Marco Tranchina / Smät Five

More Than Ever

25th February 2022

CD & Digital Formats / UBU0103

Ubuntu Music is delighted to announce the signing of the talented Italian pianist and composer, Marco Tranchina, for the release of his quintet album, More Than Ever, on 25th February 2022.

Widely recognized as one of London’s most sought-after pianists and composers, and best known for his diverse approach to harmony and compositions, Marco Tranchina formed Smät Five with the aim to present his original compositions that could blend a unique melange of his eclectic approach to the modern jazz idiom, along with the warm sounds and sensibilities of his Mediterranean musical heritage.

Tranchina’s vision for this album was triggered by the urge to harness his burning passion for his music, despite the current pandemic. More Than Ever, his latest project, is a statement that reiterates his commitment to composing and performing his music to the highest level.

For his debut album on the Ubuntu Music record label, Tranchina teams up with some of the most active Italian musicians on the London jazz scene. His long-standing collaboration with bassist Mikele Montolli (Sun Ra Arkestra, Nigel Price, Heidi Vogel, Judi Jackson) and alto saxophonist Alan Short (Donna Summer, Natalie Cole, Sam Moore), gave birth to a rhythmically solid album which is infused with lyricism and anchored in the bebop heritage. This is combined with unique contributions created by Tranchina’s new partners in crime, Andrea Solarino (Manzi, Bosso, Burk) and Filippo Galli (Tony Kofi, Jure Pukl, Gina Schwarz).

Left to right: Alan Short, Philippo Galli, Mikele Montolli, Andrea Solarino (photographer: Pedro Velasco)

Regarding his new relationship with Ubuntu Music, Tranchina explains, “I am very happy and excited to join the Ubuntu Music Family together with a roster of incredible musicians. The diversity showcased on each release is of the highest quality. Martin’s (Hummel) support and infectious energy have been with me from the start of this journey, and I am looking forward to continue working with him and the team at Ubuntu.”

Martin Hummel, Director of Ubuntu Music, concludes: “Marco’s project knocked me out from the first time I heard his initial mixes. Jazz, in the great tradition, expressed with a mixture of Latin-Europe flair, makes this recording irresistible.”

For further information, please contact:

Marco Tranchina (Artist): marcotranchina@hotmail.com

Martin Hummel/Ubuntu Music (Worldwide): martin@ubuntumanagementgroup.com

BIOGRAPHIES

Marco Tranchina (Rome, Italy): After a short career as a singer in classical choirs and rock bands in his teens, Marco started playing the piano a bit late at the age of 18, attending the prestigious Saint Louis Music college in Rome first and then on private lessons and seminars with Luca Mannutza, Enrico Pieranunzi, and Kenny Barron. After featuring in many bands in the Italian capital and many festivals all around Italy (Siena Jazz, Umbria Jazz, Atina Jazz) Marco move to London in 2005. He studied jazz piano performance at Middlesex University (2007) under the guidance of Gareth Williams, Nikki Iles, Chris Batchelor, and Rob Townsend, and later he obtained a Masters in Music Composition for Film and TV at Kingston University (2013). Since in London, Marco has performed in all the major clubs in London (606, Jazz Cafe, The Vortex, Ronnie Scott’s, and Pizza Express, to name a few), demonstrating his versatility across different styles within the jazz spectrum.

Mikele Montolli (Verona, Italy) studied violin from the age of seven, switching later to electric bass. By the age of 17, he had taken up classical double bass in Verona’s Conservatory. Following this, he moved to Graz in Austria where he graduated in 2009 in Jazz Double Bass with the great Wayne Darling. Joining the London Jazz scene in 2010, Michele performed at various jazz and world music festivals all over Europe, New York, Detroit, Tokyo, Hong Kong, Indonesia, and the Balkan Peninsula, performing and recording with such great artists as Sun Ra Arkestra, Heidi Vogel, Judi Jackson, Nigel Price, L.A. saxophonist Don Menza, piano-trios of Charlie Stacey, Sorin Zlat, Kamaal Williams, Sudanese Amira Kheir and more thus building an extensive music vocabulary based on Afro-American tradition fused with years of classical training and experimental free-form music. Mikele appears on various soundtracks for the London National Television School and as a live guest for the BBC television. He released Satellite House as a composer-bandleader.

Filippo Galli (Barga, Italy) is a London-based drummer who started playing professionally at the age of 15. In 2014, he won the "Groove Prize" in the National competition "Festival of Rhythms” sponsored by UFIP cymbals and Pearl. In the summer of 2014, he was selected among 240 musicians for The Berklee School of Music Award group for the opening of the prestigious Umbria Winter Festival. In 2015, he won the “Best Drummer Prize" in the National competition "Festival of Rhythm" sponsored by UFIP cymbals and Varus drums. In September 2015, he moved to London where he took a Masters course in popular music performance and, further on, a Masters in Music Composition for Film and TV. Filippo also studied privately with Ari Hoenig, John Riley, John Taylor and Walter Paoli. Since 2016, Filippo has been touring the UK and Europe, playing also in some of England’s major festivals such as Wilderness Festival, Boomtown, and Victorious Festival, and remains one of the most in-demand drummers in the London music scene.

Andrea Solarino (Macerata, Italy) is an Italian jazz guitarist based in London with over 30 years of experience performing and teaching. He has played with many renowned Italian jazz musicians such as Fabrizio Bosso, Pietro Tonolo, Massimo Moriconi, Massimo Manzi and Massimo Morganti, along with some of London’s finest musicians like Martin Speake and Keith Waithe. He has performed in most of the Italian jazz festivals such as Rome, Turin, Terni, Matera, Ancona and Padova. He graduated in Jazz Guitar in Fermo Conservatory with a BMus Jazz Guitar (Hons). He studied with John Parricelli, Gilad Hekselman, Chris Crocco, Greg Burk, Massimo Morganti and Luca Pecchia.

Alan Short (Rome, Italy) was born into a musical family, and began playing saxophone at the age of 10. After having studied jazz in Rome with Nicola Stilo (flutist for Chet Baker), he began studying and playing flutes (he plays concert, alto, bass, and piccolo flutes). Since relocating to London in 2003, Alan has been active on the London and UK jazz and pop music scenes as well as private celebrity events. Highlights of Alan's career include live performances with Donna Summer, Natalie Cole and Sam Moore.

Ubuntu Management Group News

Marco Tranchina / Smät Five