JOHN SURMAN/VIGLEIK STORAAS

John Surman, saxophones
Vigleik Storaas, piano

JOHN SURMAN
A mainstay of the ECM record label, composer and multi-instrumentalist John Surman is a key figure in a generation of European jazz musicians who have crucially expanded the international horizons of jazz. In his long career, John Surman has won many awards, most recently, the prestigious Ivor Novello Jazz Award, which recognized his skill on the baritone saxophone and his body of original works that have extended far beyond the perceived boundaries of the jazz repertoire and are inflamed with contrasts of exquisite lyricism, a richly textured sound, and intense, full-bodied improvisation.
John Surman is revered internationally for his pioneering approach to composition and diverse collaborations, which include work with brass ensembles, choirs, string quartets and orchestras. In this fine duo he joins the accomplished Norwegian pianist Vigleik Storaas

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ONJGT SYNTHESIS

Paolo Damiani – cello and direction

Anais Drago – violin

Camilla Battaglia – voice

Francesco Fratini – trumpet

Giacomo Zanus – guitar

Federica Michisanti – double bass

Francesca Remigi – drums

ONJGT “Synthesis” brings together a selection of musicians from the ONJGT Orchestra Nazionale Jazz Giovani Talenti, a meritorious project initiated by the Fondazione Musica per Roma and directed by Paolo Damiani, a pivotal figure in the most adventurous Italian jazz since the 1970s, with the aim of showcasing some of the best new professionals on the Italian jazz scene. In fact, the group includes young but already established soloists who won the prestigious national Top Jazz referendum of the monthly magazine Musica Jazz. The repertoire consists of compositions by individual members and Damiani himself, characterized by themes and melodies with a strong communicative impact, which also serve as material used for collective improvisations and conduction.