Piano Player
Italy
Biography
Growing up in Italy, music was always going to be the way I lived my life. My granddad played the accordion and I remember rushing home from school to learn from him. I picked up the clarinet and then moved on to piano, studying classical piano and then jazz at the Music Conservatory of Perugia, completing two diplomas and a post-grad in jazz, all with honours.
I have performed all over Italy, playing at many different jazz festivals, concerts & gigs with my previous Trio including Umbria Jazz, the Umbria Film Festival, Arezzo Jazz, The Festival of Nations, the Valmarecchia Jazz Festival and the Festival of the Saracens where I performed one of my own pieces called “Lord Byron” using medieval saracen influences.
My first UK appearance was at the fringe at the Cheltenham Jazz Festival in 2009. That was such a great experience! I came back to the UK in 2011 to play piano solo at the Lancaster Music Festival, which is when I think I decided that I wanted to move permanently to the UK to continue playing jazz here – the audiences are so fantastic!!
So, starting at the end backwards, in 2012 I moved to the UK, just outside London, from my native Umbria in Italy where I had lived a lifetime until then.
I met some amazing musicians in London and soon formed my current trio, the Marco Marconi Trio, which is UK based with an all-Italian line up featuring Andrea di Biase on double bass and Enzo Zirilli on drums. We instantly formed a musical bond and Enzo and Andrea leaped to the challenge of playing my own compositions, giving their own special input and flair to the music, recording our first album, Nordik, together at the Fazioli Concert Hall in Venice, Italy in November 2013.
Leading up to this, we did our first UK tour together in October 2013 playing at The Stables, Parr Jazz, Stratford Jazz & Soundcellar as well as other venues, getting some great reviews along the way.
Shortly after my move to the UK, I met Alan Bates from the legendary Candid Records label and was so happy when he asked me to sign to his label in 2013. He re-released my previous indie piano solo album Mosaico on his label and was hoping to work with me on Nordik, but sadly ill health has taken over and Alan released me to 33Jazz. Alan’s belief and support in me was amazing and I can’t thank him enough for helping me settle in the UK.
www.marcomarconi.com