PICTURES

INFORMATION

DATE:
20 JULY 2006
 

TIME: 21,15

PLACE:
Courtyard of Honour, Torrechiara Castle

GERARDO DI LELLA & LINO QUAGLIERO
RAI ITALIAN RADIO AND TELEVISION BIG BAND
Conductor: GERARDO DI LELLA
Vocals: MINNIE MINOPRIO
Great numbers in classic RAI arrangements.

FESTIVAL DI TORRECHIARA 2006

The Gerardo Di Lella & Lino Quagliero RAI Italian Radio And Television Big Band, that brings together the historical orchestral tradition of RAI in an ideal way, emerged from the meeting between Gerardo Di Lella, a young composer, arranger and conductor and Lino Quagliero, for over 35 years the arranger for RAI’s orchestra in Rome – author of more than ten thousand arrangements for great conductors, among them Pino Calvi, Renato Serio, Gianni Ferrio, Pippo Caruso, Furio Rendine, Gorni Kramer, Bruno Canfora, Roberto Pregadio and Tony De Vita.
Here are two different generations united by a common passion for the “sound” of the great American orchestras, richly influenced by the great names of the international music scene. The band has indeed hosted, among others, saxophonists Benny Golson, Steve Grossman and Lee Konitz, the singer Jenny B. and the renowned drummer Tullio De Piscopo.
The repertoire they offer ranges from original compositions by Gerardo Di Lella to a comprehensive tribute to the great American voices of yesterday and today: Nat King Cole, George Benson, Frank Sinatra, Michael Bublè, making use throughout the evening of the Maestro Quagliero’s classic arrangements.

Gerardo Di Lella
Graduating in piano and Jazz, Gerardo Di Lella studied composition with Aladino Di Martino and Isang Yun, arranging with Bruno Tommaso and film music with Ennio Morricone at Sienna’s Accademia Chigiana. He then studied advanced piano with Enrico Pieranunzi, Franco D’Andrea, Mike Melillo and John Taylor.
Since 1993 he has been conducting his own orchestra, collaborating with musicians including Lee Konitz, Steve Grossman, Tony Scott, Benny Golson, Fawzi Chekili, Enrico Rava, Paolo Fresu, Stefano Di Battista, Roberto Gatto, Gegè Munari Antonello Vannucchi, Giorgio Rosciglione, Bruno Tommaso, Pietro Condorelli, Furio Di Castri, Attilio Zanchi, Giovanni Amato, Tiziana Ghiglioni, Dario Deidda, Gegè Telesforo, Sal Genovese and Flavio Boltro. He has collaborated with popular artists such as Alan Sorrenti, Biagio Antonacci, Peppino Di Capri, Cesare Cremonini, I Cugini di Campagna, Tullio De Piscopo, Albano Carrisi, Elio, Alexia, Jenny B., Pupo, Teddy Reno, Silvia Salemi, Annalisa Minetti, Fausto Leali, Francesca Alotta, Niky Nicolai, Rossana Casale, Paola Cortellesi, Edoardo Bennato, Randy Crawford, Claudio Baglioni and others.
He has accompanied the Soul-Blues singer Solomon Burke live on RadioRai with his Pop Orchestra using his own arrangements. He has written arrangements for the well known Israeli singer Noa and conducted the Scarlatti Orchestra in Naples. “Sinite parvulos” was an evening in memory of John Paul II on which occasion he accompanied Katia Ricciarelli.
He has taken part in numerous radio and television broadcasts on the major Italian networks: RAI, Channel 5, TMC, Sky.

Minnie Minoprio
Born in London in 1942, Minnie Minoprio makes her debut at fifteen with Tommy Steele at the London Coliseum in “Cinderella” by Rogers & Hammerstein, having graduated from Arts Educational School and Classical Dance Academy. This is followed by repertory appearances (at Windsor, Nottingham, Coventry) and operatic singing studies.
In 1959 she meets Walter Chiari and is immediately chosen as a soubrette for the Italian variety show “Io e la margherita”. Further theatre and film work followed leading to the collaboration with Garinei and Giovannini who engages her for “Ciao Rudy” with Marcello Mastroianni.
In 1966 she begins an association with several jazz players who were much in demand at the time: Roman New Orleans Jazz Band, Basso and Valdambrini Quartet, Angelo Pocho Gatti Big Band, Carlo Loffredo, Marcello Rosa’s New Dixieland Sound etc.
She appears at the Quirino Theatre in Rome in “Buongiorno Blues, come va?” (Hello Blues, how are you?) and stars in concerts at the Accademia Filarmonica romana, on radio and television, sometimes under the pseudonym “Magnolia Lee”. She is considered the most authentic interpreter of traditional jazz blues in Italy but her versatility allows her to take part in popular music shows, operetta and disco, cutting 5 albums and more than 15 singles.
In the 70s she became very well known by appearing in several television and theatre shows (“Forse sarà la musica del mare” with Lando Buzzanca, “L’angelo azzurro” with Enrico Beruschi, “la presidentessa” with Aldo Giuffrè, “My fair Minnie” with Oreste Lionello), often breaking box office records.
As choreographer she writes and produces shows including “Jumbo Jumbo” and “Jazz Story”, with distinguished soloists such as Marcello Rosa, Guido Pistocchi, Gianni Sanjust, Riccardo Biseo and Piero Odorici.
Since 1996 she has devoted herself primarily to jazz concerts, appearing with her swing quartet or as a special guest with the groups of Lino Patruno, Romano Mussolini and the Red Pellini Gang. She recently finished filming “Forever Blues” with Franco Nero.
 

Translation by Sarah J Hyde - www.thelanguage.biz
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