Biography of Stefano Bollani

The irony of jazz

December 5, 1972 to six years wants to become a singer and so to accompany his voice, Stefano Bollani began playing the keyboard at home. A few years later engraves a tape in which he sings and plays, sends it to its myth, Renato Carosone, and accompanies it with a letter in which he explains his dream. Carosone replied advising him to hear much blues and jazz and so Bale does. Buy his first album: the second volume of the encyclopedia of jazz by Fratelli Fabbri. For 11 years he enrolled at the Luigi Cherubini Conservatory in Florence, where he graduated in 1993, in piano. In 15 years as a professional, playing mainly pop stages huddle, and simultaneously studied with Luca Flores, Mauro Grossi, Franco D'Andrea which follows the seminars in Siena Jazz. In 1996 he meets Enrico Rava at Teatro Prato (Italy) who invites him for playing with him in Paris and tells him: "you're young, you have no family. Threatens to leave pop and devoted full time to music you love ". Bollani follows the advice of Rava, won't start on tour with Jovanotti and plunges into the jazz language of improvisation and freedom. Rapids are the stages of his ascendancy: the important collaboration, still active today, with his mentor Enrico Rava, the affirmation in the referendum of Jazz magazine (best new talent 1998); from the direction of his Orchestra of Titanic (to her credit numerous concerts and two albums for the label Via Veneto) to the creation of records and shows-homage to the pop music of the past (lower your radio with, among others, Peppe Servillo, Irene Grandi, Marco Parente, Elio delle storie tese .... and Guarda che luna! with Gianmaria Testa, la Banda Osiris ....) until delivery in September 2003 in Naples, Carosone, usually intended for singers. Even in Japan they realized by Stefano Bollani and Swing Journal jazz of that country, the most authoritative publication, awarded him, also in 2003, the New Star award, a first for a European musician. Countless collaborations in addition to the "historic" with Rava: Richard Galliano, Gato Barbieri, Pat Metheny, Michel Portal, Phil Woods, Lee Konitz, Han Bennink, Paolo Fresu and his appearances on the world's most prestigious stages (from Umbria Jazz festival in Montreal, from Town Hall in New York at La Scala in Milan). His music often lives in the name of humor, evident in all his works, some particularly bizarre and out of the norm as the Gnosis of fanfole, which he set to music, along with singer/songwriter Max Altomare, the surreal poems by Fosco Maraini (1998), and the Cantata dei pastori properties, sort of musical oratorio for four voices, Narrator and piano , built on David Riondino, released in a boxed set (book cd) by David (2004) Has made four discs for the French label Label Bleu: Les fleures bleues, 2002, a tribute to the writer Raymond Queneau, made with Americans Scott Colley on bass and Clarence Penn (drums), a disk in solitude Smat smat, 2003; Concertone, 2004, composition for jazz trio and symphony orchestra, with arrangements and direction of Paolo Silvestri, and finally the Visionaries, first recording with his new Quintet with Mirko Guerrini sax, Nico Gori on clarinet, Ferruccio Spinetti on bass and Cristiano Calcagnile on drums. In 2003 he began working with the two Danes Jesper Bodilsen and Morten Lund with which accounts for the Stunt Records Mi ritorni in mente and in 2005 Gleda, songs from Scandinavia. For the series "Tales of songs" published (Italian Publisher, 2004), a tribute to the history of swing and jazz in our country and especially to his myth Carosone. Last may in the series dedicated to Jazz magazine L'Espresso, Italian disc of his first trio with Ares Tavolazzi and Walter Paoli. The previous records had gone out only for the Japanese label Venus Records. For its whimsical and fun and natural gifts of entertainer, Stefano Bollani earns weekly cover (again in May this year), the only Italian jazz musician to confront Fethry! In September 2006 were published in contemporary Solo Piano first cd under his own name for ECM, which conquers immediately the first positions in the ranking of jazz sales and enters the ranks of smiles & songs to 31st place; and his first novel the Grumpy syndrome by Baldini Castoldi Dalai, ed. arrives in 2011, along with television in September where he presents Caterina Guzzanti, the program over six evenings, "said Bama", broadcast on Rai 3. Trona also in 2013 with a new edition of the programme, which sees this time as the sole tenant.
Article contributed by the team of collaborators.