Mauro Ottolini won the 2012 Top Jazz prize as the best jazz musician in Italy. Italian Ottolini is a jazz trombonist, tuba player and composer too.
Ottolini, born in 1972, is a classically trained trombonist who was formerly with the Verona arena orchestra. He gave up the classical scene to pursue a career in jazz. Ottolini has trained under the guidance of Bill Booth in Los Angeles and has worked with with the likes of Grace Jones, Gino Vannelli, Emy Stewart, and Joe Bowie, and many others.
Vocalist Vanessa Tagliabue Yorke, who you’ll hear shortly, has an impressive voice. Despite her non Italian sounding surname, Yorke is Italian born. She’ll get an article dedicated to her vocal skills another time. If you listen to her, I think you’ll understand why.
Jazz is very popular in Italy, even if you could be forgiven for thinking Italians chatting about jazz are into aircraft seeing as ‘jazz’ in Italian is ofttimes pronounced ‘jets’.
Aside from the legendary and very popular Umbria Jazz, Rome has its own jazz festival as do many other regions, towns and cities around Italy. For those who can’t make it to Umbria Jazz summer and winter editions, there’s always the Turin Jazz festival which is held in April and May – or just hunt around for other jazz events in Italy. There is no shortage of jazz in Italy.
Right. Music time.
Stop reading, start speaking
Stop translating in your head and start speaking Italian for real with the only audio course that prompt you to speak.
Here’s Ottolini doing his jazz trombone stuff at Umbria Jazz Winter 2012/2013 show. Oh, look out for the madman playing rubber toys!
BUSTER KEATON BLUES – Mauro Ottolini Sousaphonix with Vanessa Tagliabue Yorke
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VpYJnkdQTlY[/youtube]
Now there’s this fun jazz animation for which Ottolini composed the music.
Mauro Ottolini & SOUSAPHONIX “Working Man Blues”
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HLpfAVWfhw4[/youtube]
There, I hope you enjoyed all that jazz. Keep an eye out for Ottolini’s name when checking out those jazz fests in Italy.
Which is your favorite jazz festival in Italy?
For more info, albeit in Italian, on Ottolini, there’s his website: Mauro Ottolini and the obligatory Facebook page: Mauro Ottolini on Facebook.