Fabrizio Mandolini & SPEAKIN' 4
Fabrizio Mandolini is a saxophonist and composer. His music is a happy mixture of articulated lyric poetry and northern European sounds. The Italian musician lived in Copenhagen, Denmark a long time. Because of his experience as a foreign musician in Scandinavia Fabrizio Mandolini transformed his own language and his music further on.
After 10 years of activity as a session musician (studio works and television) where he worked with the most known Italian artists (like Luca Carboni, Alex Britti and many others)
Fabrizio moved to Los Angeles, played in clubs and learned to become a sound engineer at the “Recording Institute Of Technology” (R.I.T) in the section “Musicians Institute in Hollywood”.
Today he is equally working in Denmark, Sweden and Italy. In Denmark he plays with the following musicians: Aske Acobi (DK), Bo Stief (DK), Paolo Russo (ITA), Hawk (DK), Debbie Cameron (USA), Horace Parlan (USA), Klavs Hovman (DK), Ian Bellamy (UK), Andrea Marcelli (USA/ITA), Jarkko Hakala (FIN), Robert Erlandsson (SWE), Monique (DK), Kristian Fredmark (SWE), Bjarne RoupÈ (SWE), Arild Andersen (NOR), Palle Danielsson (SWE), Engqvist Orkester (DK), Poul Reimann (DK).
He has just published his first project as bandleader La spiga (Dodicilune E212),
which in Italian means ear of corn. His music could be described as a successful encounter between his own personal lyricism and the Nordic tone. This Record attempts to create a Cultural Bridge between Italian lyricism and the Scandinavian sense of space.
More of the latest album and band concept of SPEAKIN’ 4:
More and more a generation of musicians establish another view out of the pre-defined market law, even because of the structures inside the business. These musicians put their music in a different position to recall a wider spectrum of expression and to get more attention on the composition itself. Above that they try to find more nuances in their play. No more regular structures with super elaborated soli, with crazy tempi and a bunch of standard repertoire, only to show, that they did not forget the tradition. It is more important to absorb the stimulus of the environment to create fresh and original sound material to transform it.
This is surely done in the band concept of SPEAKIN’ 4, the debut album of the equal named quartet. The group does not have a band leader, each band member brings in their personal ideas and sound. The listener wanders through various sound rooms: from the sweet melody of “Vedendoti crescere” over Nino Rota inspired tunes to the urban and neurotic rhythm of “Chi è il killer?”.
At the same time there is common sense, which works as a binder and gives the music a general style. The sound is like understatement, pastel tones are preferred here but also fat strokes of a brush come to action, if it is necessary. The guitar of De Frederics has refinement and harmonic elegance but could also sound as in smart scratches you can hear in the opener “Speakin’ Suite”.
SPEAKIN’ 4 is a convincing, great and authentic debut album.
More informations about the musicians of SPEAKIN’ 4
Mauro De Fredericis, guitar
He is an autodidact and worked with artists of several music worlds: among other with Paolo Fresu, Bob Mintzer, Gegè Telesforo, Vittorio Gasmann, Art van Damme, Dario Deidda, Cristian Meyer, Orchestra di Padova e del Veneto, Orchestra di Trento e Bolzano, Milano Classica, Orchestra Stabile di Brescia, Orchestra Giovanile del Piemonte, Orchestra Internazionale, conducted by M. David Searcy (the first timpanist of the Teatro alla Scala), Quartetto 900 of the Conservatory di Adria. He is the guitarist and founder of the “Italian Big Band” and works with the band “TandoSeis”, which is continuously performing with the singer Milva. He teaches at the Conservatory Statale di Musica theory, singing and aural training.
Gabriele Pesaresi, bass
Diploma in bass at the conservatory Giacomo Rossini in Pesaro and jazz diploma at the conservatory G.B. Martini in Bologna. Study colleague of Paolino Dalla Porta, Furio Di Castri, Paolo Ghetti, Giovanni Tommaso, Bruno Tommaso. In 2001 he won a famous audition for young jazz musicians in Genua, Italy with his trio Istralia. He works in several formations like for instance Colours Jazz Orchestra, Mauro De Federicis Quartet, The Zippy Code, Luigi Ferrara Quartet etc. He played with Enrico Rava, Kenny Wheeler, Gianni Basso, Mauro Negri, Renato Sellani to name a few. Recordings: “Voyage” (Samuele Garofoli Quintet), “A Smile Behind The Veil” (Isabella Celentano), “Istralia” (Trio Istralia) etc.
Roberto Desiderio, drums
In 1999 he received a diploma as a percussionist by Clara Perra. In the course of the event “Interamnia Festival” he was taught by Michael Camilo, Anthony Jackson and Horacio “El Negro” Hernandez and on stage he was performing together with Wynton Marsalis, Gary Burton, James Moody, Bill Pierce, Donald Harrison and Eric Reed. He also works with Cameron Brown, Gianni Basso, Renato Sellani, Tiziana Ghiglioni, Gianluigi Trovesi and was a member of the Gianluca Renzi Sextet. In 2002 he recorded the soundtrack for the movie “Non è vero – Lezioni di Magia”. The film was produced at the famous Cinecittà studios by the “Scuola Nazionale di Cinema di Roma” and the actor Francesco Salvi. In 2002-03 he was part of the theatre production “Peter Uncino” with singer Milva and Davide Riondini.
Quote
“SPEAKIN’ 4 means 4-voices conversation. Mauro De Federicis, Roberto Desiderio, Fabrizio Mandolini and Gabriele Pesaresi demonstrate their long mutual experience with this work. SPEAKIN’ 4 is a mature group, who experiments with new voices, sounds and styles, without losing their own musical direction: their conversations changes tone, register and themes. The four musicians follow diverse aspects of musical matter with the right balance inside the heterogeneous creative spirit of the 21st century.”, out of the Italian magazine Ciminiera
