Paolo Recchia was born in 1980 in Fondi, a small city of southern Pontine halfway between Rome and Naples. Since his early age, he developed a passion for the contralto saxophone, that fascinates him thanks to his father; he starts playing at the age of 11, first studying the classics, then the jazz, discovered and soon deeply loved by listening at the records of Charlie Parker and Massimo Urbani. He attended master classes held by Bob Mintzer, Rick Margitza, Billy Harper, Harry Allen, Dave Liebman, Enrico Pieranunzi, Chris Potter, Rosario Giuliani, Paolo Fresu.
His way of communicating through the saxophone is rich in sensibility, force and expressive clearness. A balanced and often composite sound, but capable of incredible emotional peaks where it comes to touch more passionate cords, sometimes nostalgic and revealing an intimistic taste. His composition style finds its roots in the young Bebop, though it freeds itself towards a more tangible contemporaneity. This may properly be its force, the result of years of studying and intense investigation on the Afroamerican culture.
In 2003, he took part in the Massimo Urbani Award, winning a scolarship for Siena Jazz; in 2004, he got the 2nd prize at the National Contest “Young Talents of Italian Jazz” of Piacenza and the “Palazzo Valentini Award” at the “JAZZ&IMAGE” Festival of Villa Celimontana, Rome; in 2005, he came second at the national contest of jazz music of Baronissi. In October 2015, Paolo Recchia won the first prize at the third edition of Festivalul International de Jazz “Johnny Raducanu” of Brăila, Romania, enchanting jury and spectators with a magnificient interpretation of “Central Park West” by John Coltrane and with a track of his own composition entitled “Boulevard Victor”. Open to young jazz musicians coming from every side of the world, the contest has been created in memory of the so-called double-bassist “Mr. Jazz of Romania” – who founded the Romanian Jazz School and trained generations of jazz musicians, and died in 2011 at the age of 79.
His discographic debut goes back to 2008 with “Introducing Paolo Recchia featuring Dado Moroni” for Via Veneto Jazz distributed by EMI MUSIC, that published his second album “Ari’s Desire” in 2011, with the known trumpeter Alex Sipiagin as a guest. In 2013, the cooperation with the Japanese label Albòre Jazz began, and the third CD was published, “Three for Getz”, a tribute to Stan Getz, with Enrico Bracco and Nicola Borrelli respectively at the guitar and at the double-bass; in December 2015, the fourth album “Peace Hotel”, with the same formation, was also published.
With the trio entitled to him, he held many live concerts across Italy, as a leader in several formations and in the presence of eminent national and international jazz scene guests. Among them: in 2008, Paolo Recchia performed with his quartet and hosted Joel Frahm, one of the most appreciated tenor saxophonists of the new scene of New York. In 2009 and 2010 he took part in the Italian Jazz Days, the Italian jazz week of New York, co-produced by the Jazz at Lincoln Center and by the Italian Institute of Culture, exhibiting at Dizzy’s Club Coca Cola as a guest in the hammondist Pat Bianchi’s trio. In 2013, his trio hosted David Kikoski at the piano. In 2014 he performed live with George Garzone at the International Festival of La Spezia. In the same year, Paolo Recchia was in the tour of Andrea Pozza Uk Connection Trio as a guest and performed in Rome and Ancona; the collaboration with the pianist continued in 2015 and another prestigious partnership came about, the one with the trumpeter Fabrizio Bosso.
He often collaborates with “Iodice&Corvini Roma Jazz Ensemble” and with PMJO (Music Park Jazz Orchestra) directed by Maurizio Giammarco. Paolo Recchia is also part of the “SIX SAX” group guided by Javier Girotto; of the Sound Six sestet of Luca Mannutza, with whom he recorded “Tribute to the 60s Sestets” and “My Music”, for the label Albòre Jazz, and of Nicola Angelucci’s quartet, with whom he recorded “The First One” and “Beyond the drums”, for Via Veneto Jazz.
Beside his intense orchestral activity, Paolo Recchia regularly gives lessons and he teaches saxophone at the Lanciano’s formation class for big bands.
Collaborators: Rosario Bonaccorso, Adrianne West, Dado Moroni, Joel Frahm, Alex Sipiagin, Andy Gravish, Roy Hargrove, Jeremy Pelt, Stephane Belmondo, Flavio Boltro, Fabrizio Bosso, Peter Bernstein, David Kikoski, Mark Sherman, Marco Panascia, Roberto Tarenzi, Andrea Pozza, Enrico Bracco, Claudio Filippini, Lucio Ferrara, Pat Bianchi, Antonio Faraò, Frank Avitabile, Vincent Bourgeyx, Michel Rosciglione, Alain Jean-Marie, Luca Mannutza, Sam Yahel, Johannes Weidenmueller, Antonio Ciacca, Kengo Nakamura, George Garzone, Rick Margitza, Maurizio Giammarco, Stefano Di Battista, Horacio “El Negro” Hernandez, Bobby Durham, Lorenzo Tucci, Max Ionata, Luca Mannutza, Roberto Gatto, Pino Iodice, Pietro Iodice, Mike Pope, Dominique Di Piazza, Mattew Garrison, Pippo Matino, John Benitez, Dario Rosciglione, Pierre Boussaguet, Joseph Lepore, Francesca Sortino, Salomon Burk, Michael Bolton, Pino Daniele, Nicky Nicolai, Claudio Baglioni, Antonello Venditti, Mario Biondi, Samuele Bersani and Ilaria Porceddu.
Italiano