Paolo Fresu

The village marching band and the most important international awards, the Sardinian countryside and the albums, discovering jazz and his many collaborations, his love of small things and Paris.

There are not many people capable of putting together such a diverse array of elements and turn it into such an incredible and fast stylistic growth. Paolo Fresu succeeded in a country like Italy where, for too long, jazz was famous just like Shakespeare or Matisse paintings, Armstrong was little more than a freak show and Miles Davis was acknowledged well after his creative peak. The magic lies in the spontaneous way in which he managed to convey the deepest meanings and magic of his native land with the most precious of the arts.

At this stage of his successful and long career there is no need to list recordings, awards and experiences that have made Fresu an international star, his music loved by many. Inside his trumpet sound runs the sap that has illuminated the European jazz nouvelle vague, the depth of a thought that doesn’t limit itself to music, his generosity that sees him in the right place at the right time and most of all the unending passion that always leads him.

Being an omnivorous artist Paolo is currently busy on many projects. Apart from a literary side which has brought some very interesting works and being honored with the important honoris causa degree in Social Psychology at Università Bicocca of Milano and another
of New York's noble Berklee School of Music nowadays Fresu is working with his historical quintet which has been together for 40 years of full activity and reciprocal understanding,
his Devil quartet, which follows on the success of the Angel quartet that gave Paolo early international exposure some 15 years ago or his new trio with two young lions of contemporary national jazz such as Dino Rubino and Marco Bardoscia or finally the surprising "Heroes," a tribute-project to David Bowie where he collaborates with the established names of Petra Magoni and Christian Meyer and with some of the most prominent of the Italian new wave jazz scene such as Francesco Diodati, Francesco Ponticelli and Filippo Vignato.

Not to be forgotten are important international collaborations such as the successful duo partnership with Uri Caine, or the great names of Carla Bley, Steve Swallow or Ralph Towner, which bridged the entry of Paolo's name into the entourage of the celebrated ECM label, for which other notable record works were released.

His present time sees him active, in a more foreign perspective, in a trio with Richard Galliano and the Swedish pianist Jan Lundgren ("Mare Nostrum") and in several new adventures with important names of the contemporary jazz entourage such as Omar Sosa, Trilok Gurtu, Lars Danielsson, Eivind Aarset, or Arild Andersen. Interesting are then the projects with some big names of the Italian literary and theatrical world (Mariangela Gualtieri, Ascanio Celestini, Lella Costa, Stefano Benni, Alessandro Bergonzoni, Giuseppe Battiston), the frequentation of the theatrical world itself as first interpreter thanks to the works produced by the Teatro Stabile di Bolzano among which the great success of the play "Tempo di Chet" (dedicated to Chet Baker), “Tango Macondo” or “Kind of Miles” as well as, finally, a new series of small but important collaborations with the "intelligent" music of the Italian popular bangs or electronics. Music for Cinema and "special projects" such as his extraordinary theatrical "a solo" close the circle together with the little big and crazy
adventure that led him to celebrate in 2011 his 50th birthday with 50 concerts, in 50 consecutive days, with 50 different formations and projects from day to day in 50 masterpieces of his Sardinian landscape.

Not to be outdone also the beautiful project dedicated to his important 60th birthday, thanks to Bologna that has become, like Paris, one of his places of reference. There are also some interesting collaborations with some great names of the Italian theatre and literature world (Mariangela Gualtieri, Ascanio Celestini, Lella Costa, Stefano Benni, Alessandro Bergonzoni) besides a small new series of collaborations with the ‘intelligent’ part of Italian popular music. Music for cinema, and special projects like his “a solo” (trumpet solo and electronics) that mesmerized 3000 people at the Rome Auditorium or the Metastasio Theatre in Prato, all of this with the crazy great adventure that brought Paolo in 2001 to celebrate his 50th birthday performing 50 concerts in 50 consecutive days, each with a different line up and each with a different beautiful Sardinian landscape as backdrop.

It would be a mistake to neglect the attention towards the classical music world that is generating nice surprises with works that involve orchestral ensemble that manage to look forward and heroes of the avant-garde or also Paolo’s new challenge to promote young lions of contemporary jazz through the possibilities offered them by the new label Tǔk Music, founded to look to the future and has now become an international benchmark as well.

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Siena Jazz 2025

by Paolo Peviani
August 20, 2025

Siena Jazz--International Summer Workshop--55th Edition Siena Jazz International Academy Siena, Italy July 26-August 7, 2025 Fifty-five editions, more than ninety students from around the globe, and some thirty faculty members who are also acclaimed performers on the international scene. Listing them all is not mere name-dropping, but a way to convey the scope of Siena Jazz's summer workshops: JK Kim, Jeff Ballard, Eric McPherson, Jonas Burgwinkel, Thomas Morgan, Linda May Han Oh, Ben Street, ...

In Pictures

JAZZINEC #27 in Trutnov

by Luciano Rossetti
May 30, 2025

A collection of photos from the JAZZINEC #27 in Trutnov (Czech Republic) from April 11 to 12, 2025, Jazz Festival and a Gala of Jazz World Photo featuring Paolo Fresu, Omar Sosa, Gavin Skeggs and many others. ...

Album Review

Yelena Eckemoff: Romance of the Moon

Read "Romance of the Moon" reviewed by Neri Pollastri

by Neri Pollastri
March 12, 2025

Yelena Eckemoff, prolifica e camaleontica compositrice russa da anni residente negli U.S.A., è usa mutare con frequenza collaboratori, adattando le proprie composizioni al loro stile e alla loro cultura. Questo suo ultimo album, intitolato Romance of the Moon, sebbene sia ispirato alla poesia di Federico Garcia Lorca, è di fatto un lavoro “italiano," essendo realizzato nel nostro Paese (in particolare, registrato a nel giugno del 2023 a Mantova e poi missato a Udine negli studi Artesuono di Stefano Amerio) assieme ...

Live Review

Paolo Fresu: Kind of Miles

by Giuseppe Segala
October 28, 2024

Paolo Fresu: Kind of Miles Teatro Comunale Bolzano 24-27 ottore 2024 La storia del jazz si alimenta di grandi passioni, di scoperte e di profonda stima. Tutti i musicisti hanno avuto una folgorazione, o meglio una serie continua di folgorazioni. Ci limitiamo a citare come esempio quella di Duke Ellington per Sidney Bechet, riportata nella sua celebre autobiografia: “Impossibile dimenticare la prima volta che lo sentii suonare allo Howard Theatre di Washington, attorno al ...

Album Review

Paolo Fresu, Dino Rubino, Daniele di Bonaventura, Marco Bardoscia: Ferlinghetti

Read "Ferlinghetti" reviewed by Neri Pollastri

by Neri Pollastri
October 9, 2024

Le musiche di questo disco, per metà a firma di Paolo Fresu e per il resto scritte dai vari membri del quartetto che le interpreta, nascono come colonna sono per il film The Beat Bomb (anche se nel libretto viene riportato il titolo The Last Beat), di Ferdinando Vicentini Orgnani, che documenta la vita del poeta, pittore, attivista ed editore statunitense Lawrence Monsanto Ferlinghetti (1919-2021), considerato uno dei maggiori esponenti della Beat Generation e particolarmente noto per la libreria e ...

Radio & Podcasts

Paolo Fresu, Qwalia, Mark Guiliana, Yelena Eckemoff & More

by Ludovico Granvassu
August 6, 2024

This time around our special focus is Paolo Fresu who is celebrating 40 years of activity with his historic Quartet, 20 years with his electric Devil Quartet, and 22 years with pianist Uri Caine. To mark these three anniversaries he has released a gorgeous triple album entitled Legacy (and the limited edition companion triple LP (next) Legacy). This episode also features the latest albums by Yelena Eckemoff featuring Paolo Fresu, Moppa Elliott celebrating bassist Sam Jones, Mark Guiliana playing all ...

In Pictures

Paolo Fresu & Uri Caine at Val Nure Festival 2024

by Danilo Codazzi
June 29, 2024

A collection of photos from the Paolo Fresu & Uri Caine concert at Val Nure Festival in Ponte dell'Olio on June 22, 2024 featuring Paolo Fresu and Uri Caine. ...

Festival

New Concerts Added To The Program Of The 36th Edition Of The Festival

Source: Ann Braithwaite
March 1, 2015

Montreal, Wednesday, February 25, 2015 — We’re adding even more names to the incredible program of the 36th edition of the Festival International de Jazz de Montréal, presented by TD in collaboration with Rio Tinto Alcan, from June 26 to July 5, 2015. Tickets for these concerts go on sale today at noon. A Filetta with Paolo Fresu and Daniele Di Bonaventura, Mistico Mediterraneo. Opening act: Paolo Fresu – Gianluca Petrella duo — June 26, 7 p.m., Maison symphonique — ...
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Recording

New Release from Paolo Fresu and a Filetta

Source: ECM Records
March 17, 2011

On February 22nd ECM released Mistico Mediterraneo, a mesmerizing collaboration between lyrical Italian jazz improvisers Paolo Fresu and Daniele di Bonaventura and the Corsican vocal ensemble A Filetta.

Paolo Fresu Mistico Mediterraneo Paolo Fresu trumpet, flugelhorn Daniele di Bonaventura bandoneon A Filetta: Jean-Claude Acquaviva: seconda Paul Giansily: terza Jean-Luc Geronimi: seconda José Filippi: bassu Jean Sicurani: bassu Maxime ...
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Recording

Time for an ECM Two-Fer: Paul Motion Trio and Ralph Towner/Paolo Fresu (2010)

Source: Something Else!
April 26, 2010

By PicoLast month ECM put on sale new offerings by two of their oldest stalwarts: drummer Paul Motian and Ralph Towner. Motian has been discussed on this site probably more than any other drummer, no doubt due to his long association with Bill Evans and his more recent contributions as both a leader and sideman. He began his association with this fabled label early on, in 1972, an association that continues today that was only interrupted from the ...
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Music Industry