By Coralie Mevs
ROME, Nov. 28 - For the past month, the Orchestra Nazionale Italiana del Jazz has been performing across Rome, holding concerts at schools, theaters, music clubs and institutional authorities. Last
night, the orchestra made a quick stop to John Cabot University's Aula Magna auditorium.
The orchestra was founded in 2003 by Enrico Castiglione, one of the most famous producers of theatrical musicals of his generation, and it is promoted by the Italian Ministry of Culture.
Under the direction of composer, saxophonist and conductor, Angelo Schiavi, the band on Tuesday night performed a concert entitled ‘American Big Bands’, aiming to revive original compositions of some jazz masters such as Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Stan Kenton, Bill Holman, Neal Helti, Claus Ogerman, Quincy Jones, Thad Jones, Oliver Nelson, Gerry Mulligan, and Gil Evans.
The compositions chosen were taken from the 20s to the 60s, reconstructing the epoch in which Jazz was sliding into the ‘Be Bop’ style.
The concert opened with a dedication by Schiavi himself, paying tribute to Sammy Nestico, composer and arranger of big band music and one of the biggest collaborators of the County Basie Orchestra. Schiavi ended his introduction by telling an anecdote of an encounter he had with a 13-year-old-boy after one of his performances. The teenager told Schiavi that he was going to replace school with Jazz lessons because he had never heard such beautiful sound.
The orchestra's beautiful sounds will continue touring Rome; next stop is Thursday, Nov. 29 at the
‘Caffe Italiano’ Via di Monte Testacio, performing ‘From Bop to Modal’
at 10 p.m. and on Friday, Nov 30 at ‘Felt’ Via degli Ausoni 84,
perfoming ‘A Tribute To Sammy Nestico’ at 10 p.m.
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