinia,[7] he picked up thetrumpet at the age of 11, and played in the bandBernardo de Muro in his home town Berchidda.[8] Fresu graduated from theConservatory ofCagliari in 1984, in trumpet studies under Enzo Morandini, and attended theUniversity of Bologna School of music andperforming arts inBologna.[9] He made his debut in 1985, with the release of his first albumOstinato.[10][11]
He has collaborated with leading Italian musicians like Franesco D'Andrea,Gianluigi Trovesi,Giorgio Gaslini,Enrico Rava,Bruno Tommaso, Giovanni Tommaso,Enrico Pieranunzi, Tiziana Ghiglioni. To European and Americans likeKenny Wheeler,John Taylor,Dave Liebman,Dave Holland,Phil Woods,Riccardo Del Frà,Gerry Mulligan,Bob Brookmayer,John Zorn,John Abercrombie, Helen Merril,Richard Galliano, etc.[5]
One of Paolo Fresu known collabaration is with Omar Sosa, a cuban born pianist.[12]
He has taught at theSiena Jazz NationalSeminars, as well as jazz university courses inTerni, and is the director of Nuoro Jazz Seminars inNuoro, Italy.[13] He has led the Jazz Seminars in Nuoro for 25 years.[14]
Fresu composes music for theatre, poem, dance, radio, television, and film.
In 2007, he recorded and toured withCarla Bley's quartet, the Lost Chords.
In 2011, he releasedMistico Mediterraneo, which featured him, Daniele di Bonaventura and five other members playingbandoneons inA Filetta style.[15]
In 2012, his quintet performed at theSirifort Auditorium, New Delhi, India, to celebrate 10 years of the Italian culture center there.[16]
In 2015, Fresu was awarded an honorary doctorate of music fromBerklee College of Music.[17]
Paolo Fresu is the artistic director of the Berchidda Festival Time In Jazz.[14]
Paolo Fresu has worked as a producer under his own label, Tǔk Music, where he not only produces his own albums, but artists like Dino Rubino and Marco Bardoscia who he has collaborated with by recording a Chet Baker tribute albumTiempo di Chet (2018).[4] Fresu has also formed a trio with Bardoscia and Rubino, where they play music inspired by poet Lawrence Ferlinghetti.[4] His label Tûk Music was created in 2010 with his colleague Luca Devito, who previously had experience being a production coordinator. With the creation of the label, Fresu and Devito sought to venture off the traditional jazz path and more into the electronic and ethnic sounds, to give incentive to young musicians.[18] While they did create the label to go towards a jazz electronic path, Fresu is not against or preventing the label from working within the tradition jazz path, as they want to be inclusive to everyone.
The labels projects, including Fresu's is based on the digital-related path as Dresu sees it is vital to be present and aware of the new media, ways for building creativity and music. Therefore, Fresu sees digital media as a powerful tool to make music be in the ears of people.[18]
The complete official discography of Paolo Fresu can be found on his official website (more than 600 tracks).[19]
Paolo Fresu 5et
Paolo Fresu Devil Quartet
Paolo Fresu
WithJoe Barbieri
WithCarla Bley
With Daniele di Bonaventura
WithUri Caine
WithLars Danielsson
WithPeter Gabriel
WithAldo Romano
WithRalph Towner
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| National | |
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Paolo Fresu. "Tempo e relazione" in Brooklyn Rail (September 2021), as part of section "How Long Is Now?" guest edited by Francesca Pietropaolo:https://brooklynrail.org/2021/09/criticspage