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Riccardo Del Fra

Riccardo Del Fra was born in Rome, Italy in 1956. He studied double bass at the Conservatorio di Frosinone with Franco Petracchi and Franco Noto. Collaborations with the RAI - Radio-Television Orchestra for jazz concerts, TV programs and recordings of movies soundtracks ( Federico Fellini's "The City of Women" - music by Louis Bacalov, Liliana Cavani's "The Skin" - music by Lalo Schifrin, etc.). He played with several italian groups (Piana-Valdambrini, Enrico Pieranunzi) as well as with american soloists coming to Italy. He met Chet Baker in 1979. In the '80s he moved to Paris, France.

His collaboration with Chet lasted about 9 years - 12 recordings (Chet Sings Again, Mr.B, C.B. Live at the Ronnie Scott's, C.B. at the Capolinea, etc.) and many films (Chet's Romance by Bertrand Fevre) and videos (Live at the Ronnie Scott's).

RDF has also played with Art Farmer, Dizzy Gillespie, Art Blakey, Sonny Stitt, Lee Konitz, James Moody, Tommy Flanagan, Horace Parlan, Clifford Jordan, Vernell Fournier, Al Levitt, Michel Legrand, Alain Jean-Marie, Kenny Wheeler, Paul Motian, Dave Liebman, etc. He has been the regular bassist for various bands (Barney Wilen, Johnny Griffin, Bob Brookmeyer, etc.).

In 1989 he records "A SIP of YOUR TOUCH" with Art Farmer, Dave Liebman, Rachel Gould, Enrico Pieranunzi and Michel Graillier. This recording was dedicated to Chet Baker and received many awards. In the 90's, a new period starts for him, dedicated to the study of analysys, orchestration and composition with french contemporary classical composers as well as with Bob Brookmeyer in Köln. RDF wrote "Silent Call" for string orchestra and jazz quartet for the Paris Jazz Festival in 1992, "Volo sul Lago" for jazz septet and Symphony Orchestra in 1994, "Inner Galaxy" for tenor saxophone, double bass and cello ensemble for the Festival de Flandre in Antwerp, Belgium, in 1995, etc.

In 1996, he turned his talents to traditional music. His meeting with breton singer Annie Ebrel gave birth to a very special duo (acclaimed and awarded CD "Voulouz Loar - Velluto di Luna" has been a best seller in its field). They have performed all over France and Europe as well as in Russia, eastern Europe, Scandinavia and Canada. RDF composes music for the cinema movies, specially for the director and actor Lucas Belvaux ("Pour Rire"- 1996, The Trilogy, "Un couple Epatant", "Cavale", "Après la Vie", "Nature contre Nature", "La raison du Plus Faible" (The Right of the Weakest" - 2006).

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Album Review

Chet Baker: Live In Paris

Read "Live In Paris" reviewed by Stefano Merighi


A un certo punto arriva un'anonima bossanova, “Arbor Way" di Rique Pantoja, e lì ci sono cinque minuti di assolo di Chet Baker che ti avvolgono con un calore disarmante, che ti ricordano che cos'era quella sua vulnerabilità adamantina, quella sua sapienza oracolare, del tutto estranea al sistema del jazz allora imperante, quello degli “young lions" vestiti alto-borghesi, neo padroni di una lingua morta eppure machista e vincente. Siamo nel febbraio 1984, a Le Petit Opportun a Parigi, ...

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Album Review

Chet Baker Trio: Live In Paris

Read "Live In Paris" reviewed by Chris May


Aside from a new album by a favourite musician, few things hold so much promise as the release of a previously unavailable recording—and if it comes up to expectations, rather than being a barrel-scraping exercise, one has lucked out. Live In Paris: The Radio France Recordings 1983 -1984 hits the sweet spot. Available as a 3 x LP box set from April 23, 2022, which is Record Store Day, and a week later as a 2 x CD box, these ...

Album Review

Riccardo Del Fra: Moving People

Read "Moving People" reviewed by Angelo Leonardi


Per Riccardo Del Fra la musica ha un valore descrittivo e come scrive nella presentazione del disco: For me, to compose is to transmit meaning. Anche se è noto che i codici musicali hanno un labile contenuto semantico, le dieci composizioni di questo suo nuovo progetto hanno comunque il potere di evocare emozioni e derivano da un'urgenza espressiva molto sentita dal contrabbassista. Ogni brano è stato ispirato dalla moltitudine di uomini in movimento (con tutte le tragedie connesse) in quest'epoca ...

Album Review

Riccardo Del Fra: My Chet My Song

Read "My Chet My Song" reviewed by Neri Pollastri


Non ancora sessantenne e dai primi anni Ottanta residente a Parigi, ove da molto tempo insegna al conservatorio, il contrabbassista romano Riccardo Del Fra ha alle spalle una carriera di grande spessore, iniziata con l'incontro, nel 1979, con Chet Baker, insieme al quale ha suonato per nove anni realizzando dodici album. E al grande e tormentato trombettista è dedicato questo lavoro, registrato tra il dicembre del 2013 e il febbraio dell'anno successivo, ma scaturente da un progetto avviato nel 2011. ...

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Moving People, the inspired Suite of Riccardo Del Fra - Ted Panken

Album MOVING PEOPLE - The music is beautiful and generous, capable of inflecting our feelings and exalting them. Kurt Rosenwinkel, Tomasz Dabrowski, Rémi Fox, Jan Prax, Carl-Henri Morisset and Jason Brown marvelously serve the beautifully melodic world of Riccardo Del Fra – a composer of great sensitivity who never ceases to fine-tune his moving (in both senses of the word) and always extremely lyrical music. Jean-Paul Ricard

Primary Instrument

Bass, acoustic

Location

Paris

Credentials/Background

Teacher and head of the Jazz Department at the Conservatoire de Paris (France) http://www.conservatoiredeparis.fr/en/disciplines/les-disciplines/les-disciplines-detail/discipline/jazz-et-musiques- improvisees-1er-2e-et-3e-cycles-superieurs/

Photos

Music

Recordings: As Leader | As Sideperson

Live In Paris

Elemental Music
2022

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La Note Bleue

Elemental Music
2021

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Moving People

Cristal Records
2018

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My Chet My Song

Cristal Records
2015

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