SO FAR – Gottfried di Franco – Gabriele di Franco

SO FAR – Gottfried di Franco

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SO FAR – Gottfried di Franco

So far looking back
So far from home
express so far more
So far looking ahead

Digital Release 15.02.2018
Album release 19.03.2018

Gottfried di Franco’s So Far tells the story of two young aspiring musicians who expand their musical and personal horizon in a foreign environment, so far from their roots, in order to give their perception of the world a new dimension. Their compositions sketch situations, explain decisions, recount unutterable feelings and therefore are joined together to portray a big whole.

Musicians:

Stefan Gottfried – sax
Gabriele di Franco – guitar
Raúl Santana – piano
Diederik Billiet – doublebass
João Sousa – drums

Info

Recorded by Koert Berends at WedgeView Studios
on September 21st and 22nd 2017
Mixed by Koert Berends at KoBe Audio
Mastered by Udo Pannekeet at WedgeView Studios
Produced by Stefan Gottfried and Gabriele di Franco
Design Photography by Jerry Knies
info@stefangottfried.com / booking@gabrieledifranco.com
thanks to SENA.

BIO

Gottfried di Franco stands for a kaleidoscopical, meaningful and euphoric musical language. With their compositions saxophonist Stefan Gottfried and guitars Gabriele di Franco create besides through composed passages as much space as possible for creativity, spontaneous joy of playing and improvisation and hold up these immanent values in jazz far from shallow instrumental virtuosity. Stylistically, they meander subtly between their idols Kenny Wheeler, Wayne Shorter and Ralph Towner, an admiring fascination for impressionistic music and their naive curiosity for free improvised music.

Gottfried and di Franco combine their musical ideas, their visions as well as their stories which are being told out of the perspective of two young aspiring musicians who perceive the world with wide-opened eyes.

Since they got to know each other musically in Vienna more than three years ago, a lot has happened. They both changed their environment, Gabriele moved to Brussels, Stefan to the Netherlands, in which they quickly found themselves again. Encouraged through euphoric echo and the realization that they complement each other musically in a natural and lively way, they launched this unique collaboration.

The Austrian saxophonist and the Italian guitarist quickly found their congenial musical partners in the virtuosic Spanish pianist Raúl Santana, the extraordinary Brussels based bassist Diederik Billiet and the with creativity sparkling Portuguese drummer João Sousa. Five musicians whose roots couldn’t be more different, find themselves to pursue a musical idea in developing the sound of the band that draws attention by subtle and meaningful expression rather than by screaming or impetuous articulation.

Gottfried di Franco has appeared in concert in Austria, the Netherlands, Belgium and Italy and has reached the final of international competitions such as the Sibiu International Jazz Concours 2017.

links:

Facebook – Instagram – YouTube

Album Review

Jazzflits.nl
“Een debuut-cd is altijd iets bijzonders. Het is nooit zomaar een tussendoortje dat even in elkaar wordt geflanst. Over de debuut-cd ‘So Far’ van Gabriele di Franco en Stefan Gottfried is goed nagedacht. De muziek reflecteert hun helden, hun visie op de geimproviseerde muziek, maar ook de plek waar ze nu zijn neergestreken…”
“Het is een uur eigentijdse jazz met duidelijke wortels in de historie, die zich graag laat herbeluisteren en daarbij aan diepte en zeggingskracht wint.”
http://jazzflits.nl/jazzflits16.13.pdf
SJOERD VAN AELST

MENTALE REIS DOOR NEDERLAND MET GOTTFRIED dI FRANCO – Jazznu.com
“..So Far is door de persoonlijke beschrijvingen van Nederland een album dat sfeer en individualiteit uitademt. Nergens wordt grof muzikaal geweld aangewend om (vermeend?) vakmanschap te bewijzen. Creativiteit, intimiteit en impressionisme overtuigen veel meer. Strak gecomponeerde delen worden op een natuurlijke wijze afgewisseld met fraaie persoonlijke invullen van de bandleden. Die je gerust als improvisaties mag beschouwen…”
RINUS VAN DER HEIJDEN
http://jazznu.com/cdrecensies/mentale-reis-door-nederland-met-gottfried-i-franco/

COSI’ LONTANO, COSI’ VICINO – QuiSalento
“So Far è un disco che, in dieci tracce, non urla, non strepita, non si impone con artifici funambolici, ma racconta storie chiare, semplici e anche molto personali…”
“..guarda lontano, al futuro, attraverso sonorità nuove, impressioniste, ma che strizza l’occhio al passato…”
“So Far è un disco da avere. E da ascoltare, piano.”
LAURA RIZZO

JAZZ The Italian Way #2 – Jazz’Halo
“Einem Frühlingsrauschen im zarten Grün gleicht „Subconcious-Lee“…
“Kontemplation kommt auf, wenn das Gitarrensolo das Stück „P.“ eröffnet…
“..Eine Hommage an Amsterdam findet sich mit „Leidseplein Madness“: Da rockt es ganz gewaltig. Exaltiert gibt sich das Saxofon, das sich dann aber wieder fängt und ein zartes Windsäuseln von sich gibt. Der Wahnsinn macht, so scheint es, auch auf dem Leidseplein mal eine Pause. Doch dann meint man beim weiteren Zuhören, Feuerwerksraketen werden in den Himmel geschossen, und der Gitarrist lässt die Saiten schwirren, jaulen, wimmern, heulen. Zum Schluss findet sich dann noch das musikalische „Glück“.
Texte © ferdinand dupuis-panther
https://www.jazzhalo.be/reviews/cdlp-reviews/various/jazz-the-italian-way-2/?fbclid=IwAR0DPYEW_RHCHz_grUFI74UK8hMVAvkr7jUckGoOvc56R3nzg42L7uqwJs4