Nicola Guazzaloca was born in Bologna (IT) in 1975. He began to play first as self-taught in 1988. From a jazz technical background he has deepened his own formation during the years, learning from direct musical activity of practice, researching and projecting with other musicians, seminars and workshops among the others with Barre Phillips, Tristan Honsinger, Muhall R. Abrahams, William Parker, Roscoe Mitchell, Anthony Braxton. He is a co-founder of the Comanda Barabba 5et, which has been active since 2000. In 2007 he was recognised as being among the best composers and the Comanda Barabba 5et earned a mention as one of the best italian avant-jazz band by the specialized national press classification (Musica Jazz). He has composed and performed for cinema, theater and multimedia (prizes Prima Aziz '03, Favolando '04, Interculture Map '05). He's involved with the Popular School of Music "Ivan Illich" playing the role of vicepresident and with teaching, didactic activities and coordination, collaborating with musicians, associations and collectives dedicated to the developing and diffusion of improvised music, which is a most important part of his musical research within language and composition.
He have played with musicians and performers as Tim Trevor-Briscoe, Edoardo Marraffa, Francesco Guerri, Tristan Honsinger, Barre Phillips, Christian Ferlaino, Luca Bernard, Otkun Dostai, Harri Sjostrom, Gaetano Alfonsi, Paul Flaherty, Mezei Szilard, MaryClare Brzytwa, Hannah Marshall, Gianni Mimmo, Thollem McDonas, Ervin Malina, Istvàn Csik, Paolo Botti, Olaf Rupp, Stefano Giust, Marcello Magliocchi, Leila Adu, Lewis Barnes, Guillermo Brown, Gaspare De Vito, Anna Kajsa Holmberg, Rocco Casino Papia, Luca Serrapiglio, Chris Iemulo, Andrea Serrapiglio, Antonio Borghini, Beppe Scardino, John Clarke among others.
He have played in festivals as Angelica Festival (Bologna IT), Long Arms Festival (Moscow RU), APositzia Festival (St. Petersburg RU), Ujbuda Jazz Festival (Budapest HU), Kanjiza Jazz Festival (Kanjiza SE), Italian Jazz Rebels Festival (XM24 Bologna and Area Sismica Meldola IT), Nizhny Novgorod International Jazz Festival (Nijni Novgorod RU), Rai Radio Tre
"Some of this music is lovely, some of it is haunting, but all of it is most successful at exploring the terrain where improv and charted material meet. A few of the pieces for solo piano are just incredible.”
Bruce L. Gallanter (Downtown Music Gallery, New York)
”Guazzaloca's "Irony for unprepared piano" cocks a snook at a whole genre of extended performance.”
Brian Morton (Wire, UK)
"Legacy of the Cecyl Taylor's work, where the piano is rightly regarded as an instrument of the percussion family."
La Mediateque (France)
"Guazzaloca's piano has a lot of Ravel in its bones, with touches of Gershwin's Rhapsody evident too"
Phillip McNelly (Cadence, USA)
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"Some of this music is lovely, some of it is haunting, but all of it is most successful at exploring the terrain where improv and charted material meet. A few of the pieces for solo piano are just incredible.”
Bruce L. Gallanter (Downtown Music Gallery, New York)
”Guazzaloca's "Irony for unprepared piano" cocks a snook at a whole genre of extended performance.”
Brian Morton (Wire, UK)
"Legacy of the Cecyl Taylor's work, where the piano is rightly regarded as an instrument of the percussion family."
La Mediateque (France)
"Guazzaloca's piano has a lot of Ravel in its bones, with touches of Gershwin's Rhapsody evident too"
Phillip McNelly (Cadence, USA)
“Guazzaloca is rhythmically strong and his compositions are also challenging in that direction.”
Herman Te Loo (JazzFlits, Nederland)
"The incisive compositional conception of Guazzaloca seems start from Monk to take more rugged trails, ringing various parts between them. The arrangements, the timbre doughs and the alternative dynamics relive a Mingus climate."
Libero Farnè (Musica Jazz, Italy)
"The union revives important annals of bearers of free jazz like Albert Ayler and Cecil Taylor, making the pot both technically and spirituality."
Alfredo Rastelli (Sandzine, Italy)
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