Lorenzo Tucci

He's one of the most valued drummers in the international jazz scene, distinguishes himself for his expressive pathos and his capability in spreading the teachings of the great masters (Art Blakey, Philly Jo Jones, Elvin Jones, Tony Williams, Max Roach) of the past to the new generations, using a personal style which underlines all of his versatility. His great passion for jazz music and drums began since he was really young but it quickly grew up at the end of the eighties, thanks to the meeting with Horacio “El Negro” Hernandez, notable Cuban drummer who had already played with Dizzy Gillespie, Gonzalo Rubalcaba and Michel Camilo. This gave to Lorenzo the opportunity of gaining knowledge of the infinite facet of the Latin American rhythmic. After a few years he met Ettore Fioravanti and he started following the summer courses at "Berklee School of Boston" in Perugia. In ’96 he won the national jazz contest in Baronissi (SA) with the Emanuele Basentini Quartet and in the same year he subscribed to the “Europe Jazz Contest” in Bruxelles, winning the first price with the Rosario Giuliani Quartet. The official debut with this quartet took place in the recording studio, where five albums by this Italian saxophonist were produced under several labels such as Philology, Dreyfuss Jazz e Schema. 2001 is the year of his first album as soloist “Sweet Revelation” gathering around him artists such as Pietro Lussu, Daniele Scannapieco and Dario Rosciglione. Thanks to all of these experiences Lorenzo Tucci had the opportunity of meeting those musicians who become not only perfect partners in the recording studio, but also true friends with whom he shared both a pleasant walk of life and an artistic interplay, especially in live performances. Nicola Conte (for whom he played in all of his albums), Gianluca Petrella, Javier Girotto, Flavio Boltro, Rosario Giuliani, Pietro Lussu, Fabrizio Bosso, Daniele Scannapieco, Pietro Ciancaglini and Luca Mannutza. With the last four mentioned he gave birth to the High Five Quintet, a true “war machine” of rhythm, swing, melody and improvisation, appreciated in the festivals of all around the world. Five jazz aces going wild on the four albums, two of these under the Blue Note and the others under the Via Veneto Jazz. In 2004, together with Pietro Lussu and Pietro Ciancaglini, LTC trio project was born. Two albums under their belt, the first one produced with the participation of Mark Turner and the second one under the Finnish Ricky-Tick label, which achieved a great success in Japan by the critics and the fans. In 2006, thanks to an idea by Luciano Cantone, the art director and owner of Schema Records, Lorenzo Tucci and the other musicians from the High Five Quintet were acquainted with Mario Biondi. After just two days of sessions they conceived a perfect mix of swing, pop and blues. “Handful Of Soul”, arranged by Luca Mannutza, reached the n° 1 spot on the official sales chart. Mario Biondi & The High Five Quintet went over big among clubs, festivals, radio and TV appearances. Despite his ever-increasing engagements, both on stage or in studio, in 2007 Lorenzo Tucci managed the time for publishing a new album as soloist, a declared homage to Thelonious Monk: “Drumonk”. If we consider it as a record dedicated to a pianist, this work bucks the trend, as it was recorded without the utilization of the piano. By his side we find Fabrizio Bosso and Pietro Ciancaglini. In the same year it also came the participation of Lorenzo to “You’ve Changed”, the new album by Fabrizio Bosso, produced in collaboration with a string ensemble and published by Blue Note. A record which brings to the fore both some standards of the Italian auteur-music and the great classics revisited in a jazz key. Among the various and important guests we mention Sergio Cammariere, Stefano Di Battista and Dianne Reeves. 2008 represents an important year for Lorenzo Tucci. First of all this is because of a new collaboration that amplifies his great passion for latin-jazz, and then because it finally comes the idea of a new soloist project. I’m talking about “Latin Mood”, conceived by Javier Girotto and Fabrizio Bosso, and “Sol”, which is the title of the record and the proof of an inventive and original way of treating tango and milonga in a jazz key. Lorenzo Tucci’s ambition prompted himself to produce and play a record entirely composed of his songs, relying upon Schema Records’ production. This new album, which contains arrangements and orchestrations close to those ones belonging to the glorious Clarke-Boland Big Band, moreover honoured with six reinterpretations of great classics of its, consists of a well-balanced mix of jazz, funk, bossa nova, latin, dance and pop, with a strong groove and a flawless swing. The musicians performing in the record are among the most appreciated ones in both the Italian and international scene: Fabrizio Bosso, Pietro Lussu, Gianluca Petrella, Nicola Conte, Luca Mannutza, Daniele Scannapieco, Max Ionata, Pietro Ciancaglini, Paolo Recchia, Luca Florian e Gianfranco Marchesi. Their notes meet the voices of Alice Ricciardi and the very young Walter Ricci, a talented singer discovered by Lorenzo Tucci and considered as a new white hope of the Italian adult pop scene. In “Touch” we mention the never-ending groove of “Please Don’t Leave”, “My Kind’A World” and “The Sky”, which bears the signature of Lorenzo, the cheerfulness of “Lilemor” or “Ensadinado”, and the funk warmth in “Tropicola”, originally composed by the genial mind of the French Nino Nardini. With “Touch” we are in front of a work which mixes up music similarities, jazz moods and music experiences even different, surprisingly manipulated by the talent, the delicacy, the coloured “touch” of Lorenzo Tucci.