Alessandro Gandola is one of the most original and eccentric saxophonists on the international scene. He studied with Steve Lacy and Mal Waldrom (Billie Holiday’s pianist). Eclectic and open to the most surprising juxtaposition of genres and styles – jazz, pop, world music, electronic, contemporary and classical music. – he has played in Brazil, France, Germany, the UK, India, Italy, the Netherlands, Switzerland, the USA, Tunisia and Turkey. He has collaborated with prestigious artists as the percussionist Alirio Lima ( Wheater Report) and the Kawali singer Mahmodd Sabri (Sabri brothers). He participated in memorable jam sessions, two of them became album: Astroalbioanima with Giovanni Sollima and Orange sunset with Anupam Shobhakar. The improvisation, the Extemporaneous Music Art is the core of his musical path. His rich variety of recordings and projects run the gamut between music, cinema and image.

Curriculum musicae with Press reviews

Began his career in 1990.

“Hidden delights, pleasant surprises for an audience that is too often accustomed only to reassuring journeys with music they’ve already heard: it sometimes happens that live music programming offers moments of extraordinary interest. This happens when, with a bit of courage, one chooses to give previously unknown musicians a chance, and in unusual formulas… a really noteworthy concert, in the risky, open formula of a jazz duo. On the “Acquario” stage in the historic centre, Silvia Infascelli and Sandro Gandola, singer and saxophonist, took a fascinating chiaroscuro journey to the heart of jazz and improvisation… Classic, difficult themes, with thunderous applause at the end of the long set.”

(Guido Festinese, IL LAVORO/ La Repubblica 1992)

- BAOL Project, duo with pianist Fabrizio Trullu.

- PRISMA Quartet with Trullu, Gino Carravieri and Salvatore Maiore.

1994/97

- MAGMA Trio with Luigi Mosso and Mirko Sabatini, the first completely original project. On the German YVP label, his first CD URGENTE.

“Refinement and suggestion abound in Urgente… the urgency really seems to come from a desire to match skills with the most mature artists of contemporary jazz, by choosing a direct path of energy and expression without boundaries. (JAZZ 1996)

- The Trio represented Italian jazz at the Festival Italia in Stuttgart.

1998/99

-as Sw.Deva Sangitam he released the album IN MEDITATION.

- 2 European tour with “ MUSICA SILENZIO MEDITAZIONE”. (Music, Silence, Meditation)

- Italian tour with the international band “SAOIRSE Brasilian Party”.

2000

- In Brazil with SAOIRSE.

- Recorded “Agua di Patì” (unreleased) solo performance with the waters of the Patì Valley.

- In June at the Conway Hall Theatre in London, a return to Jazz with the solo concert “JAZZEN”. – With Antonio Nijen Coatti, “ESRAS” the rhythm of breathing.

2001

- Joined the international world music band “FANA”.

- With Romano Fragassi, composed two tracks and did arrangements for the Cd MUHABHAT CARAVAN.

- FANA European tour with the Pakistani group SABRI BROTHERS.

2003/4

- A MUSICAL JOURNEY album dedicated to his home, Lake Como.

- Became musical director of FANA, joined by Pakistani singer SABRI MAHMOOD on lead vocals.

- Three national tours and guests at the final evening of the Tenco Prize 2003.

“Music that hovers between mysticism and contemporary colours, a fresco in which purification and asceticism meet and conflict with animal instincts and passions; a structure in which the archaic iteration of RAGAs and tradition QAWWALI songs open to improvisation, complex arrangements and jazz influences, or the refinement of pop-rock. It’s an explosive mix of ancient and modern, of austere psalmody and electronic inspiration, of medieval poems and titillating current events, the latter captured by the noir archives of ECM, the esoteric shelves of New Age (only the best, of course), the glossy pages of Anglo-Saxon pop or the immortal, expressive mood of European and American schools of the most introspective jazz.” (Giampaolo Rizzetto, IL CANTAUTORE 2003)

“... 1500 people, literally spellbound...” (L'Arena di Verona 2003)

”... special mention should be made of the indubitable artistic value of a group of musicians from all over the world, who share sound technical training…” (Taranto Sera 2004)

- With ESRAS he participated in NATURALIA, an event devoted to music and art in nature.

- He returned to solo performing in Bellagio with “UN SOFFIO D’ANIMA”.

“A virtuoso jazz saxophonist, pride of Como for improvisational music… “A Puff of Soul”, this performance marks Alessandro’s return to solo concertising, following a pause of four long years because of health problems, now completely resolved. His last performance in fact was in June 2000 at the Conway Hall in London, not a casual location for this sensitive author and interpreter. During his career, which began in 1990, he has matured artistically and professionally beyond the average…in ’98 he released “In Meditation”, played on artisan-made instruments. Another fine work is “Urgente” under the name of “Magma Trio”, in the footsteps of the free jazz of Coleman and Barbieri, the evocative “A Musical Journey”, a concept-album of “environmental” jazz in the ECM style, dedicated to Lake Como, and “Darbary”, a single with rhythmical arrangements and Middle Eastern vocalises. Along with the rest of his discography, it elevates Gandola to the highest level of European jazz artists.”

(Alessandro Casellato, La Provincia 2004)

2005

- He began composing music for documentaries and television programmes (Rai3, Rai Educational, Planet).

- His most significant work was writing and performing original music for fourteen instalments of CAMERA SEGRETA, a series of documentaries, by lavinia Longo and Maurizio Maria Santi, directed by Lavinia Longo, dedicated to major figures of contemporary Italian photography.

- In June, in Bellagio, he presented “INCANTO”, a solo concert dedicated to Lake Como. For the occasion a documentary was made under the same name about the musician, which was shown the same year on Planet.

2006

- Participated in “IL SILENZIO E LA MUSICA”, a concert in the Great Erg in Tunisia with the singer Francesca Breschi.

- He provided music for “BELLAGIO”, an interactive DVD for tourism promotion.

- Television work included the theme to “ARIE SOTTILI” (Planet).

- With GIOVANNI SOLLIMA he founded ASTROLABIOANIMA.

- The duo provided the music for “STORIA D’AMORE”, a DVD for the catalogue of an exhibition by the noted Sicilian photographer SHOBHA.

2007

- His music is heard in “AMORE GELATO”, an emotional and promotional film made in Mumbai, the documentary “TUTTI IN SCENA” (RAI Educational, RAI 1) and the theme for the “Lavori in Barca” programme (Sailing Channel).

- With the Sarod master ANUPAM SHOBHAKAR, in Mumbai he founded ORANGE SUNSET.

2008

- In duo with the cellist performer composer GIOVANNI SOLLIMA He released the CD ASTROLABIOANIMA.

… a recording of rare beauty, Gandola and Sollima are like two Michelangelos transported by a creative impetus to discover sounds, grasping ideas and inspiration even from the space that surrounds them.

(Giuseppe Attardi ,march 9 2008)

Gandola e Sollima are musicians and musical instruments, men merged ( fused) with there instruments.

(Valentina Di Cecco. Lost Highways, 26 maggio 2008)

“ A new language vithout borders... it open new way to the musical exploration”

(La Feltrinelli, 2008)

“A music of an extraordinary contemporary quality ...a kind of war machine of sensations... a comunicative power of rare strength and great mystery”

(Rosario Pantaleo. L’Isola che non c’era, 2008)

- In march the presentation of the album in the Tunisian desert as event of “ La musica e il silenzio” organized by “il cammello a 3 gobbe”

... it is possible to meet two great international soloist playing music in the middle of the great tunisian desert as in a concert hall?... they was there, playing as talking to each other. With there instruments they were calling and answering... composing and improvising at the same time... interacting in the territory of the sound, of the body, of the movement, like they had the goal to go over the conventional border.

(Carla Maria Casanova. Il Giorno, 20th march 2008)

The violoncelo, the sax and the stones, are part of the same vibrating univers.

...make music is leting go the istinct for express everything. Both of them say that music essentially is the search of sensations and experiences... it is something to do with the emotion, the one that disorients and leaves you breathless and helps you fell alive and gives you the desire of life.

(Fabio Schiavo. Rolling Stones, giugno 2008)

- in November, during the following episode of “ silenzio e musica” by il cammello a 3 gobbe and Sud Extreme, he repeat the experience in the Sahara performing at the sunrise in solo and at the sunset with the singer GUIA MABELLINI.

Sunrise over the Sahara.

 

…the sun needed an accompaniment during its rise beyond the horizon; Alessandro Gandola, the Italian saxophonist, took it upon himself to celebrate this event. The notes of the sax, articulated as the darkness turned to the reddish light of the Saharan morning brought a shiver of delight.

The magic of notes from the blue

…Guja Mabellini, … her voice made the angels’ wings unfurl; notes seemed to take flight, immersed in the blue. High above, the saxophonist Alessandro Gandola received her message to the Gods and responded. The dialogue was sweet, often nostalgic; the sax, occasionally tonal, seemed to give strength to the voice, to Guja’s prayer.

The sun had left the sky when the last notes were lost once more among the stars that began to appear overhead.

(Concert at the foot of the dunes By Georges Picq)

2010

- Start the independent project BLUE. A solo album completely autoproduced. In June, just before the publishing start he had to stop it because of a serious health problem.

- He provided the music for the DVD “ Sotto scacco” published in Italy and in Germany by the italian Newspaper “ il fatto quotidiano” and also for the project “Millenium. Roma capitale 2010-2020”, 14 short movies for the municipality of Rome.

- December 13^Th at the theatre Fara nume in Rome, for the festival “ Jazz at theater”, organized and forcasted in live streaming by NartraRadioRoma, he presented Blue performance. Concert for soprano saxophone and lap top, from solo to poliphony.

2011

- DAILY IMPROVISATION, The ether solid dimension of the sound. From february first to july 12 he did open the door of his creative laboratory of improvisation “extemporaneous music art” on the social network my space. He trasformed his profile in a stage on wich, with a delay of 24 hours, every day he played an Extemporaneous Music Art Performance. From may first he created a video format and moved the lab to youtube, opening also a polyphonic chapter : A way to record and performe that create a polyphonic improvisation solo performance. In total he published around 150 daily performance, 62 in video format are listenable on you tube Alessandro channel http://www.youtube.com/user/Alessandrogandola