Apulia Art Ensemble

The Apulia Art Ensemble (AAE) was founded in Puglia in 2024 from an idea shared by Nicolò Marziale and M° Livio Minafra, with the aim of creating a permanent workshop dedicated to producing original music, nurturing young musicians and searching for a new contemporary musical language rooted in Mediterranean culture.

The ensemble brings together young musicians from the Conservatories of Bari, Monopoli and Matera, selected for their technical quality, interpretive sensitivity and creative ability. The group brings into dialogue contemporary jazz, improvisation, academic composition, Apulian and Mediterranean traditions, Balkan and rock influences, giving rise to an original musical research with a strong identity of its own.

Artistic direction is entrusted to M° Livio Minafra, pianist, composer and professor of Jazz Piano at the "Niccolò Piccinni" Conservatory in Bari. Winner of three Top Jazz awards from the Italian critics, Minafra has recorded for international labels such as Enja Records and Leo Records and collaborated with musicians including Bobby McFerrin, Paolo Fresu, Evan Parker, Frank London, Ernst Reijseger, Louis Moholo and Gianluigi Trovesi.

Production and strategic coordination are handled by Nicolò Marziale, musician, percussionist and founder of Municipale Balcanica, with over twenty-five years of experience in music production and the design of cultural initiatives.

AAE is not merely a concert group but a creative collective in which composition, improvisation and research develop through the exchange between musicians of different backgrounds and sensibilities. The ensemble's work aims to build a shared voice capable of connecting Puglia and the Mediterranean with the international contemporary music scene.

The first result of this journey is Sulfureo, an album made up entirely of original music. The record moves through Mediterranean identity, memory, conflict, intercultural dialogue and transformation, combining contemporary jazz, rock, improvisation and references to Mediterranean and Balkan music in Minafra's original compositions.

With Sulfureo, the Apulia Art Ensemble opens an artistic and production journey set to develop through new compositions, recordings, concerts and collaborations, with the ambition of bringing a new generation of Apulian musicians onto the national and international stage.

Line-up

• M° Livio Minafra — Piano · Composition · Artistic direction
• Vincenzo Di Gioia — Alto sax
• Giosuè Giovanni Urbani — Baritone sax
• Antonio Fallacara — Trombone
• Aldo Chiarulli — Vibraphone
• Luca Giannotti — Bass and electric guitar
• Domenico Stragapede — Drums

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