Chick Corea-Stefano Bollani: there is even a record called, unsurprisingly, Orvieto. The meeting between one of the most important modern jazz pianists and the exuberant, eclectic Italian virtuoso, aroused the interest of one of the most exclusive record labels, Manfred Eicher’s ECM, whose star performer is the famous jazz pianist Keith Jarrett. Chick and Stefano first met at the Perugia Jazz Festival, where they immediately hit it off, with the Italo-American pianist won over by his fellow musician’s verve and sensitivity.
This year’s festival was completely dominated by Italian artists, and apart from Bollani, a number of other combinations of Italian jazz artists performed for the public: there was Paolo Fresu, a master of the trumpet increasingly influenced by the teachings of the great Miles Davis; the highly-talented Gianluca Petrella (highly thought of by the readers of the prestigious American jazz review Down Beat); there was also an inspired Danilo Rea, drummer Roberto Gatto dominating his overpowering instrument, another excellent pianist, Dado Moroni, the agile sax-playing of Rosario Giuliani, and the Quintorigo band specialized in rearrangements of Charles Mingus’ music.
