Composer, conductor and pianist
Giorgio Gaslini, a pioneer of modern Italian jazz, died on
Tuesday aged 84.
Born in Milan on October 22, 1929, Gaslini was one of the
most original musicians on the European jazz scene.
In Italy he played a fundamental role in popularising Afro
American music and worked to see the style acquire formal
recognition from institutions.
His jazz courses - held first at Santa Cecilia in Rome in
the early 1970s and in Milan a few years later - paved the way
for the teaching of a genre that had previously been considered
elite in the country's music conservatories.
Meanwhile, in the 1970s and 1980s Gaslini's music
formations served as a stage for new talent such as saxophonist
Massimo Urbani (1957-1993) to emerge.
A musical trendsetter, Gaslini successfully blended methods
of musical composition typical of the 20th century - especially
twelve-note composition devised by the Austrian composer Arnold
Schoenberg - with improvisational practices typical of jazz.
He theorised this widely encompassing musical style as
'total music', which is also the title of one of several books
that carry his name.
His aesthetic vision also contemplated the coexistence and
interaction of different languages of expression such as music,
dance, and theatre, as testified by his numerous symphonic
works, operas and ballets composed for performance at La Scala
opera house in Milan and other major Italian theatres.
Gaslini worked with great names in Free Jazz including
Steve Lacy, Don Cherry and Ruswell Rudd and he played and
recorded with Italian experimentalists such as Mario Schiano,
Gianluigi Trovesi and the Instabile Orchestra.
His career included some 4,000 performances in 60 countries
and approximately 100 jazz and contemporary music CDs.
He also composed over 40 movie soundtracks including the
music for the film 'La Notte' directed by Michelangelo
Antonioni.
In 2002, Gaslini received a gold medal from Italy's
then-President Carlo Azeglio Ciampi in recognition of his
contributions to culture and art.
He died in hospital in Parma after being admitted around a
month ago as a result of a fall.
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