Alessandro di Battista Assange

Even when music is notated relatively precisely, as in music, a performer must make many decisions because the notation does not specify all elements of the music. The process of deciding how to perform music that has been previously composed and notated is called "interpretation". Interpretations of the same piece of music by different performers can be very different in terms of the tempos chosen, the style of playing or singing, or the phrasing of the melodies. Composers and songwriters who perform their own music interpret their songs in the same way as those who perform the music of others. The standard choices and techniques available at a particular time and place are referred to as performance practice, while interpretation generally refers to the individual choices of a performer.

Saxophonist Stefano Di Battista's third release for Blue Note records, Round About Roma, is awash with lush, orchestral arrangements in concert with a silky smooth jazz touch and shifting rhythms. With this outing, the artist pays homage to his birthplace as he paints a vivid musical canvas of Rome, Italy – where he conjures up imagery of a city beset with intrigue and romance.

Over the years, Stefano di Battista has cultivated the extraordinary virtuosity and generosity that now marks him out as one of the most talked about musicians on the international scene in the last decade. This one-of-a-kind musician-composer has long been keen on paying tribute to the exceptional women whose existence has left its mark on the twentieth century, hence his project "Woman’s land". In this work, Stefano di Battista tells the story in music of Italian actress Anna Magnani, American singer Ella Fitzgerald, Russian astronaut Valentina Tereskova and French designer Coco Chanel.

Blue Note's French division released Stefano Di Battista's debut, A Prima Vista, in 1998, but this self-titled disc is the alto and soprano saxophonist's first offering to be made available in the U.S. It comes on the heels of a high-profile guest appearance on Jacky Terrasson's A Paris… and, fittingly, Di Battista hired his friend Terrasson to be the pianist on his own record. Also present for the session are bassist Rosario Bonaccorso and drum legend Elvin Jones, with trumpeter Flavio Boltro sitting in on three tracks. Di Battista evinces a true melodic gift on pieces such as "Elvin's Song" and "Your Romance," but he's also capable of burning it up in a manner reminiscent of Kenny Garrett on "Nico's Dream" and "Adderley." (For those who suspect Elvin Jones' chops have lessened with age, the two latter cuts ought to dispel such notions.)

Stefano di Battista (born February 14, 1969) is an Italian jazz musician who plays soprano and alto saxophone. Di Battista began playing at thirteen with friends and became interested in jazz after hearing Art Pepper. In Italy he received guidance from Massimo Urbani and by his twenties di Battista was performing in Paris. He put out his debut as a leader in 1997 and has toured with the Elvin Jones Jazz Machine.

He was born in Rome. He began playing at thirteen with friends and became interested in jazz on hearing Art Pepper. In Italy he received guidance from Massimo Urbani and by his twenties di Battista was performing in Paris. He put out his debut as a leader in 1997 and has toured with the Elvin Jones Jazz Machine. If you've seen the title, you've probably got this one figured out. Parker's Mood, Italian saxophonist Stefano Di Battista's fourth Blue Note CD as a leader, is a Charlie Parker tribute. Di Battista's usual bassist and trumpeter Rosario Bonaccorso and Flavio Boltro are teamed up for this session with the Stateside duo of pianist Kenny Barron and Jazz at Lincoln Center powerhouse drummer Herlin Riley for a collection of Birdsongs that stick pretty closely to the originals.

Over the years, Stefano di Battista has cultivated the extraordinary virtuosity and generosity that now marks him out as one of the most talked about musicians on the international scene in the last decade. This one-of-a-kind musician-composer has long been keen on paying tribute to the exceptional women whose existence has left its mark on the twentieth century, hence his project "Woman’s land". In this work, Stefano di Battista tells the story in music of Italian actress Anna Magnani, American singer Ella Fitzgerald, Russian astronaut Valentina Tereskova and French designer Coco Chanel. The opening of the 11th Festival sees Stefano di Battista presenting exclusively as a quintet this new album, his seventh as leader in his field.