Jacopo Martini, born in Florence in 1975, approached music when he
was about twelve years old, through the violin, an instrument he
later left for devoting himself to the guitar.
From 1996 to 1998 he was educated by Flavio Cucchi, who was a
teacher at the Mascagni Institute in Leghorn. Then Jacopo continued
his studies at the Florence Conservatory by attending the classes
run by Alfonso Borghese (guitar) and Riccardo Riccardi (composition).
In 1999 Jacopo Martini moved for a short period to Rome, where he
established an intense educational relationship with the guitarist
Dario La Penna.
Later on he participated to many seminars with important musicians
such as Jim Hall, David Liebman, Barry Harris, Ralph Tonwer and Joe
Diorio.
In 2000. during a trip to France, Jacopo fell in love with the
Manouche music, by playing and learning this style straight by the
gypsy guitarists in the northern area of France, for example Matcho
Winterstein, Angelo Debarre etc. Since then his way of playing has
been deeply influenced by the gypsy phrasing, in particular by the
characteristic expressiveness of Django Reinhardt, the terrific
guitar genius that by now is well-known.
Likewise Jacopo Martini started his activity as a concert performer,
at first among the ranks of «Hot Club de Florence», an historic
Florentine band. Not long after he began to collaborate with jazz
musicians of the Tuscan area, Alessandro Fabbri, Mirco Guerrini,
Alessandro Dipuccio, Franco Nesti, Nico Gori, Barbara Casini, Piero
Borri, Simone Santini, Alessandro Galati etc.
In addition, from 1998 to 2001, he played as a band leader in
several jazz ensembles («Booldrum», «Duke of Abruzzi Big Band» etc.).
In 2003 he cooperated as a band leader and composer with the singer
Tiziana Ghiglioni, and the violinist Emanuele Parrini (a former
Jacopo’s coworker for a long time in «H.C.F.»), to carry out a CD,
Rotella Variations, issued by Splash Records. Attention was called
on it at «Top Jazz 2003», a jazz music event.
Jacopo Martini recorded So long Flores, again with Tiziana Ghiglioni,
for the same label, by playing with Tino Tracanna, Beppe Caruso and
Riccardo Bianchi.
He has cooperated in the ensemble led by Alfio Antico, a Sicilian
percussionist, by playing at several international festivals.
In 2004, along with Tony Scott, Tiziano Tononi, Giancarlo Schiaffini,
Roberto Andreucci, Franco Nesti and Dimitri Grechi Espinoza, Jacopo
Martini recorded 1974 io so, the first CD the violinist Emanuele
Parrini has dedicated to the Italian poet Pier Paolo Pasolini.
At some stage of the same year Jacopo Martini brought about his
soloist project along with Nico Gori, Emanuele Parrini, Antonello
Salis, Francesco Federici and Nicola Vernuccio, by incorporating a
sound that ranges over the Manouche tradition and utilizing, however,
a common idiom through various style influences.
By means of this project he has recorded his first disc as a band
leader.
Up to now Jacopo Martini has collaborated with the main Italian and
foreign jazz exponents, such as Gianluigi Trovesi, Erico Rava,
Stefano Cocco Cantini, Franco Cerri, Fabrizio Bosso, Claudio Fasoli,
Lee Konitz, Giancarlo Schiaffini, Claudio Fasoli, Tiziano Tononi,
Alfio Antico, Tino Tracanna, Alberto Tacchini, Matcho Winterstein,
Tony Scott, Tiziana Ghiglioni and Antonello Salis.
He plays
regularly in manifold modern jazz bands and at the same time
performs an intense concert activity with groups in his name.
| Concert Activity: |
|
1998 |
Florence - San Salvi - Chille della Balanza Association (Renato Cordovani, Mirko Sabatini and Luigi Mosso) |
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1999 |
Florence, Cascine Amphitheater (Renato
Cordovani Ensemble) |
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|
2001 |
Turin - Django Reinhardt Festival (with
Hot Club de Florence) |
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|
|
2002 |
Milan - AH UM Festival (presentation of the CD:
Rotella Variations) |
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|
|
2004 |
Genoa. Expo 2004 (with Tiziana Ghiglioni)
|
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Selinunte - Omaggio a Pino Veneziano (with
Alfio Antico Quartet) |
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Palermo - (Polizzi Generosa) - Festival
la Macchina dei Sogni (with Alfio Antico Quartet) |
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Florence - Fabbrica Europa (Alfio
Antico) |
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|
|
2005 |
Pietrasanta (Lucca) - Tredicesima Nota (Jacopo Martini Quartet) |
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Praiano (Salerno) - Festival delle Tradizioni (with
Alfio Antico Quartet) |
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Bisceglie (Bari) - Mediterranean Festival (with
Alfio Antico Quartet plus Tullio De Piscopo) |
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Florence - Pinocchio Jazz Club (Martini Strings Trio) |
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Florence - Rassegna Jazz & Co. (Hot Club de Florence)
|
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Barga Jazz (Monk Project by Franco Nesti) |
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Pisa, Verdi Theater - Festival Instabile Orchestra (T. Ghiglioni,
G.Trovesi and E.Parrini) |
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Florence - Stazione Leopolda - Festival
Fabbrica Europa (T.Scott, E.Parrini) |
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French Consulate - Grenoble Institute
(Jacopo Martini Quartet) |
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EUR Roma - Palazzo dei Congressi - Radiotre RAI:
Live Radio Broadcast (Jacopo Martini Quartet) |
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|
2006 |
Lucca Jazz Donna (Titta-Nesti Quintet) |