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Giancarlo Schiaffini's "Rhapsody For Billie" To Premiere Acclaimed Composer In First-Ever Los Angeles Performance

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Westwood - On June 26 at 7:30 p.m., Italian “new jazz" composer and brass master, Giancarlo Schiaffini, will appear in his first-ever Los Angeles engagement at the Italian Cultural Institute for the local premiere of his haunting, original multimedia tribute to jazz legend Billie Holiday, “Rhapsody for Billie." The ensemble piece includes Schiaffini on trombone, tape, Silvia Schiavoni, voice, and Ilaria Schiaffini, images (multivision). The public is invited and attendance is free of charge, but seating is limited and reservations are required.

About “Rhapsody for Billie" Schiaffini says, “It is not a celebration. We just tried to touch Holiday's meaning of pain, of joy. I chose some of Lady Day's most famous and characteristic songs and rearranged and revised them according to our sensibility. The songs are interspersed with acted solos for voice, an imaginary Holiday stream of consciousness. The piece should be considered a living performance, using free improvisation, and images based on original photographs of Billie and her life are intrinsic to this work on stage."

Schiaffini is one of Italy's most important contemporary composers and is renowned for his trombone and tuba virtuosity. Associated with breakthrough bands such as the well known Italian Instabile Orchestra (including award-winning film composer, Ennio Morricone), and the Gruppo Romano Free Jazz in the 1960s, Schiaffini's playing and compositional skills have altered the new music landscape with the expressiveness of his tuba and trombone, his imaginative use of electronic elements, and improvisational technique.

He was born in Rome in 1942 and graduated in Physics at the University of Rome in 1965. Self-taught, he appeared as soloist in the first free-jazz concerts in Italy and subsequently presented his own compositions widely beginning in the 1960s. In 1970 he studied at Darmstadt with Stockhausen, Ligeti, and Globakar and formed the contemporary chamber ensemble Nuove Forme Sonore. He also worked with Franco Evangelisti in 1972 and has since collaborated with the Gruppo di Improvvisazione di Nuova Consonanza until 1983. In 1975 he founded the Gruppo Romano di Ottoni performing Renaissance and Contemporary music. At present he teaches at the Conservatorio “A. Casella" in l'Aquila and at the Summer Courses of Siena Jazz. He also teaches Contemporary Music, Jazz and Improvisation in clinics and seminars around the world. He has been recording since 1973 and his music has been published by BMG, Curci, Edipan, and Ricordi. His treatise on contemporary trombone technique is published by Ricordi.

The Italian Cultural Institute is the cultural office of the Italian government and offers a wide range of programs in visual arts, film, music, design, cuisine, and language. This program is presented in cooperation with the Italian Culture Heritage Foundation.

News From The Italian Cultural Institute
CONTACT: Susan Anderson or Tina Fanelli 310-443-3250

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