Biography Wikipedia
Wikipedia:
Kekko Fornarelli (born 10 January 1978 in Bari, Italy) is an Italian jazz pianist and composer.
Biography
Kekko Fornarelli was born in Bari, Italy in 1978. He began learning classical piano at the age of three, first through private tuition and later at the Conservatorio Piccinni in Bari
Fornarelli's love for jazz music began at the age of 18. From there on, Fornarelli has immersed himself in the study of the instrument, the style, and the music, a life journey which has led him to travel worldwide and meet a great number of artists.
Fornarelli's first album, Circular Thought, was released in 2005 by the record label Wide Sound. He moved to France in the same year, where he spent three years pursuing his studies towards his personal idea of music. His collaborations with artists such as Manhu Roche, Flavio Boltro and Rosario Giuliani led him to release his second album, A French Man in New York, in 2008. It was also released by Wide Sound and distributed by Egea] and was inspired by and dedicated to the French pianist Michel Petrucciani.
In 2011 his third album, Room of Mirrors, was released by AUAND records and distributed by Egea. Room of Mirrors is inspired by the Swedish musician Esbjorn Svensson. In order to widen the audience for jazz performers and to promote his work, Fornarelli has produced a video clip for one of his tracks, Daily Jungle. "Daily Jungle" is a montage produced during a video conference between Fornarelli, Gianlivio Liberti (drums) and Luca Bulgarelli (double bass), who perform the track using household furniture and everyday objects. The video was directed and edited by Lorenzo Scaraggi.
His last work, "Monologue" (2012) is a piano solo recital. A dialogue between Fornarelli and his instrument: every echo, loop or refrain is a skirmish between Kekko and his piano, a conversation between the contrasting voices of his soul. From this point of view, the decision to abandon the rhythm section of double bass and drums, to entrust everything to the intensity of the piano. It will debut in Dublin this year.
Fornarelli has already in its projects collaborations with prestigious artists of the international jazz scene such as Rosario Giuliani, Flavio Boltro, Michel Benita, Bearzatti Francesco, Luca Bulgarelli, Yuri Goloubev, Benjamin Henocq, Nicolas Folmer, Jerome Regard, Manhu Roche, Andy Gravish, Eric Prost, Marco Tamburini, Jean-Luc Rimey Meille and many others.
Paolo Fresu has told about him: "As long as there are musicians as open minded as Kekko Fornarelli, jazz will carry on being the World's music. Kekko’s intimacy is made of rich melodies and chord progressions which evoke some delicate forms of modern jazz, but are translated by that particular touch which makes him one of the most interesting young pianist of the moment"
