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No Trio for Cats

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No Trio for Cats organically reinvents the language of the jazz piano trio, transforming mainstream sonorities through a compositional approach that reimagines the swing pulse to explore new sonic horizons. Active since 2012, the Roman trio—Andrea Saffirio (piano and composition), Andrea Colella (double bass) and Matteo Bultrini (drums)—is one of the most distinctive presences on the contemporary Italian jazz scene.

The group was born from the artistic meeting of three musicians united by a desire not to renounce jazz tradition, but to use it as a starting point for innovative sonic explorations. The close rapport developed over the years has allowed the trio to create a personal language that defies mainstream categories, organically integrating influences ranging from late-nineteenth-century symphonic music to elements of Black music—from Motown culture to hip-hop sonorities—without ever allowing these crossovers to become clichés or to overwhelm the project's jazz essence.

No Trio for Cats’ discography documents an artistic path in constant evolution. The debut, The Chicken in Love (2015, Emme Record Label), marked their entry onto the national scene, followed by Colors Factory (2019, Extended Place), which consolidated their artistic identity with original pieces characterized by intense, Mediterranean-tinged melodic lines and driving rhythms from the African-American tradition. In 2021 the single O Cisne de Janeiro for Extended Place demonstrated their gift for reinterpretation with an innovative take on Saint-Saëns’ masterpiece.

Their most ambitious projects arrive with the Reframed series: Wayne Shorter Reframed (2022) and Thelonious Monk Reframed (2025), both on Extended Place. These works embody a unique approach in the contemporary jazz landscape: artistic recompositions that use the music of great masters as raw material for the trio’s own expressive language—born of artistic necessity rather than mere homage. As pianist Glenn Zaleski notes in the liner notes of the latest album: “While never abandoning the essence of Monk’s original compositions, Andrea’s trio invites us to hear this music in a new light.”

The trio has graced prestigious stages such as Rome’s Auditorium Parco della Musica and Casa del Jazz, and has performed at international festivals in Albania, the Netherlands and Belgium. Their concert activity has also seen them play some of the most important jazz clubs in Italy and Europe, from Alexanderplatz in Rome to Gregory’s Jazz Club, from Milestones Jazz Club in Piacenza to Theatre AINSI in Maastricht.

Starting from jazz tradition as a launchpad toward unexplored territories, No Trio for Cats maintains a distinctive lyricism that immediately engages the listener, demonstrating how it is possible to reinvent formats often considered overused through an authentic artistic approach and a personal compositional vision.