* En anglais uniquement
Mario Schiano is the initiator, pivot, and moving force of the free jazz scene in Rome and Italy. He began in the '50s to experiment with the concept of improvising out of the changes. His unmistakable personality can be found not only in his instrumental and vocal contributions, but also in the establishing of new and stimulating musical situations; to this aim he has played the roles of promoter, organizer, and music director. With
Giancarlo Schiaffini and
Bruno Tommaso, he co-founded the Gruppo Romano Free Jazz in the '60s (archival recordings reissued on Splasc(h): Ecstatic and Original Sins), the neapolitan saxophone player never renounced his roots in the "commercial" music of his formative years in the night clubs and likes to be featured as keyboard player and singer of Italian songs and jazz standards (
My Funny Valentine, Splasc(h), 2001). Along with
Marcello Melis, he experimented very early with combining Italian folk music and improvisation (Sud, Splasc(h)) and later promoted the Controindicazioni Festival in Rome, still the major forum in Italy for free improvisation. Many of these ad hoc meetings were recorded and issued on Splasc(h):
Unlike with
Paul Lovens,
Maarten Altena, and
Jean Marc Montera;
Meetings with
Giorgio Gaslini,
Tommaso, and
Barry Guy; Used to Be Friends with
Lovens,
Peter Kowald,
Paul Rutherford, and
Ernst Reijseger; and Tracks with
Joelle Léandre and
Kowald. The Canadian label Victo issued Social Security, the live recording of
Schiano's performance with
Evan Parker,
Sebi Tramontana,
Guy, and
Lovens at the festival FIMAV in 1996.
Schiano has always made a point to spotlight young Italian musicians (
Tramontana,
Mauro Orselli,
Pasquale Innarella). He is a founding member of the
Italian Instabile Orchestra, which features his composition "Sud" and his unique voice ("Lover Man," on
Litania Sibilante, ENJA 2001). Actor, artist, intellectual provocateur, but above all a pure musical talent,
Mario Schiano has represented liberty and an ironic element for the last several decades in Italian jazz, and has served as a great inspiration to younger musicians, especially in Southern Italy. ~ Francesco Martinelli