June 16th, 2008

I'm very satisfied about my recent asian tour... I played in one of the few Thai jazz clubs named the Jazz Pit in Pattaya, and then moved on to Tokyo, Japan. In Tokyo I found gigs thanks to my friend and manager Mr. Otaka, who hooked me up with old and new friends, like drummers Tommy Campbell and Yoichi "Monky" Kobayashi among others. With them I played clubs like Body and Soul, B Flat and Smalls Matsudo, and with singer Kyoko Yokoama I had a great night at Tokyo Club. I also have met many excellent young jazz musicians (and tap dancers too!) and I gave clinics to an array of students. I am always delighted by the honest , kind and friendly way most people treat me in Japan, I think westerners should take notes, haha! Now I'm back in the Big Apple always playing with great musicians. My own quartet will be at Fat Cat on june 28th and july 9th, and at Smalls on July 31st, always with the great vibraphonist Christos Rafalides, check us out if you are in NY!

Apr. 11th, 2008

This year I've partecipated so far to two very nice singer's recordings, one was Antonio Barbagallo's new work titled Splendida Luce ( but still being mixed), recorded at Micheal Brorby's studio with saxophonist Stacy Dillard, pianist Craig Hartley, bassist Ugonna Okegwo, and drummer Chris Brown (With this band I've also repeatedly appeared at Kitano's and at 55 Bar in NYC).
The other recording was also very nice, led by singer Sarah De Leo with saxophonist Jay Collins and organist Brian Charette among others, and it was done at the now famous Systems Two in Brooklyn.
I am laying the ground for my next recording also, and I will probably end up using one of these excellent facilities. I am preparing a repertoire of jazz arrangements of neapolitan songs plus a few originals. If you wanna catch me live I'll be trying the new stuff at Fat Cat (75 Christopher st.) monday April 21st, with all excellent supporters: Craig Hartley on piano, Gregg August on bass, and drummer extraordinaire EJ Strickland. I hope to see some of you then!

feb.29th, 2008

Happy 2008 everyone, finally the Bush era is coming to an end, phew, that was a long wait !!
This winter I've played many interesting concerts in Germany, Austria and Slovakia (with the excellent drummer Joris Dudli) and Italy of course with pianists Dado Moroni (wow) or Danilo Memoli , Vito di Modugno (organ) and saxophonist Gaetano Partipilo.
Another nice confirmation from Italian Jazz came last weekend at NY club Birdland, where my first teacher Enrico Rava invited me to play a tune with him and Mark Turner (tenor) Stefano Bollani (pno), Larry Granadier (bass) and Paul Motian on drums! Thank you Enrico, I was honored... Next for me is Town Hall with the great tap dancer Tamango and Urban Tap, march 7th, i recommend this wild show!

dec. 1st, 2007

Yes it was really great playing at Nublu with Turbulence , Bean on drums ( Jeremy Clemons) , Taurus Mateen on bass, Theo Hill on keys and Kahlil Kwame Bell on percussion, forgettaboutit! They took no prisoners that night, thanks to the freedom we have in this kind of music. There is an excellent live recording from which I posted a short version of the tune Resolution on MySpace: please visit http://myspace.com/fabiomorgera.
Now I'm about to tour Europe with pianist Danilo Memoli and then Italy with my vibes trio: Christos Rafalides is at the vibraphone and Gianluca Renzi on bass (nice trio!), again please visit http://myspace.com/fabiomorgera for all the dates. Happy Holidays!

nov. 9th, 2007

Please visit http://myspace.com/fabiomorgera : I've been commuting between continents and the jet lag is accompanying me throughout the year... but thats the price I have to pay to keep things "cooking" , and thats satisfying. Now is the time for promoting my new cd Need for Peace, in New York on Thanksgiving night at Smalls, and next month in 3 cities in Italy, Rome, Florence and Bologna.
Also this month it will be exciting to have a new edition of my freejazzfunk band Turbulence at NUBLU on nov. 23rd, with Taurus Mateen on el. bass, Jeremy "Bean" Clemons on drums, Theo Hill on keys and Kahlil Kwame Bell on percussion. Fasten your seatbelts!!

sept 17, 2007

Sorry I havent written in a while, first of all the MySpace website demanding attention ( http://www.myspace.com/fabiomorgera), furthermore I've not been spending much time at home... This summer I've played two fantastic gigs in Austria ( Selfaalden festival) and Sardinia (S.Anna Arresi festival) with the Nublu Orchestra conducted by Butch Morris, who by the way used to play cornet and told me some valuable brass secrets... wow! Also I had the pleasure of performing in beautiful Singapore with british saxophonist Greg Lyons, in Florence with with another british, excellent pianist Robert Mitchell, and at IschiaJazz festival with my own group Turbulence ( besides other things).
Next monday sept. 24 I'll be again playing with Butch Morris at NUBLU in New York.
Also I have regular gigs every thursday at ISLAND in Astoria , Queens, with masterful vibraphonist Christos Rafalides, and I've booked my record release party ( the new album Need for Peace) at Smalls on Thanksgiving night, I hope to see some of you at the gigs!

june 7, 2007

Well, it's official: my new album NEED FOR PEACE is coming out this fall for the very respectable New York jazz label Smalls Records, and in Europe for the italian label Splasc(h).I hope everyone will like this work that took me long to prepare together with my engineer/partner Andy Heermans and that has wonderful guest singers: Krystle Warren, Miles Griffith and Antonio Barbagallo.
For those in New York I am performing tunes from the forthcoming album wednesday june 13th at Fat Cat with vibist Bill Ware, and my usual suspects Joseph Lepore on bass and Bruce Cox on drums, I hope you can make it!

may 17, 2007

Hi there, it's been a little while... I've been coming to terms with my musical schizophrenia: since I love both extreme calmness and exuberant chaos I decided I'm going to work on two distinct projects: the first is a lovely acoustic jazz combo including vibraphone and performing music from my forthcoming album Need for Peace ( to be released this fall!); the other is called Fabio Morgera's Turbulence, and will be influenced by Miles in the '70s, George Russell, Butch Morris, some sort of freejazzfunk, electric and dissonant. I am fortunate to be able to present both projects this month in New York: saturday 19 my "vibes 4tet" is performing at Fat Cat (75 Christopher st.) and the next saturday may 26 "Turbulence" is performing at Nublu (ave C bet. 5+4 st.). I hope to see some of you at the gigs, also at Nublu every monday I play with the Nublu Orchestra conducted by the masterful Butch Morris! Happy spring!

feb 22, 2007

In a couple of days I'm going back to the LoHo recording studio to put down two more tracks: a jazz romp called Emergency featuring my fratello Jason Jackson on trombone and another jazz song called Si Fa Sera performed in italian by singerAntonio Barbagallo. Bruce Cox on drums, Joe Ashlar on piano, Gregg August on double bass. If everything goes well these two songs will open my new album Need for Peace...
Also I'm going to Italy again, heres the dates:
march 3: Vicchio with Dario Cecchini group
march 5: Cantina Bentivoglio (Bologna) w/ D.Cecchini group
march 8: Velvet Underground (Castiglion Fiorentino (AR) w/ Bozorius Spectrum Project
march 11: Decamerone (Firenze) w/Borri & Santarnecchi
march 15: Officina23 (Firenze) w/ DJ Freddie
march 22: Bisceglie (BA) w/ D. Cecchini group
march 23: Marabu' (Napoli) w/ D. Cecchini group
march 24: Porto S.Elpidio (AP) w/ D. Cecchini group
march 29: Chet Baker (Bologna) w/ Bozorius Spectrum Project
march 30: Colle al d'Elsa w/ Bozorius Spectrum Project

dec 10, 2006

GRAMMY NOMINATION FOR GROOVE COLLECTIVE's LAST ALBUM "PEOPLE PEOPLE MUSIC MUSIC"!!
Not bad for a cd that was originally self-produced at a time when we were down and low! Maybe thats when one does the most qualitative work... Also I have the pleasure to announce the US release of my latest cd The Voice Within on Kufala records. Please visit the sites and order a few copies to be used as Christmas gifts, haha! Recently I've also recorded for guitarist Robert Mwamba's debut, in the company of great musicians like Lonnie Plaxico, Abraham Burton and Rodney Jones...
And I've joined the Afrobeat Collective led by ex Fela Kuti drummer Jojo Kuo, and performed for the first time at ZINC BAR. In a few days I'm off to Italy, heres the dates:
dec 19 Bologna: with Bruno Briscik and Owen Hart
dec 21 Firenze: Jazz Club as special guest
dec 28 Firenze: at Plasma with DJ Freddie
dec 29 Caivano,Napoli: with Mik Papadia and Dave Pettirossi at El Pampero
dec 30 Firenze: at Plasma with DJ Freddie
dec 31 Firenze: surprise new year's eve party!
Happy Holidays to everyone!


nov 22, 2006

Just came back from Greece again, I was invited by my longtime friend Yiorgos Fakanas to play some very difficult kind of greek fusion which we performed in Athens and also on the beautiful island Crete, where everybody is warm and relaxed, haha, just like the weather... Now I'm back in NYC preparing for my own gig at Fat Cat, with my "fratello"Jason Jackson on trombone, Joe Ashlar on piano, Gregg August on bass and Bruce Cox on drums, basically my usual amazing partners...
I will present some old and new tunes, many of which are originals.
Also some very good news : my latest work The Voice Whithin is being released by Kufala , and thats my first american label! I will soon make it available on this website as well, besides u can already find on amazon, cdbaby etc...
Ok this is all for now, happy Thanxgivin' and I hope to see u at Fat Cat this weekend!


sep 24, 2006

Hi everybody, I hope u all had a good summer! I gotta say mine was very busy and very special, july in Italy and France, and august in Japan with Tamango and Urban Tap, and also some freelance gigs with drummer Tommy Campbell around Tokyo in september. With Tamango I performed at the beautiful Sado island, and it was great to share the stage with KODO, an amazing japanese group of 50 members, performing on the huge traditional drums and much more, and every concert was drawing more than 2000 people!
In Tokyo I also gave clinics to some very attentive and talented students, concentrating on afroamerican and afrocuban rhythms. Yes I am also a music educator although I dont advertise much... By the way does anyone want to publish my Practical Method for Improvisation? Hehe...
Now I'm back in New York (jet lag!) and I will reunite with Groove Collective this thursday at SOB's, it's gonna be fun! And then on to Europe, heres the dates:
OCT 6-7 Half Note, Athens - GREECE
Oct 12 Half Note, Athens - GREECE
10/14 Mestsky Dum, Prerov - CZECH REP.
10/16 Lucerna Music Bar, Prague - CZECH REP.
10/17 OSTRAVA - CZECH REP.
10/18 Bayrischer Hof -MUNICH - GERMANY
10/19 Generalmusikdirektion - GRAZ - AUSTRIA
10/20 Muhle Hunziken - Rubigen
But just before leaving I'll have the pleasure of playing my first gig with the Roy Hargrove Big Band!
Thats on tuesday october 3rd at the Jazz Gallery, no need to say how excited I am about it...Hope to see u at the shows!


july 16, 2006

Thanks to all those who came to the NUBLU shows last weekend and enjoyed our crazy music, we had a blast! The best compliment was when my big infuence BUTCH MORRIS was at the show and cheerfully approved of my experiments ( which I've learned from him!). And big thanks to all the great musicians who participated: Me'Shell Ndegeocello, Mark Kelly, Lakeicia Benjamin, Avram Feifer, Dario Boente and of course my usual fantastic collaborators Joe Ashlar, Bruce Cox and Daniel Moreno!
Now in a couple of days I'm flying to Italy (and France) again, here are the dates:
july 21: with Quintessenz, Pescara
july 22: with Andrea Lombardini trio, Bollate Milano
july 26  - fete de la musique, Nice,FR -   Tamango's Urban Tap
july 28  - Antique Theatre , Vaison la Romain,FR -   Tamango's Urban Tap
july 29: F. Morgera Trio with Michele Papadia (organ) and Davide Pettirossi (drums) at ScusaMario in Florence
august 1: F. Morgera trio at Villa Celimontana, Rome
august 3: F.Morgera trio in Panzano in Chianti
august 5-6: with Norberto Tamburrino , Puglia
have a great summer and go to the beach if u can!


june 20, 2006

Just about to go on a european tour with GROOVE COLLECTIVE, heres the dates:
23/06 : London / Jazz Café
24/06 : Bielefeld / Bunker Ulmenwall
26/06 : Paris / New Morning
28/06 : Innsbruck / WM Stage
29/06 : Salzburg / Jazzit
30/06 : Vienna / Birdland
plus an extra gig july 1st in Padua, Italy, with young pianist Aisha Ruggeri, bassist Mark Abrams and drummer Owen Hart, should be fun! In New York I've had a great time lately, playing a live recording date with BUTCH MORRIS and the Nublu Orchestra, with Groove Collective at the J&R festival, with the great tap dancer Tamango and his fabulous Urban Tap at Highbridge Park, and jamming on mondays at ZINC BAR with Ron Afiff and other great musicians like Roy Hargrove, James Hurt, Eric Lewis, Robert Glasper, Essiett Essiett...wow! On my return I will have july 14-15 at NUBLU with Bruce Cox on drums, Joe Ashlar on keys and M'shell Ndegeocello on bass! Hope to see u at the shows!


may 10, 2006

Just back from Dublin, Ireland, where I had 3 nights with the great tap dancer Tamango, percussionist Bonga, plus four traditional Irish musicians and dancers. It was very hip to mix their tradition with our rhythm feel and jazzblues roots, a very interesting and exciting combination, and in fact the shows were sold out!
Next is the release party of GROOVE COLLECTIVE's new cd People People Music Music, for the legendary label Savoy!
. Thats on sat may 20 at Joe's Pub in Lower Manhattan, hope to see some of you then!


apr 5, 2006

I'm finally back from my frequent trips, New York is as always full of great music and I get to play with many a wonderful musician...
My steady spot for the moment is NUBLU, where I play on mondays with the Nublu Orchestra conducted by the masterful BUTCH MORRIS, an absolutely amazing happening, if u live in NYC u should definitely check it out! Also at Nublu we have our monthly party with DJFabrizio and company, thats on fri apr 21.
Then again comes my birthday, and what better way to celebrate then playing with my new band at the Ace of Clubs in New York? Thats on april 25th , coicidentally also release date of GROOVE COLLECTIVE's new cd People People Music Music, for the legendary label Savoy!
...I love New York.


feb. 9, 2006

Well happy belated new year to you all, I hope in a fun soccer world cup this year! Haha, I will be torn apart when they play USA-Italy, me being a citizen of both countries! But this is not a sport column so let me stick to the music... I had a chance to try the new tunes last december in Italy with my man MICHELE PAPADIA on organ and some of Italy's best drummers: Davide Pettirossi, Pietro Iodice and Fabio Accardi. I can see my music going to some kind of FreeJaazzFunk of sort... I might have been influenced by Butch Morris and also by saxophonist Jay Rodriguez, but I feel I'm finding a more confortable way of combinining the elements of my schizophrenia, haha!
Great news for GROOVE COLLECTIVE this year: our CD is coming out in the USA for the historic Savoy label! And this month we are going to to Mexico: 2 gigs - one in Guadalajara on the 16th at Hard Rock Live and Mexico city at Salon 21 on the 17th opening for Headless Torsos. Then february 24-25 @ Fat Cat in NYC my quartet (Joe Ashlar, Joseph Lepore, Bruce Cox) + singer extraordinaire KRYSTLE WARREN. We'll try out a mixed repertoire to present on march 1 at the Women Jazz Festival in Lucca, and march 3 at Pinocchio Jazz Club, Florence,Tuscany, Italy!
Then, later this spring... Tamango's URBANTAP!


dec. 2, 2005

Hi everybody, I'm getting ready to go to Italy again, here's the december dates:
15 Alexander Platz, Roma
16 OMI, Firenze
20 Salerno
21-22 Bourbon, Napoli
28 Catanzaro Jazzfest
29-30 Ottorino, Firenze
I will be playing with my man MICHELE PAPADIA at the Hammond B3 plus more keys, and with different very good drummers from the Boot... If you live in New York dont miss my last gig this year with the masterful BUTCH MORRIS this monday dec. 5 at NUBLU of course!


oct.29, 2005

Back to NYC from a short tour in France with GROOVE COLLECTIVE promoting our new cd People People Music Music that just came out over there. We played two nights in the ever fascinating city of Paris, I love the bookstands along the Seine, and the "bar brasserie" cafes at nearly every corner... Also Nancy has wonderful architecture ( and nice people too!) and we touched Rennes in Bretagne as well. The band sounds tight and I'm proud of it, we are also finalizing our american license, and that is a reward for the music we wrote and recorded when work was slow and we were laying low... Our next show is scheduled for november 5 at our usual New York venue TONIC. Also dont miss DJ Fabrizio's monthly NUBLU party on nov. 17! Hope to see u at the shows!

sept.23, 2005

The time spent in Italy was great, the shows successful, more and more people are getting to know my music, and The Voice Within is getting a lot of praise, to the point that I'll be featured on the cover of the october issue of Jazzmagazine!! Wow, my first time...
But now, its so good to be back in NYC! The weather is still warm and the music is better than anywhere else on earth... Last night for instance I hung out at my favorite place, ZINC BAR, sitting in with my brother Jay Rodriguez and hanging out with the big cats (Eric Revis, Tain Watts...). Tonite I'm already working again at my other favorite spot, NUBLU with the usual italian suspects DJ Fabrizio and Tommaso Cappellato on drums, its the best friday night party in the city! And on october 7 dont miss Groove Collective at TONIC,presenting tunes from the new cd People People Music Music. Hope to see u at the shows!


july 11, 2005

Hello music lovers,
Almost time to go overseas again! I'm very happy about the work done in the past few months in NYC, especially with BUTCH MORRIS Nublu Orchestra, GROOVE COLLECTIVE, with Andy Galore and Jeff"Tain"Watts too (God, those odd rhythms!), and moreover with my own new recording, NEED4PEACE, feat. KRYSTLE WARREN and MILES GRIFFITH; I had them sing together on the opening tune East River, they sound soo good! We are working on the final mix these days with Mr. Heermans, my engineer and co-producer. On july 24 i will begin an italian tour with BRUCE COX and MICHELE PAPADIA, heres the dates:
july 24 Rocce Rosse Jazz, Tortoli' (Nuoro)
25 Villa Celimontana, Roma
27 P.zza Ghiberti, Firenze
29 S.Niccolo', Firenze
31 La Colombaia, Forio d'Ischia
august 1 Bari
2-3 Taranto
4 castelsaraceno (PZ)
9 sabaudia
30 ponza
One last farewell to my New York friends will be at our NUBLU dance party with DJ Fabrizio this friday july 15 ... Have a good summer now!


june 10, 2005

So, what do u think? The lovely keyboard work on "Alleria" is courtesy of Barney McAll, long time Groove Collective companion... On Slave of Passion we have Jon Maron on el. bass, Bruce Cox on drums and special guest Stefano di Battista on alto, while Fourteen is with the basic trio... The album is "The Voice Within", soon available on this website!

june 5, 2005

Hello music lovers,
my friend 4MULA, besides being an excellent keyboardist and producer, is also helping me with this site (yes, he's a webmaster too!), so you will soon see some musical surprises on this very homepage... 4mula and I also formed a duo called BLACK OPIUM, together we write, record and perform some exciting funky tracks! Well, soon you'll get to hear those too...
But let me give you the big news, I've just finished recording my new cd NEED 4 PEACE, mainly ballads and bossas, with JOE ASHLAR on piano and keys, JOSEPH LEPORE on bass, and my man BRUCE COX on drums. Six of the numbers are actual songs, and they will be sung by my favorite singers, KRYSTLE WARREN and MILES GRIFFITH! But two of the songs are in italian so I sang them myself, with the support of my partner and engineer ANDREW HEERMANS... hmmm, not easy, but who knows, maybe you'll like my soft style ;-)
Unless I can find Antonio Barbagallo, a sicilian singer I admire but of whom I lost track, anybody know where he is? I would gladly give him this uneasy position... I'm talking about a very special song called "TI FIDI?", unusual and rather difficult to sing, nevertheless beautiful... The lyrics are made of syllables from the "movable do" solfege, and the melody follows those notes! I only provided good harmony and spacing, but the song came almost by itself, I couldnt believe it! The other titles are Accanto A Te, East River, Just Believe, Love @ First Site, Need 4 Peace, Valzerino, Thx 2 Art, Apulia, All Alone, the standard song Skylark, a funky version of Thelonious Monk's Friday 13th, and the beautiful Retrato Em Branco E Preto by Jobim, a tune that reminds me so much of when Chet used to play it... I will play some of those new tunes wednesday june 8th at BALDOVINO'S, a perfect setting for that repertoire! Also I'm very happy to have resumed my steady mondays with the Nublu Orchestra conducted by the masterful BUTCH MORRIS, and don't forget the IRMA party on fri june 17, all @ NUBLU of course!
Hope to see u at the shows!


may 11, 2005

Hi everybody!,
here I am back in NYC, just arrived from Italy where I had a very successful tour, got some new festival dates for july, and made steps to release my new album "The Voice Within" in Europe! This is really a special time for my career, and the best thing is that I'm back to practising playing, singing and writing!
First of all , the tour: I had my boy MICHELE PAPADIA on organ, MASSIMO MANZI on drums, and special guest saxophonist JD ALLEN, one of my favorites on the scene and long time friend of mine! We played throughout Italy, the highlights being the LA PALMA CLUB in Rome, where we also had the interactive action painting of FABIANA LUGLI, and the CROSSROADS FESTIVAL in Emilia-Romagna, where we opened for Steve Coleman & Five Elements. Also JD and I went to beautiful Apulia to perform and record with composer/pianist NORBERTO TAMBURRINO, although a few dates were cancelled due to the pope's death! So Norberto and I wrote and recorded a tune for the great pope John Paul II and of course we called it KAROL.
After JD left back to America I took some time with my dear family in Florence and I finally met in person with Domenico di Gregorio, a very dynamic man who owns the new label WIDE SOUND, he showed me the first ideas for the cd cover... needless to say i'm very excited about this release which btw could happen pretty soon.
Now I'm back and getting ready to perform with my jazz quintet at the new SMALLS in NYC, with JD ALLEN on tenor sax, JOE ASHLAR (aka Joe Rybczyk) on piano, JOSEPH LEPORE on bass and my man BRUCE COX on drums, come down and check us out this friday and saturday may 13-14 if u live in the NYC area! Other shows this month will be fri may 20 IRMA's party MELTING POT with DJ Fabrizio and Tommy Cappellato on drums @ NUBLU, and fri may 27 GROOVE COLLECTIVE at TONIC.
See u at the shows!


mar 13, 2005

JAZZITALIANO was a success, and especially for us at ZINC BAR, we had a great time! Italy's #1 drummer Roberto Gatto came everynight to sit-in with us and we got interviewed by RAI international and by italian and italian-american press... Also I had the privilege of being photographed by the great jazz photographer JIMMY KATZ, he's so cool he extended his time and gave me a free shoot in front of Charlie Parker's house on ave B! Here are my next engagements:
friday march 18 IRMA's party MELTING POT with DJ Fabrizio and Tommy Cappellato on drums @ NUBLU.
saturday march 19 I'm back with my jazzfunk trio at ICU bar (765 Washington st. @ W12th st.), Joe Ashlar (aka Rybczyk) on organ, Bruce Cox on drums.
saturday march 26 GROOVE COLLECTIVE at TONIC.
See u at the shows!


feb 22, 2005

Ah, its cold here in NYC! But at night all u have to do is going to yr favorite clubs, and there u'll find warmth and energy, this incredible energy that newyorkers bring with them everywhere they go, and so much great music! February has been great for me cuz I started playing regularly with some of BUTCH MORRIS ensembles, the Nublu Orchestra every monday at NUBLU and the Butchlandband every friday at Zebulon in Williamsburg. I love playing for Butch, he's a real master of improvisation! If u've never seen him u should definitely check him out! Right now i'm preparing for yet another task: I was asked to lead a band of Italian-Americans for the JAZZITALIANO FESTIVAL in NYC. The festival will be held in several jazz clubs of the big apple and will feature some of the best jazz from Italy, like fabulous trumpeters Flavio Boltro and Fabrizio Bosso or altoist Rosario Giuliani. My band will be playing at ZINC BAR on march 1,2 and 3 and will be made of excellent musicians: trombonist JASON JACKSON (he's black-italian!), pianist PETE MALINVERNI, and born italians MARCELLO PELLITTERI on drums and JOSEPH LEPORE on bass. If u live in NYC please come and join us!

feb 5, 2005

Hi everyone, it's been a while! I was touring in Italy, then took off to India, and now I've just come back from two performances at Grinnel College in Iowa with URBAN TAP. My vacation/exploration of the indian subcontinent was exceptional, so different from anything I'd ever seen, I have visited Mumbai, Goa, but it was in Karnataka that I've truly grasped a glimpse of real indian life. I was in Gokarna, a holy village visited by hindu pilgrims from all over India, blessed with many temples, many traditional celebrations, jungle vegetation,splendid beaches and perfect tropical weather. I've eaten delicious vegetarian meals and never had alcohol, but smoked plenty of charas with other hippies, haha! The culture is deeply religious, it seems like even human passions and desires are dimmed by spirituality, and to be "shanti" (quiet, tranquil) is regarded in high esteem. I've created an online PHOTO ALBUM for those of u who are curious (once u get to MyAlbumMaker page click the "back" button to watch the pics). Tonight I'm back in the New York loop already playing Tonic with GROOVE COLLECTIVE, more news later!

nov 23, 2004

Hello dear music lovers, this november has been a good month, especially because we were able to get our new party AFROHIP off the ground; in fact tomorrow wednesday 24 I'll be again at RHONE making it happen, together with DJ CADET and many special guests like rappers, singers, percussionists...
Then saturday 27 I'll be with GROOVE COLLECTIVE at TONIC, where we'll play tunes from our new album yet to be released...
After that I'm gonna get ready for Italy, see my folks for the holidays, and also tour with my steady organist MICHELE PAPADIA, and some of the best drummers currently working in Italy: JOHN ARNOLD, MASSIMO MANZI, and the young revelation GIOVANNI GIORGI. Here are the dates:
dec. 4 Pinocchio (Firenze)
dec. 9-10-11 The Club (Roma)
dec. 12 Tribeca Club (Parma)
dec. 18 Jazz Club (Arezzo)
dec. 19 Jazzonlive (Brescia)
dec. 21 Bizzeffe (Firenze)
After the holidays I will embark in another of my solitary explorations of the world, this time I'm going to India! I'll tell you all about it when I come back... Enjoy your holidays and many blessings for the new year! Yours truly, Fabio.


nov 5, 2004

Hi everybody! Bush has won the elections, but dont get bummed out, for the next four years we can still protest against the system as a whole, instead of accomodating to the lesser evil! So keep demanding peace and real democracy, the movement can only grow bigger now... I'm sure my friends will keep the faith, those who say meaningful things even during their musical performances, like Sabina and Didi of BRAZILIAN GIRLS, a great sounding band I've had the pleasure to start playing with @ NUBLU in the East Village of NYC, where they perform every sunday night. I have to say it is at that club that I get my most satisfactory musical experiences, for instance it was very exciting to play with the Nublu Orchestra conducted by the masterful BUTCH MORRIS, with whom I'm probably going to play regularly starting next year. It's amazing how he conducts the band improvising, giving directions about lenth of phrases, dynamics, registers, but leaving the choice of notes to the instrumentalists, all this over an extremely funky and powerful rhythm section with two drum sets, el. bass, two keyboards and several el. guitars! And last but not least the monthly party Melting Pot with DJ Fabrizio of IRMA and Tommy Cappellato on drums, still at Nublu, last month we had about 500 people! Also the west village has open its doors to me this month, I was asked to join DJ CADET in starting the new party AFROHIP at the beautiful club RHONE , if u live in NYC please come check it out this wednesday, it's free to get in, and if we have a good turnout we'll make it a weekly affair!

oct 19, 2004

Last weekend I had the pleasure to be part of the "Candela Festival", a series of event that includes DJ sets, live bands and visual art at several venues in beatiful Old San Juan, Porto Rico! I performed with the band Viva Maria, led by my friend bassist Mario Enser, and with several DJ's from NYC, like old friends Nickodemus, Mariano, Jephte Guillame and also with Rich Medina and others. I was delighted both by the friendliness of the portoricans and by the beauty of their island (although spoiled by the ubiquitous tall construction buildings, which represent a problem that should be dealt with before it's too late). Now that i'm back in the big apple I'm looking forward to our next party friday oct. 22 @ Nublu with DJ Fabrizio of Irma records, newyorkers see you then!

sept 4, 2004

Hello dear readers, I've just come back from overseas and I feel ready to restart city life with the right foot! In Italy i had a successful tour with my bands that always included the great philadelphian drummer Bruce Cox, much appreciated throughout our tour. We touched Florence, Cesenatico, Taranto and Florence again (no wonder, thats my headquarters!). later I took two weeks off and i ventured to one of my solitary explorations of the world... this time I went to Tunisia, spending most of the time in Mahdia, a small town blessed with a long beach and beautiful sea. There is much to say about this country and their people, who are a mix of berbers and arabs, about the contrast between islamic tradition and western trends, about the exploitation of the land and the lack of freedom, but also about the warmth and hospitality of arab people, and their strong sense of friendship and brotherhood, something newyorkers (and even modern italians) could develop furthermore... So I'm ready to cultivate my current friendships here in NYC, and to start working again with a calmer mind... Besides some behind the scene jobs that I enjoy very much like arranging and recording,I'll hit the stage again with Groove Collective at Tonic on the extremely significant date sept. 11, a good way to remember the innocent victims of the tragedy that opened this new century in the worst possible way, and to honor them not by blind revenge but by seeking the truth.

July 23, 2004

Groove Collective had much success in Mexico, both the Guadalajara and the Mexico city shows turned into real fiestas! I also took the opportunity to spend a few days in the small village Mazunte, one of the few beautiful beaches in the state of Oaxaca where the strong currents of the pacific do not actually sweep you out and away... just simple basic life and friendly people, what a relief compared to city life! Now I'm about to travel to Italy , where I'll perform a series of concerts in Firenze (july 29-30), Bologna (aug 1), Taranto (aug 3-4) and again Firenze (aug 7), this time I'm inviting the great drummer Bruce Cox, who has performed with the likes of Sonny Rollins, JJ.Johnson, Maceo Parker... I'm sure the italian audiences will love the rhythm and power of our shows... Have a good summer!

June 16, 2004

Hi everybody, I'm back in NYC, wow, it is HOT! I've successfully completed many tasks while overseas: an excellent swiss tour with Tamango's Urban Tap; Japan with Groove Collective; an italian tour with my man JD Allen on tenor, including a megaparty at Florence's racetracks with the Corvini-Iodice Big band; and the final touch to my new album, a solo on SLAVE OF PASSION by the great altoist Stefano Di Battista... Now I'm planning the next italian tour with my drummer extraordinaire Bruce Cox (already seen with the likes of Sonny Rollins, JJ Johnson and Maceo Parker), we should touch Florence, Taranto, Palermo, keep an eye on the South! Wow, it feels good to be back in NYC and go play soccer in Chinatown, haha! The radio online is KCSM nevertheless... maybe I'll go see Ravi Coltrane @ Zinc Bar tonite. Friday june 18 I'll b blowing @ nublu with DJ Fabrizio of Irma records, this time w/compatriot Tommy Cappellato on drums, hope some of u can make it. Coming up Groove Collective @Tonic next week and soon another MAKE MUSIC NOT WAR party !

Apr 20,2004

Happy Birthday Taurus! (and I am one). The good weather is finally here, at least here in NYC, and its "the promised kiss of springtime, that makes the lonely winter seem long", as the song goes... It has actually been a very fruitful winter, I've made three great albums! I've found a title for my last effort, it will be "The Voice Within"... hear it, follow it! Two new songs were added, my version of Pino Daniele's "Alleria", slower than the original with just flugelhorn and the luscious keyboard sounds of Barney McAll; and my own "Angel", with great work from guitarist Saul Rubin and harmonica wiz Gregoire Maret. So we are finally showing a vulnerable and romantic side too... Also my long time colleague Josh Roseman added some terrific trombone on the reggae Holy Ganja, he's amazing with that wah-wah mute! Last week executive producer Sergio Veschi and friends from Red Records were in town, I took them to Zinc Bar and they had a blast, many jazzmen were there, including Eric Lewis, James Hurt, JD Allen, Jason Jackson, all cats who've already recorded for them... they gave me some great news, our album Red Stars (with the great Victor Lewis on drums) is finally out in Europe and we just got distribution in the States too! Tomorrow I'm off to Switzerland for a 3 week tour with Tamango's Urban Tap, then Florence, Italy for a megaparty with Pietro Iodice Big Band + myself and JD Allen (I've written 3 arrangement in 3 weeks!). Also there might be one gig in Sapporo,Japan with Groove Collective at the end of May! Is that enuff work or what?

Mar 31, 2004

Listening to Clark Terry on WKCR, just soo wonderful... It was fun last weekend at BBKing's club on 42nd st. in Manhattan, Groove Collective opened for Oteil ( hope I'm spellin'it right), excellent bassist and singer from downsouth in the USA. I even sat in with him on the classic jazzfunk piece The Chicken, that Jaco used to play ... and meantime in the dressing room some hasidic guest musicians were smokin hash! I know, kind of hard to believe but, doesnt every religion have some sacred drug? For Catholics it's wine, for Aztecs it's peyote, for Rastafarians it's the holy ganja! Oh u have to hear the rap that my man Malik ( yes, the wonderful guy at Nublu ) recorded on my new album! Holy Ganja the Christ he says, haaaa! Its cool for the japanese, said my sound magician Andy Heermans, oh well, freedom of speech! Malik also sat in with my trio at Nublu last friday, he's got the energy , he's got the urge. Other fantastic guests on my album already include my man Jason Jackson on trombone, the amazing guitarist Saul Rubin, young prodigy keyboardist Joe Ashler, who's previously recorded with me as Joe Rybczyk jr, cellist Bruno Briscik, DJ Romain, and the young revelation Krystle Warren, i love her singing, her improvisational skills, and she's a songwriter too... do u remember when Norah Jones was singing with my band? Haha, I think I have good taste!

Mar 9, 2004

Yesterday it was International Woman's Day, and thats a day I've always loved, it brought several beautiful surprises and one excellent confirmation: it looks like I'm going to start recording my next cd in a matters of days! Now I dont mean to unveil everything about it before it's happening, but I can say the main feature will be the trio with Bruce Cox on drums and Jonathan Maron on el.bass, to which it'll be my pleasure to add several surprising guests... I told DJ Romain I'm gonna give him my "world" cd's to cut & scratch with, hehe... the titles are HOLY GANJA, SLAVE OF PASSION, DOWN WITH IT, FERTILITY DANCE, POSITIVE, POWER OF TRUTH, BALINESE, FOURTEEN and more! And many thanks to inventor Matt Shulman, an excellent trumpeter himself, for having made trumpet playing easier with his ShulmanSystem, a device that takes off a lot of stress from one's body, I recommend it to any trumpet player! The next gigs are march 24 @ BBKing's with Groove Collective and march 26 @ Nublu with my trio + DJ Fabrizio of Irma Records, hope to see some of you then! ciao!

Feb 9, 2004

It was nice writing sumthin sumthin 4 Groove Collective, and hanging at Boom Boom studio ( thats the name of the cat there, what were u thinking?) to help out finding solutions besides laying down horn sections and fiery solos... I liked very much the alto saxophone sound of my amigo Jay Rodriguez, he's got the whole span, from baritone up! Now I have to focus on being a good host for guitarist Pablo Bobrowicky, who's coming from Buenos Aires to Studio900 in NYC, and on producing his next recording for the italian Red Records label...I'm very honored, of course. So I provided a stellar rhythm section for him, Edward Simon, Eric Revis, Bruce Cox! I am arranging 3 beautiful tunes for the occasion, "Y Todavia La Quiero" and "Black Narcissus" by the great Joe Henderson, and "Plain Jane" by the great Sonny Rollins, and will join on flugel on those together with my man Jason Jackson on trombone and the young talent flautist from Israel Itai Kriss. Of course my man Hiro Sanada will be at the engineering board so we'll achieve a nice live2track sound, what more could I ask for? What? A Valentine?

P.S: check out the S.Francisco jazz radio KCSM on the net, very good quality and open minded


Jan 28, 2004

It's never too late to say... happy new year everyone! Hopefully this year 2004 will bring us more peace, prosperity and... a different american president! I'd go for the lesser evil, haha! Back to my smaller world, january has been very exciting, I was in Iowa with the spectacular Tamango's Urban Tap and I've been involved in recording Groove Collective's new cd, it's still in the works but so far it sounds really good... If u live near NYC u can see us live at Mercury Lounge saturday jan 31. Also on the day before (jan 30) I'm joining DJ Fabrizio's Irma records' party @ NUBLU , one of my favorite spots in New York (ave C bet 4+5 st), and I will bring my trio with bassist Francis Mbappe and drummer Bruce Cox, both world class musicians AND beautiful people, arent I blessed! I'm excited cuz I'm gonna be playing some tunes of mine that have been itching to be heard more often, namely Holy Ganja, Positive, Fertility Dance and the new one, Balinese... In general I'm much happier and excited about the future than before, maybe Jupiter in Virgo has finally kicked in and put an end to my middle-life crisis? If so I should also thank the great philosopher Henri Bergson, whose book Creative Evolution has injected more vitality in my life. So I hope to see u at the clubs! Peace , Love, Truth, always!

Dec 17, 2003

Yes it's been a while, and I've been back in the woodshed...But thanx again 2 my buddy "JJ" Jackson 4 his guidance through the difficulties of brass playing, soooo physical! Being more attracted 2 the methaphysical I gotta stay grounded! I have being writing new tunes to record with DJ Romain, but the real news is a renewed solidarity within Groove Collective founding members...haha, although it's great hanging with the great australian born keyboardist, whom I would definitely promote, once and for all, Barney McAll! Yes so I will start the new year playing the Blue Note with the Groovers, jan 2-3, and on the 10th we'll be at Tonic, LES, New York City! I have 2 do some pumping up 4 this town, please resuscitate! Now that Saddam was caught just in time 4 Christmas! Again, it is through tough times that the art stays truer to itself, so be it. We'll start prepare 2004... Happy Holidays!

Oct 9, 2003

In Greece UrbanTap's show was attended by 2,000 people (!) in the renowed Lycabettis amphitheater on a scenic hill overlooking Athens, and Dusseldorf, Germany was fun too... I'm finally back in NYC for a while, I've already recorded a song with DJ Dennis Ferrer and now I'm excited about our next party MAKE MUSIC NOT WAR, friday oct. 17 @ Nublu in the East Village, newyorkers see u then!

Aug 16, 2003

due to the major black-out we were forced to cancel this month's party MAKE MUSIC NOT WAR, too bad! We'll do it again in mid-october... Thats bcuz I'm already heading to Europe again, here are a few dates: aug 23: Rome, villa celimontana
sept 2: Puglia
sept 27: Greece w/ Urban Tap
oct 1-5: Dusseldorf w/ Urban Tap
stay cool!


Aug 3

Urban Tap did so well at the Montreal Jazz Festival that we were rehired on the spot for next year's edition! Also I was able to see amazing shows and to jam at night with great jazzmen like James Carter, Roy Hargrove, Anthony Wonsey, Greg Hutchinson and others... What followed was my own dreamlike vacation trip to Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand... Bali was the place that left a mark on my spiritual path, for the omnipresent Spirit that one can feel on the island and more so near a lake situated in the crater of the great vulcano Mt. Batur. And for the spiritual depth and happiness of its people, rich in traditional culture, music, dance, architecture, painting, sculpting and traditional fashion clothing. Now that I'm back in the western world I see the futility of most human inventions... except Internet! :-) Next will be our party MAKE MUSIC NOT WAR, to be held in one of our favorite locations in the Big Apple next weekend, stay tuned!

June 14

Our party MAKE MUSIC NOT WAR was real fun this month @ NUBLU. Congratulations to my long time friend saxophonist and now clubowner Ilhan who in a few years made his place one of the best in New York's underground scene. And thanks to my new band's members: poet/dancer Marietta, DJ Romain and percussionist Daniel Moreno, aka THE HEALERS! We'll have another fiesta this August... now next is Montreal's jazz festival, where I'm gonna perform with Tamango's Urban Tap june 25-30. Hope everyone is having a good summer, see u soon!

May 1st 2003

Hi you all! Welcome to my new website, isnt my new webmaster good? I'm in Florence, Italy right now, where my close family lives, for some some quiet time... Urban Tap did great in Venice, everybody including me was raving about the city, you could literally shoot photos anywhere... we performed at the magnificent 400 ys old Teatro Malibran, on which stage the great tapper Tamango ( urbantap.com) asked me again to dance ( or maybe "move" would be more appropriate) while playing a Bb
blues!!! All I know is that once again I did not make a fool of myself, thank God. In a few days I will depart for the South, after a stop in Rome I will go to Napoli for a jazz quartet concert at the Round Midnight club, a few block from where I used to live when I was a little boy! That will happen on May 9th. More news later!