The Italian Cultural Institute, after the Melbourne event, presents “Naked”, the concert of the Italian pianist Kekko Fornarelli.
NAKED, Kekko Fornarelli
18 years after the release of his first album, Kekko Fornarelli returns live in 2023 with a new album, NAKED.
Following a long and acclaimed international journey that led him from jazz, to its electronic contaminations, to the crossover, up to the successful orchestral projects and the movie-soundtracks compositions of recent times, with Naked, Kekko Fornarelli “undresses” to reunite with his essence, with his beloved piano and its purest dimension.
A journey that will retrace some of the most loved songs of his record production, up to the themes of his soundtracks, and new unmissable originals, interpreted in the deepest lyricism of his pianism, at the same time eclectic, muscular, profoundly current but strongly connected with the its more classical roots.
Album now highly awaited by his loyal international audience, NAKED will be released on April 21st (published by Eskape and distributed by Believe / IRD International) and will be touring all over the world with a tour
produced by Eskape Music in collaboration with Puglia Sounds Tour Exports 2023.
Short bio:
“I love being raptured by music. I am a tool in its hands, but at the same time music lets me express my life with an authentic language made of cells, muscles, emotions, a language able to translate my silence too. My curiosity is a never-ending journey, that takes me beyond any shapes, surprising my breath every time in a different way, always worth living and telling.” Kekko Fornarelli
Kekko Fornarelli (Francesco Fornarelli – Bari, 1978) is an Italian pianist, composer and producer.
With eight albums released and more than 400 concerts in over than 60 countries around the world over the past ten years, Kekko Fornarelli is one of the most original artists on the international contemporary scene.
He has developed a unique style, characterized by the attempt to create music to observe, more than just to listen to. A peculiar and personal way to tell stories, to express emotions and paint situations. His music is a mellow combination of modern northern European ideas and neoclassical lyricism, ltered by a sight on the most contemporary rhythmics styles and, naturally, by his warm and extremely personal Mediterranean background.
Impressum/About:
“Fornarelli is a skilful instrumentalist with classical roots and a subtle improviser’s mind. After 10 minutes, it was evident that this classy threesome had very di erent stories to tell […] It was resoundingly obvious why this close-knit, thoughtful and viscerally exciting new trio are winning acclaim across Europe”
John Fordham, The Guardian (4 stars)
“A near-perfect balance of tension and freedom. Fornarelli’s music has a pared-down yet catchy style that draws on his classical roots, with in uences from pop to trip-hop to gospel”
Alison Gunn, Financial Times (4 stars)
“I can’t stop listening: a fusion of Romantic classical music, modern jazz and 21st century dance rhythms, played with Italian brio from the heart. British players, take note.”
Alison Bentley, London Jazz Blog
“As long as there will be open musicians like Kekko Fornarelli, jazz will follow to be the music of the world”
Paolo Fresu
“An incredibly personal and introspective release that with the brilliance of Kekko’s harmonic movement takes one to places that can touch your heart and set your hair on re, often at the same time. Italy is a variable gold mine for improvisational music. Kekko For- narelli is a master but more so, he is an artist”
BrentBlack, criticaljazz.com
Concerts Vitae
Auditorium Parco della Musica (Rome, Italy), Roma Jazz Festival (Rome, Italy), Lecce in Scena (Lecce, Italy), Notti Sacre (Bari, Italy), Monopol (Berlin, Germany), Club Der Visionaere (Berlin, Germany), Le Nuove Rotte del Jazz (Trieste, Italy), Bora Bora Beach Club (Ibiza, Spain), Festa del Mare (Bari, Italy), Musica sulle Bocche (Italy), Bari Piano Festival (Italy), Bari in Jazz (Italy), Locus Festival (Italy), Trafò House Theatre (Hungary), Tea- tro Forma (Italy), Jimmy Glass Jazz Club (Spain), Nova Jazz Cava (Spain), Teatre de Manacor (Spain), Auditori Can Ventosa (Spain), Clasijazz (Spain), Jazzazza (Spain), Moustache Bar (U.K.), Brasov Jazz Festival (Romania), Wohnzimmer (Germany), Red Horn Di- strict (Germany), Katarsis (Russia), Elbphilharmonie (Germany), Cremona Musica (Italy), Home (India), B-Flat (India), Hideaway (India), The Little Door (India), Notte Bianca dei Giovani (Italy), Castroreale Milazzo Jazz (Italy), Nosy Be Jazz Festival (Madaga- scar), Locomotive Jazz Club (Italy), Jamboree Jazz Club (Spain), Sala Clamores (Spain), Anche Cinema (Italy), Le Mura (Italy), Club Kristalia (Italy), Pop & Low (Italy), Perbacco (Italy), Italian Embas- sy in Washington (USA), Teatro Casa Italia, IIC Istanbul (Turkey), Ocana (Spain), Bari Music Week (Italy), Ok 16 Space (Belarus), Pu- glia Showcase – Roma (Italy), JCC Hall (Southern Korea), Suwon Jazz Festival (Southern Korea), Jazz in Various (Southern Korea), Prilep Jazz Festival (Macedonia), Garana Jazz Festival (Romania), Notturnale – Yamaha (Italia), Ankara Piano Festival (Turkey), Cen- tro Culturale Abbate (Italy), MA – Catania Jazz (Italy), Nomos Jazz – Teatro Jolly (Italy), Piola (Belgium), Pop Up du Label (France), Barkett (Germany), Whelan’s (Ireland), Beltuz Theatre (Belarus), Korpus (Belarus), Kinema Jusuf Gervalla (Kosovo), Novi Sad In- ternational Jazz Festival (Serbia), JazzMi (Italy), Onyx Jazz Fest (Italy), Samfest Jazz International (Romania), Dvorec Kultury Ve- teranov (Belarus), 25th International Star Festival Liepaja (Latvia), Hirakata Civic Hall (Japan), Nakagawa Cultural Center (Japan), Casa del Jazz (Italy), Tener-a-mente Festival (Italy), Csiki Jazz Fe- stival (Romania), IIC Budapest (Hungary), Fano Jazz Club (Italy), Kolkata Jazz Festival (India), Goa International Jazz Festival (In- dia), G5A Arts Center (India), The Pianoman Jazz Club (India), Blue Moon Jazz Club (Southern Korea), Gamaran Hall (Japan), Gate’s 7 (Japan), Rock Town Club (Japan), Gyeonggi Arts Center (Southern Korea), Jarasum International Jazz Festival (Southern Korea), Opus Jazz Club (Hungary), Reykjavík Jazz Festival (Iceland), Trentino in Jazz (Italy), Catania Jazz Marathon (Italy), Green Hours Jazz Festival (Romania), Le Pèriscope (France), Bergen Jazz Forum (Norway), IIC Amsterdam (Netherlands) IKSV Salon (Turkey), Babylon Atelier (Slovakia), Turner Sims (U.K.), Lakeside Arts (U.K.), Crescent Arts (U.K.), Auditorium Vallisa (Italy), Gen’er Movie Town (China), Yu Gong yi Shan (China), Beishan Jazz Festival (China), Koktebel Jazz Fest (Ukraine), Petro Jazz Festival (Russia), Copenaghen Jazz Fest (Denmark), Festival Suoni delle Murge (Italy), Buttrio Folk Club Fest (Italy), Amman Jazz Fest (Jordan), Porgy & Bess (Austria), Nel Gioco del Jazz (Italy), AVE Plaza (Ukraine), She- vchenko Drama Theatre (Ukraine), Puppet Theatre (Ukraine), Jazz Bez (Ukraine), Macao Jazz Week (Macao), Space B10 (China), IIC Beijing (China), House of Blues and Jazz (China), Sheung Wan Civic Centre (Hong Kong), Urban (Italy), Per… bacco Jazz Club (Italy), IIC Wolfsburgh (Germany), Fiera de Manresa (Spain), The Black Box (North Ireland), Novi Sad In- ternational Jazz Festival (Serbia), Prishtina Jazz Festival (Ko- sovo), Jazz Club JFC (Russia), Ufa Jazzclub (Russia), Alexey Kozlov Club (Russia), Dreadnaught Club (Russia), Chernihiv Jazz Open (Ukraine), Di…Vino Jazz Festival (Italy), Raahe Jazz on The Beach Festival (Finland), Tass Jazz Odemira (Portugal), Open Air Jazz Festival (Belarus), Jazzup Festival (Italy), Edimburgh Jazz Festival (U.K.), IIC Jakarta (Indonesia), Gedung Kesenian Theatre (Indonesia), Kota Kinabalu Jazz Fest (Malaysia), Academy of Performing Arts (HK), Sunshi- ne Coast Festival (Australia), SIMA (Australia), Brisbane Jazz Fest (Australia), Melbourne Jazz Festival (Australia), Aile Jazz (Latvia), Brno Jazz Fest (Czech Republic), Krasnoyarsk Philar- monic Hall (Russia), Jazz at the Old Fortress (Russia), Arsenal (Russia), International Muzenergo Festival (Russia), Everjazz Club Fest (Russia), International Jazzovorot Festival (Russia), DOM Cultural Center (Russia), Autour de Babel (France), Auditorium de Girona (Spain), National Radio (Serbia), Nis Cultural Centre (Serbia), Celtic Connections (U.K.), Bix Ja- zzclub (Germany), Minsk Palace of Culture (Belarus), Fringe Jazzclub (HK), Penang Jazz Fest (Malaysia), Catalani Jazz (Italy), Rive Jazz Club (Italy), Tavagnacco Jazz (Italy), Stagio- ne Musicale di Sondrio (Italy), Paradox Club (Netherlands), Autumn , Festival of Debrecen (Hungary), All Italian Fest (Germany), Puglia Sounds Jazz – 25th EJN (Italy), Odessa Jazz Carnival (Ukraina), Vinnitsa Jazz (Ukraina), Lviv Jazz Club (Ukraina), Per…bacco Jazz Club (Italy), Pizza Express Jazzclub (UK), Jazz Em Sines (Portugal), Bansko International Jazz Fe- stival (Bulgary), “Suoni” Festival Ethno-Jazz (Italy), San Mar- tin Jazz Festival (Italy), Estate Trequandina (Italy), Jazzpote Festival (France), IIC London (U.K.), Radio RAI 3 (Italy), John & Jazz (Italy), National Concert Hall (Ireland), Jazz Sax Lugo (Italy), MET Firenze (Italy), Ex Wide (Italy), Catanzaro Jazz Fest (Italy), Coraton (Italy), Le Notti delle Muse (Italy), Fringe Festival (Italy).
