Giorgio Gaslini (Italian pronunciation: [ˈdʒordʒo ɡaˈzliːni]; 22 October 1929 – 29 July 2014) was an Italian jazz pianist, composer and conductor.[1][2]

Giorgio Gaslini
Photograph of Giorgio Gaslini in his late twenties
Giorgio Gaslini in 1957
Background information
Born(1929-10-22)22 October 1929
Milan, Italy
Died29 July 2014(2014-07-29) (aged 84)
Borgo Val di Taro, Parma, Italy
GenresJazz
Occupation(s)Musician, composer, conductor
InstrumentPiano
Websitegiorgiogaslini.it

He began performing aged 13 and recorded with his jazz trio at 16. In the 1950s and 1960s, Gaslini performed with his own quartet. He was the first Italian musician mentioned as a "new talent" in the Down Beat poll and the first Italian officially invited to a jazz festival in the USA (New Orleans 1976–77). He collaborated with leading American soloists, such as Anthony Braxton, Steve Lacy, Don Cherry, Roswell Rudd, Max Roach, but also with the Argentinian Gato Barbieri and Frenchman Jean-Luc Ponty. He also adapted the compositions of Albert Ayler and Sun Ra for solo piano, which the Soul Note label issued. He also composed the soundtrack of Michelangelo Antonioni's La notte (The Night, 1961).

From 1991 to 1995, Gaslini composed works for Carlo Actis Dato's Italian Instabile Orchestra, and was the first holder of jazz courses at the Santa Cecilia Academy of Music in Rome (1972–73). As to contemporary music, he composed symphonic works, operas and ballets represented at the Scala Theatre in Milan and other Italian theatres, in addition to film scores, including Bali (1970), Your Hands on My Body (1970), Cross Current (1971), The Hassled Hooker (1972), The Night of the Devils (1972), So Sweet, So Dead (1972), When Women Were Called Virgins (1972), Five Women for the Killer (1974) and Kleinhoff Hotel (1977). In 1975 he was contacted by Dario Argento to score Deep Red, having previously scored Argento's The Five Days in 1973. Argento was disappointed by the music, and only three of Gaslini's original themes were retained.

Gaslini died at 84 in Borgo Val di Taro, in the province of Parma, where he had been living for years together with his longtime wife and 14 dogs and cats.[3]

Discography

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As leader

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Recording date Title Label Year released Notes
1966-02 Nuovi Sentimenti La Voce Del Padrone 1966 With Don Cherry and Enrico Rava (trumpet), Steve Lacy (soprano sax), Gianni Bedori (alto sax, flute), Gato Barbieri (tenor sax), Kent Carter and Jean-François Jenny-Clark (bass), Aldo Romano and Franco Tonani (drums)
1967? New Sound Jazz #2 Cinevox 1967
1968-04,
1968-06
Il fiume Furore I dischi del sole 1968
1968? Grido Durium 1968 In concert
1969? Un quarto di vita Durium 1969 with I Nuovi Angeli and Edmonda Aldini
1969? Newport in Milan Produttori Associati 1969 with big band
1970? Africa ! Mikrokosmos Produttori Associati 1970
1972? Una cosa nuova Produttori Associati 1972
1973-03 Message BASF 1973
1973? Favola Pop Reportage Da "L'Isola Di Utopia" Produttori Associati 1973
1973-10,
1973-12
Fabbrica occupata Produttori Associati 1974 Co-led with Jean-Luc Ponty
1973-11 –
1974-07
Colloquio con Malcolm X PDU 1974
1976? Canti di popolo in jazz PDU 1976 Co-led with Bruno Tommaso
1976? Jean-Luc Ponty meets Giorgio Gaslini Produttori Associati 1976
1976-01 Murales live Dischi della Quercia 1976 In concert
1976-04 New Orleans Suite Dischi Della Quercia 1976 Quartet, with Gianni Bedori (tenor sax, soprano sax), Julius Farmer (electric bass), John Vidacovich (drums)
1977-06 Free Actions Dischi Della Quercia 1977 Sextet, with Gianni Bedori (tenor sax, soprano sax), Gianluigi Trovesi (alto sax, soprano sax, bass clarinet), Paolo Damiani (bass), Gianni Cazzola (drums), Luis Agudo (percussion); in concert
1977-11 Graffiti Dischi Della Quercia 1978 [2LP] Sextet, with Gianni Bedori (tenor sax, soprano sax), Gianluigi Trovesi (alto sax, soprano sax, bass clarinet), Paolo Damiani (bass), Gianni Cazzola (drums), Luis Agudo (percussion); in concert
1981-05 Gaslini Plays Monk Soul Note 1981 Solo piano
1984-07 Schumann Reflections Soul Note 1984 Trio, with Piero Leveratto (bass), Paolo Pellegatti (drums)
1987-10 Multipli Soul Note 1988 With Roberto Ottaviano (alto sax, soprano sax, sopranino sax, bass clarinet), Claudio Fasoli (tenor sax, soprano sax), Bruno Tommaso (bass), Giampiero Prina (drums)
1990-07 Ayler's Wings Soul Note 1991 Solo piano
1990-03,
1990-09,
1991-03,
1991-06
Masks Soul Note / Musica Jazz 1992 With orchestra
1994-01 Lampi Soul Note 1994 With Daniele Di Gregorio (vibes, marimba, percussion), Roberto Bonati (bass), Giampiero Prina (drums)
1996-02 Jelly's Back In Town Dischi Della Quercia 1996 With orchestra
1996-07 Mister O Soul Note 1997 With orchestra
1995-05,
1997-06
Ballets Soul Note 1998 With strings
2000-06 Sacred Concert. Jazz Te Deum Soul Note 2002 In concert with orchestra
2000-09,
2001-03,
2001-04
Enigma Soul Note 2001 Partially in concert (2000–09).
With Proxima Centauri Orchestra.
2002-05 Il Brutto Anatroccolo Il Manifesto 2005 with Orchestra Jazz della Sardegna
2002-06 Urban Griot Soul Note 2003 With Proxima Centauri Orchestra; In concert
2003-09 Plays Sun Ra Soul Note 2005 Solo piano
2003-11 Elle Velut Luna 2004
2006? Musica Totale Azzurra 2006
2007-01 Jazzitaliano Live 2007 Casa Del Jazz 2007 Trio, with Roberto Bonati (bass), Roberto Dani (drums, percussion); in concert
2007-05 Ellaura Velut Luna 2007 With Laura Conti
2011-05 Piano Solo: Incanti Cam Jazz 2011 Solo piano; in concert
2013-12 Piano Works Stradivarius 2013 Alfonso Alberti (piano)
2015-09 Murales Promenade Stradivarius 2016 Alfonso Alberti (piano), Yoichi Sugiyama (conductor), Haydn Orchestra Of Bolzano And Trento

Compilations

  • L'Integrale, Anthologia Cronologica No. 1, No. 2 (Soul Note) – rec. 1948–1964
  • L'Integrale, Anthologia Cronologica No. 3, No. 4 (Soul Note) – rec. 1964–1968
  • L'Integrale, Anthologia Cronologica No. 5, No. 6 (Soul Note) – rec. 1968–1969
  • L'Integrale, Anthologia Cronologica No. 7, No. 8 (Soul Note) – rec. 1973–1974
  • Giorgio Gaslini: Sinfonico³ (Velut Luna, 2010) – classical rec. 1992, 1997, 1999, 2008, 2009
  • Gaslini sinfonico 4 (Velut Luna, 2014) – classical rec. 1999, 2011, 2013

Main sources:[4][5]

As sideman

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With Mario Schiano

  • Jazz a confronto 8 (Horo, 1974)

Selected filmography

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  • La notte (1961)
  • Le sorelle (1969)
  • Le tue mani sul mio corpo (1970)
  • La pacifista (1970)
  • Incontro d'amore a Bali (1970)
  • Un omicidio perfetto a termine di legge (1971)
  • Quando le donne si chiamavano madonne (1972)
  • Il vero e il falso (film)|Il vero e il falso (1972)
  • La notte dei diavoli (1972)
  • Rivelazioni di un maniaco sessuale al capo della squadra mobile (1972)
  • Le cinque giornate (1973)
  • Profondo rosso (1975) (with Goblin)

References

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  1. ^ Santi, Piero; Mazzoletti, Adriano; Zenni, Stefano (2002). "Gaslini, Giorgio". In Barry Kernfeld (ed.). The new Grove dictionary of jazz, vol. 2 (2nd ed.). New York: Grove's Dictionaries Inc. p. 21. ISBN 1-561-59284-6.
  2. ^ "È morto Giorgio Gaslini, pianista e compositore: una vita per la musica" (in Italian). la Repubblica. July 29, 2014. Retrieved July 29, 2014.
  3. ^ "È morto il musicista Giorgio Gaslini" [Musician Giorgio Gaslini has died]. la Repubblica (in Italian). July 29, 2014. Retrieved January 11, 2015.
  4. ^ Cook, Richard; Morton, Brian (1996). The Penguin Guide to Jazz on CD (3rd ed.). Penguin. pp. 487–488. ISBN 978-0-14-051368-4.
  5. ^ Cook, Richard; Morton, Brian (2008). The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings (9th ed.). Penguin. pp. 533–535. ISBN 978-0-141-03401-0.
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