Born: November 17, 1956 Primary Instrument: Sax, soprano
Enzo Favata is one of the most active and best known Sardinian musicians on the Italian and international music scene, having played more than 2,000 concerts the world over. His research weds tradition and modernity and ranges between different musical cultures. He has studied classical and jazz saxophone, plays the soprano, sopranino and tenor sax, and the bass clarinet, as well as other ethnic wind instruments, above all from Sardinia ” he is also a capable user of electronics, that he utilises together with acoustic instruments.
He has played and recorded with Dino Saluzzi, Miroslav Vitous, Dave Liebman, Enrico Rava, the Art Ensemble of Chicago, Django Bates, Lester Bowie, Flavio Boltro, Michel Marre, Tenores di Bitti, and many others.
His concert-playing experience was flanked by production of sound tracks, working for RAI, radio and television, dance and the theatre. He has designed and realised sound environments for museums and exhibitions.
1997 collaboration with the virtuoso of the Argentine bandoneon, Dino Saluzzi. This is immortalised on the CD “AJ'”, recorded with an acoustic quintet, the music of which deals with memories of emigration from Sardinia to Argentina. 1998 “VOYAGE EN SARDAIGNE” was released by Il Manifesto publications ” the first musical work by Enzo Favata to be entirely dedicated to Sardinia. In this work the sax player involves 32 musicians with some of the most important figures in Sardinian folk music. The disc was an unexpected sales success ” more than 20,000 copies were sold. 1999 a new CD was recorded for Il Manifesto: ATLANTICO jazz quintet. The CD was released in November and sold more than 16,000 copies. 1999 first version of BOGHES AND VOICES, a show based on the sacred music of Sardinia, ranging from the ancient to the new, with the participation of Dino Saluzzi with the A Concordu Choir of Castelsardo. 2002 the CD “BOGHES AND VOICES”, published by Symphonia, met with excellent reviews in the Italian press that defined it “the Mediterranean reply to J. Garbarek’s Officium and Hilliard Ensemble”. 2003 the CD “MADE IN SARDINIA” was produced for CC&c records, a German label, with a presentation by the noted German jazz critic Ulrich Ohlshausen, 2004 the Nu Tango Compilation was released by London’s Union Square Music. The greatest exponents of new Argentine tango and international names are present, such as Mercedes Sousa, Gotan Project, and Winton Marsalis. E. Favata was the only European artist present with the track “La milonga del Sol” . 2004 he played in the festival Musica sulle Bocche and at Sant’Anna Arresi with Miroslav Vitous and David Liebman. 2004 Quintetto Atlantico toured South America: six crowded concerts between Argentina and Brazil in important theatres. In Buenos Aires collaboration with Dino Saluzzi was renewed in the form of a concert at the Recoleta. 2004 CD “CROSSING”, an anthological double album dedicated to the music of E. Favata, recorded over 15 years of live concerts around the world 2005 production of “VOYAGE EN SARDAIGNE PER GRANDE ORCHESTRA” a new repertory and arrangements for symphonic orchestra, jazz quintet, tenores voices (Tenores di Bitti) and launeddas, together with Metropol Orkest, the Orchestra of the Dutch National Radio. 2005 third tour in South America this time in duo with Daniele di Bonaventura 2005 CD for Splash record NO MANS LAND, for jazz electric sextet 2006 Fourth tour in Brazil, in Recife plays with the Quintet Violao, one of the most important groups in the northeast Brazilian 2007 CD THE NEW VILLAGE Enzo Favata tentet with Tenores di Bitti Tour in Kuwait Tour in Croazia Many concerts in Italy/Slovenia
2007 Award for the best soundtrack at the International Movie Film Festival Fantasy and Horror of Estepona in Spain with the film “The seer” (Luigi Desole)
2008 wrote the soundtrack of the film Sonetaula of Salvatore Mereu in competition at the 2008 Berlin Film Festival / Tour in Morocco / Tour in Brazil / Jazz Festival in Romania / Italy / Slovenia / Germany /
Enzo Favata’s recordings are distributed in Europe, the United States and Japan.
