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Mirko Guerrini

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Mirko Guerrini (born 28 April 1973) is an Italian-Australian jazz saxophonist, composer and arranger.

Biography

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Mirko Guerrini was born in Florence, Italy. Has studied piano, saxophone, classical composition and jazz music at the Conservatorio “Cherubini” in Florence, as well as Jazz saxophone with Dave Liebman in New York.

Eclectic and multi-instrumentalist, composer and orchestra conductor, he has 20 Cds to his credit as a solo sax player and leader of jazz ensembles, more than 50 CDs as a sideman. He is now leading the band ‘Mirko Guerrini Horizontal Quartet’ (Andrea Keller, Tamara Murphy and Niko Schauble) and he is also the co-leader of the acclaimed band ‘Torrio!’ with Paul Grabowsky and Niko Schauble.

Guerrini has released 6 books: 2 with a selection of his compositions by the well known label Carisch Ed, and 3 educational books dedicated to the Jazz Tenor Saxophone: Stan Getz, Joe Henderson and Oliver Nelson.

He was part of the “blockbuster” project “Carioca” with Stefano Bollani (CD and DVD released with more than 80.000 copies sold), and has toured 3 times in Italy with more than 50 concerts. In two of them the great Caetano Veloso has joined the band.

Guerrini hosted the radio show “Dottor Djembè” together with the comedian David Riondino and the jazz superstar Stefano Bollani. The radio program was aired on the Italian national radio channel Radio3. The program won several awards for the best radio show, and went on for 6 years with more than 180 shows produced.

He has very high quality and varied collaborations: with Billy Cobham, Brian Auger, Mark Feldman, Stefano Bollani, Enrico Rava, Stefano Battaglia, Paul McCandless, Caetano Veloso, Hermeto Pascoal, Paul Grabowsky, Tony Gould, Niko Schauble, Andrea Keller, Monash Art Ensemble, as far as jazz is concerned, with notable singers-songwriters such as Ivano Fossati and Giorgio Gaber and with a number of other outstanding artists in Italy and abroad.

He is also in great demand as a composer/conductor with different Symphony Orchestras (Orchestra “A.Toscanini” of Parma, Orchestra Regionale Toscana, Orchestra della Campania and others), being the winner of International Music Competitions such as the “Concorso 2 Agosto di Bologna” (2000, 2005).

In Australia, Guerrini composed the music commissioned by the Melbourne Museum for their Aztecs Exhibition, producing all the music for both TV ads and live performances.

In 2019, Guerrini composed and produced the soundtrack for the stop motion VR movie ‘The Passenger’ who was finalist at the Mostra Internazionale del cinema di Venezia.

He has performed all over the world: in Brasil, Japan, Australia, Canada, Usa, France, Spain, Russia, Finland, Indonesia and in many other countries.

As an educator, Guerrini was a professor of Jazz Saxophone and Small Jazz Ensemble at the Conservatorio “Mascagni” in Livorno.

Since he permanently moved to Australia in 2013 he started teaching in Melbourne. Guerrini is now Adjunct Fellow and Teaching Associate at Monash University, and a teacher in several different Colleges.

Has been invited as visiting professor at UTAS in Hobart in Australia as well as at the Banff Centre for Performing Arts in Canada (2010, 2012), and has been the Keynote speaker at a Conference on “Musical Perspectives” at the Warwick University, in Warwick, England in 2012.

Together with Niko Schäuble he also started the educational project expEARience, based on the importance of listening and the auditory process.

Discography

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As a leader

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Year Title Label Personnel
2020 Two Too Many Mirko Guerrini Music With Daniele Mencarelli (bass), Stefano Tamborrino (drums)
2020 Horizontal Quartet Mirko Guerrini Music With Tamara Murphy (double bass), Andrea Keller (piano), Niko Schäuble (drums)
2020 Harvest Moon on Friday 13th Mirko Guerrini Music With Tony Gould (piano), Ilaria Crociani (voice), Frank Di Sario (double bass)
2020 Genuinely Radiosuccessi Mirko Guerrini Music With Ilaria Crociani (voice), Ryan Griffith (guitars, clarinet), Tom Lee (double bass), Niko Schäuble (drums)
2017 Torrio! Encore Jazz Co-leader with Paul Grabowsky (piano), Niko Schäuble (drums)
2016 Mister Amore Mirko Guerrini Music With Ilaria Crociani (voice), Ryan Griffith (guitars, clarinet), Mark Elton (double bass), Carlo Alberto Canevali (drums), Niran Dasika (trumpet), Eric Budd (trombone)
2016 Sardinian Liturgy Jazzhead Co-leader with Paolo Angeli (Sardinian guitar), Robert Burke (saxophones, bass clarinet), Jordan Murray (trombone), Stephen Magnusson (guitar), Stefano Tamborrino (drums)
2014 Triodegradable Mirko Guerrini Music With Frank Di Sario (double bass), Carlo Alberto Canevali (drums)
2013 Acquacheta Mirko Guerrini Music With Stephen Magnusson (guitar, co-leader), Frank Di Sario (double bass), Niko Schäuble (drums)
2010 Divagazioni su 319 corde Carisch With Stefano Bollani (piano), Daniele Mencarelli (bass) Orchestra della Toscana
2009 Il Bianco e l'Augusto Emarcy - Universal With Mauro Grossi (piano), Saverio Tasca (vibraphone, marimba), Daniele Mencarelli (double bass), Paolo Corsi (drums)
2008 Swinging Prato Calliope With Millennium Bugs' Orchestra, Ilaria Crociani, Lorenzo Bigabli, Gianna Grazzini, Titta Nesti, Irene Grandi, Claudia Tellini, Massimo Altomare (voices)
2007 Italian Lessons Giotto Music With Stefano Bollani (piano), Daniele Mencarelli (bass) Solisti di Perugia (strings)
2006 Cirko Guerrini Giotto Music With Mauro Grossi (piano), Saverio Tasca (vibraphone, marimba), Daniele Mencarelli (double bass), Paolo Corsi (drums), Riccardo Tesi (organetto), Rudy Migliardi (trombone)
2004 L'attuale jungla Mescal With Marco Parente (Co-leader, voice, song-writing), Millennium Bugs Orchestra
2002 Oliver Nelson: composer & arranger Il popolo del blues With Alberto Marsico (Hammond organ), Mario Piacentini (piano Fender), Anthony Paule (guitar), Fabrizio Berti (harmonica), Ilaria Crociani (voice), Millennium Bugs' Orchestra
2001 I Diavoli del ritmo Philology With Stefano Bollani (piano), Raffaello Pareti (double bass), Walter Paoli (drums)
2001 Come fiori in mare Lilium With Millennium Bugs Orchestra
1995 Tornando a casa Modern Times With Stefano Bollani (piano), Riccardo Onori (guitar), Sergio Gistri (trumpet), Nico Vernuccio (double bass), Andrea Melani (drums), Mauro Volpini (accordion)
1995 Summertime in Jazz Splash(h) With Andrea Pasi (accordion), Nico Vernuccio (double bass), Alessio Riccio (drums)

Awards

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Year Title Place
2020 Dean's Sessional Commendations for "contributions to innovation and excellence in teaching" Monash University, Melbourne, Australia
2020 Halo Award for the Best Fiction Movie with the VR movie “Passenger” for which Mirko Guerrini composed the music. Amsterdam, Holland
2020 VRE Award for the Best VR Movie with “Passenger” for which Mirko Guerrini composed the music Rome, Italy
2013 Paul D. Fleck Fellowship Banff Centre for Performing Arts, Banff, Canada
2010 “Crystal Microphone for best Radio Show” for the radio show "Il Dottor Djembè" Radio Rai 3, Italy
2009 “Satire Prize for best Radio Show” for the radio show "Il Dottor Djembè" Forte dei Marmi, Italy
2005 Best Jazz Composition for Symphony Orchestra at the "International Composition Competition 2 Agosto" Bologna, Italy
2000 Best Jazz Composition for Symphony Orchestra at the "International Composition Competition 2 Agosto" Bologna, Italy
1998 Selected as the Italian representative for the first Tenor Sax chair with the European Jazz Youth Orchestra Copenhagen, Denmark
1995 Prize at the international completion for small jazz ensembles “Summertime in Jazz” Prato, Italy

Music Victoria Awards

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The Music Victoria Awards are an annual awards night celebrating Victorian music. They commenced in 2006.

Year Nominee / work Award Result Ref.
Music Victoria Awards of 2017 Torrio! (With Paul Grabowsky & Niko Schäuble) Best Jazz Album Nominated [1][2]

References

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  1. ^ "Previous Nominess". Music Victoria. Retrieved 13 August 2020.
  2. ^ "Previous Winners". Music Victoria. Retrieved 13 August 2020.