“Rain stopped play this evening” in Piazza Angelio but it did not stop the music – it simply moved inside to the Teatro dei differenti as Riccardo Arrighini on piano and Aldo Bassi on trumpet romped their way through some classic Italian tunes in the Arrighini style with some very imaginative arrangements.
Riccardo Arrighini al pianoforte e Aldo Bassi alla tromba
Riccardo Arrighini
The Italian pianist who fused Classical music and Opera with jazz. This fusion is the result of a long in-depth path which Arrighini developed exploring both genres.
He graduated with distinction in classical piano at the Boccherini Conservatoire of Lucca, he studied jazz at the Berklee College of Music of Boston, and he postgraduate at Siena Jazz Workshops.
From 2003 to 2007 he has played with Francesco Cafiso, young Sicilian saxophonist, with whom he played at the most important Festivals all over the world and released three records (Philogy/Giotto/Cam jazz)
From 2007 to date Riccardo Arrighini has been developing his personal fusion of Classical music and Opera with jazz, rearranging Puccini, Vivaldi, Chopin, Verdi and recording the album “Dr. Classic & Mr. Jazz” (various artists).
With these projects he plays in Italy and in other countries such as Japan, Holland, Sweden, United Kingdom, Turkey, Brazil, Romania, Russia, Australia, and France. Moreover he takes part in several events organized by Fondazione Puccini of Torre del Lago and Umbria Jazz.
Collaborations:
Lee Konitz, Steve Grossman, Harry Allen, Joe Cohn, Joe Lee Wilson, Enrico Rava, Paolo Fresu, Tullio de Piscopo, Rita Marcotulli e Danilo Rea (2 pianoforti), Francesco Cafiso, Fabrizio Bosso, Antonello Salis, Ares Tavolazzi, Francesco Petreni, Andrea Dulbecco, Tommaso Lama, Pietro Tonolo, Aldo Zunino, Stefano Bagnoli, Riccardo Fioravanti, Giovanni Tommaso, Mark Abrams, Marco Tamburini, Michael Baker, Mauro Negri, Barbara Casini, Gabriele Evangelista e molti altri.
Riccardo Arrighini’s site can be seen here
Aldo Bassi
He began his jazz career playing in the best orchestras in Rome, that of Bruno Biriaco, the Alberto Raven one and many others. In 1992 he formed with Rosario Giuliani, the “Bassi-Giuliani Quintet” with whom he recorded, in 1996, the album “L’Incontro”. In 1998 he formed the “Aldo Bassi Quartet”, the project features only original jazz compositions with which, in 1999, he recorded the CD “Distanze”. In May 2001, with his quartet, he composed the album “Muah!”, published in 2004 with two special guests: Rick Margitza and Antonello Salis. In 2004 he became a member of the Italian National Jazz Orchestra. In 2005 he took part in the “PMJO” Parco Della Musica Jazz Orchestra of Rome’s Auditorium, conducted by Maurizio Giammarco, with which he played all over the world. During his career he participated in the making of various cinema and TV soundtracks with the best Italian masters such as E. Morricone, P. Piccioni, R. Serio, M. De Sica etc…
Aldo Bassi’s website can be seen here
