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Ada Montellanico

Ada Montellanico is one of the most important, innovative singers and composers of the Italian jazz scene.

She has collaborated with the likes of Jimmy Cobb, Lee Konitz, Paul McCandless, Enrico Peranunzi and Enrico Rava, enjoying great success with both critics and audiences at many of the most prestigious Italian and international jazz Festivals. She is a performer with a warm and sandy voice, a researcher of unusual and original repertoire and she is able to find a magical fusion between Italian language, jazz and improvisation.

The most important milestone of her career was in 1996 when she recorded "L'altro Tenco" with Enrico Rava.

Her deep sensibility in singing less famous songs of the Italian songwriter Luigi Tenco in a new way, shows an incredible ability to get her intimate world closer to the narrative needs. The research aimed at blending the refined songwriter's tradition with the Afro-American language, led to important recording sessions for albums such as "Ma l'amore no" (1997) and "Danza di una ninfa", produced for Egea Lebel in 2005, with Enrico Pieranunzi. The latter CD represents a very important event, since it marked the first time that four of Tenco's unpublished poems were set to music by Montellanico and Pieranunzi, with the endorsement of Tenco's family.

In 2006 she published her book "Quasi sera, una storia di Tenco", a biography of the Italian songwriter. The originality, the expertise and her sensibility as woman and singer allowed her to her to make this book successful with great reviews from the critics.

In 2008 two important CDs came out "Il sole di un attimo" where the Roman artist stands out not only as an extraordinary performer but also as an original and sensitive composer.

In the same year, she was featured of the prestigious collection "Jazz Italian 2008" published by an important magazine, L'Espresso, with an original live recording session of her "Tribute to Billie Holiday". In 2012 "Suono di donna" came out for Incipit/ Egea label, a cross project that is dedicated to women composers. Ada on this occasion showed herself with a big and innovative group, as a brass band with an original sound, featuring a great musician and arranger Giovanni Falzone.

In January 2017, Abbey's Road was published for Incipit Records, a passionate tribute to a legendary artist such as Abbey Lincoln. An album of great maturity in which Ada addresses compositions that belong to the most committed repertoire of Lincoln as those related to the fight for civil rights. Also on this occasion she chose an atypical formation for a voice, a group without harmonic instruments. The artistic relationship continues with Falzone who again collaborates in the double role of trumpet player and arranger. The talented young Filippo Vignato on the trombone, Matteo Bortone on the double bass and Ermanno Baron on drums are added to the ensemble. The project received an extraordinary reception from the public and critics and was welcomed by many important Italian jazz festivals.

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Ada Montellanico and Maria Pia De Vito at Giuseppe Verdi Conservatoire

Read "Ada Montellanico and Maria Pia De Vito at Giuseppe Verdi Conservatoire" reviewed by Antonio Baiano


Photos from two concerts held at Giuseppe Verdi Conservatoire, Torino, on July 23rd featuring Italian singers Ada Montellanico and Maria Pia De Vito and their quartets; closing concert for La Vie en Rose Festival. ...

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