Trio Marzi, Zanchini, Zannini
The versatility and virtuosity of Mario Marzi, refined and remarkable soloist in perfect identity with the voices of his saxophones, the emotional charge of Simone Zanchini, accordionist of the most interesting and innovative on the international scene, whose research among the many music places flows into a personal approach to the subject improvised, the piano incisive and always available by Paolo Zannini who offers himself as interlocutor ready and relevant…this is All directions.
The project born from the desire to share the music of artists, who starting from distinctly popular musical phenomena, achieved the definition of a universal language, filtering and synthesizing their experiences in more sophisticated and unmistakable personal writing.
“…The fusion-union of our different musical experiences seemed to be the ideal mirror in which to search for a meeting point between emotion, instinct and personal research. Music helped to strengthen our friendship, by repeating once more that it is very special art and that it has no frontiers or fences because it lives with an incredible force, the freedom…”
Mario Marzi
Winner of nine national and four international competitions, has performed with the most important symphonic orchestras, amongst them the “Orchestra Sinfonica RAI di Torino”, “Accademia naz. di Santa Cecilia”, “Arena di Verona”, “Teatro Comunale di Firenze”, “Teatro alla Fenice di Venezia”, “Orchestra della Svizzera Italiana” and the “Caracas Symphony Orchestra”.
Since twenty years he has been working with the “Teatro alla Scala” and with the “Filarmonica della Scala” under the baton of the nowadays leading conductors R. Muti, C. M. Giulini, G. Prètre, L. Maazel, L. Berio, S. Bychkov, G. Sinopoli, W. Sawallisch, M. W. Chung, G. Dudamel, C. Abbado, R. Chailly and D. Harding.
He often plays with Mr. Riccardo Muti and is regularly invited to join Mr. Zubin Mehta and the “Orchestra del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino” on concert tours.
He has played at famous national and international festivals such as the “Biennale di Venezia”, “Settembre Musica”, “La Scala di Milano”, “Accademia Filarmonica di Roma” or the “Ravenna Festival”. Other concerts took place in Salzburg, Athens, Madrid, Saint Petersburg and Mexico City as well as in prestigious halls and theatres such as in the “Carnegie Hall” in New York, the “Suntory Hall” in Tokyo, the “Gewandhaus” in Leipzig, the “Musikverein” in Wien, the “Schauspielhaus” in Berlin, the “Lacma Museum” in Los Angeles, the “Grand National Theatre” of China-Beijing, the “European Parliament” in Brussels, the “Ciajkovskij Hall” in Moscow and the “Liceu” in Barcelona etc.
He devoted himself to XXth century repertoire and some of the most meaningful contemporary works for saxophone are dedicated to him.
He has recorded for EMI, Edipan, Stradivarius, Agorà, BMG and Sony Classical. His CD of the major saxophone concertos for soloist and orchestra, which he recorded with “G. Verdi Symphony Orchestra” conducted by H. Schellemberger, was recently released in Italy by Amadeus and is now internationally released on ARTS (München). He is Rico’s endorser.
.Marzi teaches saxophone at “G. Verdi” conservatory in Milan, gives post-graduate courses and master classes in Oporto, Amsterdam, Lisboa, Frankfurt, Beijing, Wien, London, Washington, Sydney, Denver and Caracas, within the Abreu’s project (El Sistema).
Member of the jury in the main competition for the saxophone, including Dinant in 2010, he is responsible for Italy of Gerry Mulligan’s Publisher. He is also author of several educational scores for Carisch.
His book Il Saxofono Zecchini Ed. was published in October 2009.
Simone Zanchini
Considered one of the most interesting and innovative accordion player on the international scene, his research moves between the boundaries of contemporary music, acoustic and electronic sound experimentation, mixing together experiences and super-refined influences issuing in an absolutely personal approach to improvisation materials. Eclectic musician, performs an intense concert activity with groups of diverse musical backgrounds (improvisation, contemporary music, jazz, classical). Graduated with honors in classical accordion at the Conservatory G. Rossini in Pesaro.
He has performed in several Festivals in Italy (Clusone Jazz, Umbria Jazz, Tivoli Jazz, Jazz in the Time-Berchidda, Sant’Anna Arresi, Barga Jazz, Mara Jazz, Jazz-in’it, Ravenna Festival, Rossini Opera Festival, Siena Jazz, Roccella Jonica etc.) and in the mainly international Festivals (France, Austria, Germany, England, Holland, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Slovenia, Croatia, Macedonia, Spain, England, Norway, Russia, Tunisia, Lebanon, India, Venezuela, Japan, etc.).
He has collaborated with many internationally renowned musicians from different musical backgrounds such as: Thomas Clausen, Gianluigi Trovesi, Javier Girotto, Marco Tamburini, Massimo Manzi, Tamara Obrovac, Krunoslav Levacic, Vasko Atanasovski, Paul Fresu, Antonello Salis, Han Bennink, Art Van Damme, Bruno Tommaso, Ettore Fioravanti, Mario Marzi, Michele Rabbia, Andrea Dulbecco, Giovanni Tommaso, Gabriele Mirabassi, Frank Marocco, Bill Evans, Adam Nussbaum, Jim Black. Since 1999 he collaborates with the Soloists of the Orchestra of Teatro alla Scala in Milan, with this group he toured regularly.
Aside from musical performances and reasearch, Zanchini leads also accordion’s workshops and collective impro.
He recorded more then twenty albums since 1995.
Some of the last are: 2006 Be-bop Buffet (Wide Sound) a duet with Frank Marocco, a model of the Bebop language expressed with the accordion.
2009 Better Alone…! (Silta Records) a solo project where prove all tone colours of his instrument through the use of a particular midi accordion, live electronics and laptop, in the same year he published also Fuga per Art Jazz 5et (DodiciLune Records), the unique tribute work of Zanchini, a tribute to his great Master and one of the greatest exponents of the jazz accordion: Art Van Damme.
2010 he published a new Project with Ratko Zjaca – guitar, Martin Gjaconovski – dbass and Adam Nussbaum – drums: The way we talk (In&Out Records).
In May 2012 has been released the latest Zanchini’s project: MY ACCORDION’S CONCEPT (Silta Records) a project built up on radical improvisation with the acoustic accordion and live electronics, a brave attempt to subvert the common code of expression through the accordion.
Paolo Zannini
He studied at the Istituto Musicale “G.B. Pergolesi” in Ancona, graduated from the Conservatory of Music “F. Morlacchi” of Perugia with the highest classification, honors and honorable mention. He studied with Aldo Ciccolini, Charles Rosen and Jeorg Demus.
Awarded in important national piano competitions he has received prestigious prizes especially in chamber music where, in a duo with Mario Marzi, won 12 international and national competitions.
Eclectic pianist has performed in solo recitals and with numerous and various chamber groups for the major Italian and foreign musical associations, playing in the United States, Germany, France, Austria, Luxembourg, Spain, Portugal, Latvia, Hungary and Lebanon; as a soloist, he performed concerts of Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, Gershwin, Ellington with the Italian International Orchestra, the Orchestra ProArte Marche, the Veneta Philharmonic Orchestra, the Symphony Orchestra Rossini in Pesaro.
Since 1998 he is member of the ” Ensemble Strumentale Scaligero “, chamber group formed by soloists of the Orchestra of “La Scala” in Milan; with this group, for which also he plays the role of arranger, held over two hundred concerts playing several times in the Seasons of the Teatro alla Scala in Milan, for the concert seasons of the most important Italian theaters, at international festivals and on tour in Japan, Russia, Switzerland, Romania, Poland, Lebanon.
He has recorded for Stradivarius, Delos, Arts, Velut Luna, Agorà, Bottega Discantica programs ranging from classical to contemporary music, from the twentieth century music to Argentine tango, from Gershwin to the integral work “Gradus ad Parnassum” by Muzio Clementi realized together with nine other renowned Italian pianists and performed in a historical “marathon-concert” for “ Serate Musicali” in Milan.