Jazz Articles about Stefano Battaglia

Stefano Battaglia: Re: Pasolini

by AAJ Italy Staff
April 23, 2007

Secondo album di Battaglia per l'ECM, secondo album doppio. Segno che l'etichetta crede nel pianista, da sempre molto aderente all'estetica di casa ECM. Il tema dell'album è l'opera di Pasolini, forse l'ultimo vero intellettuale che l'Italia ha avuto. Artista poliedrico, versatile, multiforme, capace di utilizzare gli strumenti più disparati (la prosa, la poesia, il cinema, il giornalismo), per esplorare gli orizzonti più sublimi, ma anche quelli più bassi. Facendo proprio l'approccio multidisciplinare di Pasolini, Battaglia ricorre a due differenti organici, ...

Stefano Battaglia: Raccolto

by AAJ Staff
March 16, 2006

Since the '80s, maverick Italian pianist Stefano Battaglia has been responsible for a stack of about fifteen records as a leader on the homegrown Splasc(h) label, as well as plenty of sideman appearances and discs elsewhere. Raccolto is his ECM debut, reflecting the Munich-based label's incresingly pan-European outlook. Battaglia is classically trained and has a very precise touch, but he's fluently conversant in jazz from post bop through free improvisation.

This double-disc effort, recorded in late 2003, features separate sets ...

Stefano Battaglia: Raccolto

by John Kelman
February 11, 2006

As the international community becomes increasingly aware of the vibrant Italian jazz scene through labels like EGEA and Cam Jazz, it's important to remember that ECM has also brought artists like trumpeter Enrico Rava, accordionist Gianni Cosca and reedman Gianluigi Trovesi to broader audiences.

Add to that list pianist Stefano Battaglia, who has been on the scene for nearly twenty years, recording over a dozen records for the Splasc(h) label. On his ECM debut, the two-disc Raccolto, Battaglia demonstrates, in ...

Stefano Battaglia: Swiss Radio Tapes, Vol. 2: Musica Centripeta

by AAJ Staff
December 1, 2000

To date, the prolific Italian pianist Stefano Battaglia has made over a dozen recordings on Splasc(h). On his just-released 1997 solo recording Musica Centripeta, he demonstrates yet again that progressive piano music need not be punchy, dense, or provocatively abstruse. Battaglia's brand of improvisation emphasizes melody and flow, counterpoint and harmonic development.

In a sense, the title of this disc is quite descriptive: Musica Centripeta cycles through sonic space with an ever-expanding pull. While Battaglia's simplified, pedal-rich tones superficially share ...