MAURIZIO GIAMMARCO


Saxophonist, composer and arranger since the late 1960s, today he is the musical director of the PMJO, a position to which he brings the passion and diversity of his past experience. Indeed, although solidly rooted in the entire jazz tradition, of which he is an expert and a keen connoisseur, he has also made frequent forays into other musical forms, arriving at a highly personal style that is the synthesis of his whole artistic career. Leader of historic bands like Lingomania (a much acclaimed band from the 80s), he is currently involved in various projects such as the Megatones Quintet (where his original compositions excel); Tricycles, the quartet with Phil Markowitz (the expression of a comtempoary, sophisticated jazz) and his solo and duet performances with the musician Claudio Palmieri.

Giammarco has worked with a great number of internationally known jazz musicians (Chet Baker, Lester Bowie, Dave Liebman, Phil Markowitz and Miroslav Vitous, to name only the most important ones) as well as with virtually all of the best-known Italian musicians. His other activites include teaching, record and concert production, freelancing in pop music tours and recordings, stage music composition, dance, films, CDs, symphonic orchestra and string orchestra. He has written a book about Sonny Rollins and he is the artistic director of the Jazz Podium Festival in Termoli. He appears in the Biographical Encyclopedia of Jazz (by Ira Gitler) and in over sixty jazz albums.