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Fabio Marziali

Born in a small village in the center of Italy, alto saxophone player (and doubler on flute, clarinet and piano) Fabio Marziali comes from a large family with practically no music background or interest. He started playing the piano at the age of 8 and moving to saxophone at 10 years old joining the local marching band. At the age of 14 he was accepted at the Conservatory of Fermo, where he began studying classical saxophone, the so called French school. Four years later his first encounter with live jazz music, thanks to a masterclass hold by an Italian saxophone player coming from Berklee College, Maurizio Caruso. From that moment he started to study improvisation and jazz tradition mainly by himself, as around there were no jazz schools, no jazz players and no youtube. Only his saxophone, his piano, some jazz albums and a lot of curiosity, passion and a dream.

17 years later, on June 2017, his dream came true. Fabio recorded an album of his own compositions with a stellar band in New York, in one of the best recording studio (Big Orange Sheep), accompanied by Jonathan Kreisberg on guitar, Glenn Zaleski on piano, Mat Clohesy on double bass and Colin Stranahan on drums. The album is called “Windows and Lights” and it had being released in February 2018.

After completing the classical saxophone degree in 2004 (with 9.5/10) Fabio went to the most important jazz clinics in Italy (Umbria Jazz, Siena Jazz, Roma Jazz and others) and started performing live and touring locally with different bands. He decided to challenge himself participating to jazz contests, as soloist and with his quartet, and the results were beyond expectation as he won “Premio Massimo Urbani” Camerino (previously won by Rosario Giuliani, Stefano Bollani and other important Italian rising stars), “European Jazz Contest” Roma, “Giovani in Jazz” Bergamo, “Fara Music Live Contest” Fara in Sabina, and some minor ones.

Thanks to “Fara Music Live Contest” his quartet, the Unicam Jazz Quartet, was able to record an album with Jonathan Kreisberg as guest star: “Don’t be afraid” was released in 2013 by EmmeMusic label. “The Unicam Quartet is a talented group of jazz musicians making very creative music in Italy. I had a great time recording with them on some of their brilliant tunes and I expect to hear more great things from them in the future” Jonathan Kreisberg

In 2012 Fabio moved to Amsterdam as he was accepted to study at the Amsterdam Conservatory for a 2 years jazz saxophone master program, first Italian to complete such a course. He studied saxophone and jazz language with Ferdinal Povel and Jasper Blom, clarinet with Albert Beltman, flute with Raymond Honing and piano with Berend van de Berg. He played regularly in Holland’s clubs and festival with dutch and international musicians (Bimhuis Rough Diamonds Festival, NEL cafè, Cotton Club, 16cc cafe, BIRD, Dizzy Jazz Club, etc…) and in Italy too (Casa del Jazz, Fara Music Festival, Bergamo in Jazz, Baronissi in Jazz, TAM jazz festival, Fano Jazz by the sea, Jazz di Marca, 28Divino, Musicamdo Jazz Festival, Gregory’s, etc….).

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Album Review

Fabio Marziali: Windows and lights

Read "Windows and lights" reviewed by Friedrich Kunzmann


It all started out in a small Italian village near Fermo, roughly two decades ago. It was there, at the age of 18, when Fabio Marziali experienced his first live jazz concert and was immediately hooked for good. Then and there the idea was born, to one day record with great jazz contemporaries in a studio in New York. Alas, twenty years later in the summer of 2017, Marziali finally gathers together some of the most talented musicians of his ...

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Recording

Italian Alto Saxophonist Fabio Marziali Brings Some Hard Swingin' With "Windows And Lights"

Italian Alto Saxophonist Fabio Marziali Brings Some Hard Swingin' With "Windows And Lights"

Source: Scott Thompson Public Relations

Burnin' new release! Fabio Marziali Windows and lights—NY 5et features guitarist Jonathan Kreisberg Born in a small village in the center of Italy, alto saxophonist (and multi-instrumentalist: flute, clarinet and piano) Fabio Marziali comes from a large family with little interest in music. Yet he started playing the piano at the age of eight and moved on to saxophone at age 10, joining the local marching band. At 14 years-old he was accepted to the Conservatory of Fermo, where he ...

"The Unicam Quartet (lead by Fabio Marziali) is a talented group of jazz musicians making very creative music in Italy. I had a great time recording with them on some of their brilliant tunes and I expect to hear more great things from them in the future!" Jonathan Kreisberg

"I assure you that from now on we will be hearing always more about the UNICAM JAZZ QUARTET, composed by a saxophone player and also composer, Fabio Marziali, with a fluid and incisive phrasing...." Paolo Piangerelli - Philology

"In NEW HOPE it comes a fresh quartet from Camerino's university and then named UNICAM JAZZ QUARTET. It is led by lyric saxophonist Fabio Marziali, alto and soprano saxs, and prolific composer.....high quality band, that is collecting many awards." Maletto - Musica Jazz

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Primary Instrument

Saxophone

Willing to teach

Intermediate to advanced

Clinic/Workshop Information

My clinic is based on a research project I worked on during my master degree at the Amsterdam Conservatory titles "Can a saxophone play like a guitar?". From its introduction section: It is common for jazz guitar players to study solos and take inspiration from the great saxophonists from the past, like Lester Young, Charlie Parker, Sonny Rollins, John Coltrane, or modern ones like Kenny Garrett, Chris Potter, Michel Breaker just to name a few, but it much less common for saxophone players to be interested in discovering the language of guitar players

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