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Ennio Morricone

Ennio Morricone was born in Rome on 10 November 1928. His long artistic career includes a wide range of composition genres, from absolute concert music to applied music, working as orchestrator, conductor and composer for theatre, radio and cinema. In 1946, Ennio received his trumpet diploma and in 1954 he received his diploma in Composition at the Conservatorio di Santa Cecilia under the guidance of Goffredo Petrassi. He wrote his first concert works at the end of the 1950s, then worked as arranger for RAI (the Italian broadcasting company) and RCA-Italy. He started his career as a film music composer in 1961 with the film Il Federale directed by Luciano Salce. World fame followed through the Sergio Leone westerns: A Fistful of Dollars (1964), For a Few Dollars More (1965), The Good, The Bad and The Ugly (1966), Once Upon a Time in The West (1968) and A Fistful of Dynamite (1971).

In 1965, Morricone joined the improvisation group Nuova Consonanza. Since 1960, Morricone has scored over 450 films working with many Italian and international directors including Sergio Leone, Gillo Pontecorvo, Pier Paolo Pasolini, Bernardo Bertolucci, Giuliano Montaldo, Lina Wertmuller, Giuseppe Tornatore, Brian De Palma, Roman Polanski, Warren Beatty, Adrian Lyne, Oliver Stone, Margarethe Von Trotta, Henry Verneuil, Pedro Almodovar and Roland Joffè. His most famous films (other than the Italian westerns) include: The Battle of Algiers; Sacco and Vanzetti; Cinema Paradiso; The Legend of 1900, Malena; The Untouchables; Once Upon a Time in America; The Mission and U-Turn. His absolute music production includes over 100 pieces composed from 1946 to the present day. Titles include Concerto per Orchestra n.1 (1957); Frammenti di Eros (1985); Cantata per L’Europa (1988); UT, per tromba, archi e percussioni (1991); Ombra di lontana presenza (1997); Voci dal silenzio (2002); Sicilo ed altri frammenti (2007); Vuoto d’anima piena (2008). In 2001, Ennio Morricone began a period of intense concert activity, conducting his film music and concert works for symphony orchestra and polyphonic choir in more than 100 concerts across Europe, Asia, USA, Central and South America.

During his long career, Ennio Morricone has also received many awards. As well as the Golden Lion and the honorary Oscar he was awarded in 2003, he has been presented with eight Nastri D’argento, five BAFTAs, five Oscar nominations, seven David Di Donatellos, three Golden Globes, one Grammy Award and one European Film Award. In 2009, the then President of the French Republic, Nicolas Sarkozy, also signed a decree appointing Morricone to the rank of Knight in the Order of the Legion of Honor.

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Building a Jazz Library

Ennio Morricone: Fabled Hoard Of 1970s Library Music Reissued

Read "Ennio Morricone: Fabled Hoard Of 1970s Library Music Reissued" reviewed by Chris May


Practically unobtainable since their release by RCA Italy in 1972, the ten albums which make up Ennio Morricone and Bruno Nicolai's Dimensioni Sonore: Musiche Per L'Immagine E L'Immaginazione are being reissued by Dialogo on October 30 2020. The new release plugs a chasm in the availability of classic-era library music, which at its best is an art form worthy of serious attention. It does not get more fascinating than on Dimensioni Sonore, which is regarded as the Holy Grail of ...

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Radio & Podcasts

Ennio Morricone + Betty LaVette, Gordon Grdina, Billy Martin & New Releases

Read "Ennio Morricone + Betty LaVette, Gordon Grdina, Billy Martin & New Releases" reviewed by Ludovico Granvassu


This week we pay tribute to the late Ennio Morricone the way we often do, through renditions of his memorable soundtracks performed by contemporary creative jazz artists like John Zorn, Bill Frisell, Marco Cappelli, Guano Padano, and Oddjob. We then check out some great new releases that cross borders, stylistic definitions and generations. Happy listening! PlaylistBen Allison “Mondo Jazz Theme (feat. Ted Nash & Pyeng Threadgill)" 0:00 Jeff Cosgrove, John Medeski, Jeff Lederer “O'Neal's Porch" History ...

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Festival

Jazzascona Holds Its 39th Festival Edition From June 22-july 1 In Ascona, Switzerland With Stefano Di Battista Presenting A Tribute To Ennio Morricone, Adonis Rose & New Orleans Jazz Orchestra Featuring China Moses, And More

Jazzascona Holds Its 39th Festival Edition From June 22-july 1 In Ascona, Switzerland With Stefano Di Battista Presenting A Tribute To Ennio Morricone, Adonis Rose & New Orleans Jazz Orchestra Featuring China Moses, And More

Source: ARE Group

After a much-appreciated post-pandemic edition that highlighted the official partnership between New Orleans and Ascona, JazzAscona looks forward with renewed momentum and optimism to its 39th edition from June 22 to July 1, 2023, which offers a rich program with approximately 300 concerts and 270 invited artists, with over seventy musicians coming directly from New Orleans. New Orleans will again be the keystone of a program that promises to be full of emotion and nuances. The program will reintroduce a ...

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Recording

Saxophonist Patrizio Destriere Releases 'Portrait Of Ennio' - A Tribute to Ennio Morricone

Saxophonist Patrizio Destriere Releases 'Portrait Of Ennio' - A Tribute to Ennio Morricone

Source: Danilo Bazzucchi

Originally composed by Ennio Morricone for the 1971 film Sacco and Vanzetti, the music of this 1970s masterpiece is rearranged by the jazz quartet in an original and modern version thanks to the almost hip-hop modal and rhythmic sounds in the central part. The suite ends with the famous Here's to you, which became famous thanks to the contribution of Joan Baez who wrote the text as a hymn to freedom and freely inspired by Vanzetti's statements in prison. In ...

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Recording

Ennio Morricone & Bruno Nicolai Dimensioni sonore – Musiche per L’immagine e L’immaginazione (Dialogo) - Available October 30, 2020

Ennio Morricone & Bruno Nicolai Dimensioni sonore – Musiche per L’immagine e L’immaginazione (Dialogo) - Available October 30, 2020

Source: All About Jazz

One of the most 'hidden' and sought after releases of all times is finally getting a due repress: a work of epic proportions, Ennio Morricone's and Bruno Nicolai's Dimensioni Sonore has been eluding collectors and affectionate listeners for about 50 years. Last copies. Limited Collector Edition which comes complete with 10LPs, 10CDs, a 48-page LP-sized book in English, an exclusive large poster, screen-printed tote, all housed in a handmade (in Italy) custom lavish linen box. Edition of 200 copies. Special ...

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Recording

Ennio Morricone 2010 Tour and Deluxe Box Set

Ennio Morricone 2010 Tour and Deluxe Box Set

Source: Michael Ricci

“No other film composer has shaped music as unmistakable as Ennio Morricone“ - Morag Reavley, BBC

Italian composer and conductor Ennio Morricone, who has composed some 400 motion picture scores over a 45-year career embarks on a European tour this spring.

The highly prolific composer has worked with virtually every major international director of the last half-century. Morricone has earned five Academy Award nominations for original score -- for Days of Heaven (1978), The Mission (1986), The Untouchables ...

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Performance / Tour

Ennio Morricone Tours Europe 2010

Ennio Morricone Tours Europe 2010

Source: Michael Ricci

Italian composer and conductor Ennio Morricone, who has composed some 400 motion picture scores over a 45-year career embarks on a European tour this spring.

The highly prolific composer has worked with virtually every major international director of the last half-century. Morricone has earned five Academy Award nominations for original score for Days of Heaven (1978), The Mission (1986), The Untouchables (1987), Bugsy (1991) and Malena (2000).

While the bulk of his work has been on Italian films, including The ...

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