Javier Girotto & Vince Abbracciante

Vince Abbracciante – Accordion, Organ, Keyboards

“He is the rising star of the accordion in Italy, gifted with a remarkable technique, a deep sense of blues and swing. He masters the accordion like few and plays with talent every musical genre.” Dizionario del jazz italiano, 2014

Richard Galliano commented on him, “The one who impressed me the most is a young Italian originally from Puglia: His name is Vincenzo Abbracciante. In every piece he involved me in a story and moved me.” (Jazzman, 2005)

He was born in Ostuni in 1983. At the age of eight he took up music lessons with his father Franco and with A. Sanese. He studied and attended master classes with Franco D’Andrea, Bruno Tommaso, Richard Galliano, Joelle Leandre, Steve Potts, Gianni Lenoci, Roberto Gatto, Dado Moroni, Jacques Mornet, Gianluca Pica, Rosario Giuliani, Gian Vito Tannoia and graduated in Jazz Music, first level, at the Conservatory “Nino Rota” of Monopoli and in Classical Accordion, second level, at the Conservatory “E. R. Duni” of Matera, with distinction and special mention. In 2000 he won the “25° International Competition City of Castelfidardo” and in 2003 he won the 53° World Accordion Trophy. Since 2000 he has been the testimonial of the Borsini Accordions of Castelfidardo.

He has performed on five continents: Germany, Brazil, USA, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore, England, Austria, France, Spain, South Africa, Egypt, China, Ireland, India, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand, Lebanon, Denmark, Russia, Holland, Latvia, Lithuania and Canada, where he performs at festivals and prestigious jazz clubs and plays with leading musicians: Javier Girotto, Gabriele Mirabassi, Fabrizio Bosso, Juini Booth, Peppe Servillo, John Medeski, Richard Galliano, Marc Ribot, Flavio Boltro, Carlo Actis Dato, Bruno Tommaso, Giovanni Amato, The Bumps (Davide Penta & Antonio Di Lorenzo), Roberto Ottaviano, Paola Arnesano, Maria Mazzotta, Luca Ciarla, Lucio Dalla, Ornella Vanoni, Heidi Vogel, Francesco Lotoro.

In 2006 he began to approach vintage keyboards, such as Hammond organ, Farfisa, Rhodes and others, giving free rein to his creative and psychedelic vein.
In 2009, together with Carlo Borsini, he developed a new system for changing the stops of the accordion, which allowed him to expand the sound range of his instrument. The new accordion, after more than a year of construction and design, was officially presented at the Frankfurt Fair in April 2011. In the same year he was awarded the prestigious “VOCE D’ORO” prize by the Castelfidardo International Festival, an award historically given to those who promote the image of the accordion with their music.

In 2012 he releases his first jazz album as a leader, entitled “Introducing…”, featuring the legendary New York double bassist Juini Booth. In 2013 he is awarded “Best Instrumentalist 2013′′ by the ARGOJAZZ Festival in Marina di Pisticci (MT).

In 2017 he releases his second album entitled “Sincretico”, the first jewel of his discography that includes eight new compositions for accordion, string quintet and guitar. Since 2017, the imprint of his right hand has been preserved in the “International Museum of Accordionists’ Footprints” in Recoaro Terme (VI). In 2018 he won the Bucharest International Jazz Competition with his trio.

He wrote soundtracks for the films of director Gianni Torres:
– “Le Mamme di San Vito” (2010). The film was awarded the Globo Tricolore – Brazil/Cinema in 2011.
– “Unique” (2014).
– “Angels in Bangkok” (2016).

Discography:
2012 – Introducing… – Bumps Records.
2017 – Sincretico – Dodicilune
2019 – Terranima – Dodicilune

Javier Edgardo Girotto

Javier Edgardo Girotto was born in Cordoba on April 17, 1965. He first approached music thanks to his maternal grandfather, A.L.Caroli, bandmaster, playing first the snare drum, then the piccolo clarinet in E-flat, in the Infanto Juvenil de Cordoba and in the chapel of Villa del Rosario, to then pass to the one in B-flat. The transition, for a clarinetist, to the saxophone is natural. After choosing the alto saxophone, he begins to travel Buenos Aires, looking for someone to introduce him to jazz, unfortunately without success. Back in Cordoba, he formed his first jazz-inspired groups and also dedicated himself to the commercial music of the so-called “cuartetos”. At the age of sixteen he began his classical studies and enrolled at the Conservatorio Provincial De Cordoba. Since there was no saxophone department, he enrolled in clarinet and flute courses and achieved intermediate grades in both instruments. Parallel to his studies at the Conservatory, he formed and collaborated with several groups, including the Vertiente, a mixture of fusion and Argentine folklore, the Jazz 440, “Jam”, the Enzo Piccioni Quartet and the Juan Ciallella Quartet.

At the age of 19, he won a scholarship to Berklee College of Music and the doors to the world of jazz finally opened wide for him. He stayed at the prestigious Boston school for four years, graduating Cum Magna Laude in Professional Music. The four years in the United States were profitable, a time in which he deepened his studies of composition and arrangement, as well as saxophone and improvisation with masters of the caliber of Joseph Viola, George Garzone, Hall Crook and Jerry Bergonzi, and then learned “the craft” playing with Danilo Perez, George Garzone, Hall Crook, Bob Moses, Herb Pomeroy and many other musicians from whom he absorbed a spark of their experience.

Javier Girotto’s Italian adventure began at the age of 25 to take care of some business of his family, which comes from Puglia (through Italian citizenship) and after a short time decided to start his professional career in this country. Also in Italy he alternates the collaboration with groups of commercial music, Latin, with the formation of several jazz groups with which he began his tireless activity as composer and arranger. His first Roman formation is “Tercer Mundo”, together with Horacio “El Negro” Hernandez, in the footsteps of Latin jazz, a sextet composed of piano, bass, percussion, drums, trumpet and saxophone, closely followed by the “Six Sax”, a quartet of saxophones, with bass and drums, composed of Rosario Giuliani and Tony Germani on alto, Gianni Savelli on tenor, Javier on baritone, Marco Siniscalco on bass and Pietro Iodice on drums, with whom he recorded his first CD “Homenaje” in 1995 with special guests Bob Mintzer and Randy Brecker. In the same period, the group for which Girotto’s soprano and baritone saxophones are best known, Aires Tango, with Alessandro Gwis on piano, Marco Siniscalco on bass and Michele Rabbia on drums and percussion, is born, in a union of the grounds of tango with those of jazz that, starting from the pleasure of listening to the stylistic elements of Argentine music, calms the listener as he faces the “rapids” of the “variety” of his solos. With Aires Tango he records no less than 10 records and in 2009 they celebrate the 15th anniversary with the record “10/15″ (to be precise, to denote the 10th record and the 15th anniversary of the group). A path in which Girotto has always been accompanied by the unconditional recognition of the public, which encouraged him to “open” the project to the voice of Peppe Servillo and the symphony orchestra. In 1999 another group was formed, “Cordoba Reunion”, composed of four musicians from Cordoba, Javier Girotto on saxophone and flute, Gerardo Di Giusto on piano, Minino Garay on drums and Carlos El Tero Buschini on bass, engaged in a project that returned to the roots of his music, Looking at those times that preceded the tango, taking the listener on a sensitive and emotional journey in search of the rhythms of Argentine folklore such as milonga, chacarera, zamba and candombe, this group recorded a first record with the singer Mercedes Sosa. And a second in 2012 “Sin Lugar a Dudas” for the Swiss radio Lugano Rete Due.

In 2000 Javier Girotto formed a double duo: the first with the bandoneon of Daniele Di Bonaventura, with whom he recorded three records: “Javier Girotto Plays Rava”, “Recordando Piazzolla” and “Recordando Gardel” with an orchestra of 13 strings;

The second duo with Luciano Biondini (accordion), with whom he recorded 3 C.D. with all original compositions, but returned to freer improvisation. The first disc was released in 2002 for the Philology label “El Cacerolazo”, the second in 2005 for the ENJA RECORDS label “Terra Madre”. The third disc and DVD “Iguazù” with live DVD in Ukraina. Also this duo sees them as protagonists in festivals and clubs not only in Italy, but also in Germany, Spain, Switzerland, Austria, Denmark, Holland, Eastern Europe, Argentina, Peru, etc..

In the same year he began his collaboration with the prestigious ONJ, the Orchestre National du Jazz in Paris (France).

Among the formations of Javier Girotto is the elegant duo with the Argentine pianist Natalio Mangalavite, with whom he recorded Colibrì, a CD that represents the synthesis of the whole South American feeling, to which he recently added the voice of Peppe Servillo, creating the trio G.S.M.. Peppe Servillo had already collaborated with Girotto in some Aires Tango projects as a guest and over time the collaboration solidified in the desire to create a joint project in which the singer was the protagonist from beginning to end, materializing this project in their first album entitled “L’Amico di Cordoba” for “Il Manifesto C.D.”. Peppe Servillo is the author of the lyrics and Girotto of the music. In 2008 the Trio G.S.M. records the second CD entitled “Futbol” with guests Toni Servillo and Fausto Mesolella.

In 2002 he joined Enrico Rava’s quartet “Piano less” with which he recorded the CD “Full of Life” together with Ares Tavolazzi and Fabrizio Sferra.

Then he forms and records his first record “Nauhel”, ed: from “Il Manifesto” Javier Girotto & Vertere String Quartet, preferring a repertoire arranged by Luigi Giannatempo with original music by Girotto supported by the string quartet.

2006 Together with the Paolo Silvestri Ensamble and Luciano Biondini he forms what would be the continuation of the “Anniversary” record, recorded with Aires Tango and the Sofia Symphony Orchestra, the first album for Giotto Music.

Meanwhile, with the PMJO (Parco della Musica Jazz Orchestra – Auditorium of Rome) he recorded the CD “Argentina: Escenas en Big Band” with original compositions by Girotto, arranged by Luigi Giannatempo; in December ’08 he was invited by the Jazz Orchestra of the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam to tour Holland to present this project de Big Band and in August 2010 he will be guest of the WDR Big Band (Radio Cologne – Germany) for a project “Jazz Tango” with Gary Burton and Marcelo Nisinman.

In November 2008, together with Paolo Silvestri, he presented “Concerto Latino” for symphony orchestra and soprano saxophone, composed by Silvestri for Girotto, as well as other compositions by Girotto, with the San Marino Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra Filarmonica Marchigiana, Orchestra della Magna Grecia di Taranto, Orchestra Regionale di Roma e del Lazio, a project to be repeated with the best European symphony orchestras.

Also in ‘2008 together with Fabrizio Bosso forms the “Latin Mood” documenting this project in the disc “Tribute” and recording for the Blue Note in the same year the disc “Sol”, and in 2012 the disc “Vamos”.

Another project is the development of an original repertoire for saxophone quartet with the breath saxophone quartet soloist, composer and arranger Girotto himself, documented in the disc “SUIX” produced by the label Parco della Musica in Rome, and in 2013 the second disc of this project for his own label “Araucanos”.

In 2009 recording of a solo album for L’Espresso “Jazz italiano live”, recorded at the Casa del jazz in Rome” together with Aires Tango and Luciano Biondini.

In 2011 he starts his own recording adventure, opening “JG records” with his first record (recorded entirely in Argentina and with musicians from Cordoba and old friends) “Alrededores de la Ausencia”.

From 2009 to 2011 he was a teacher in the Jazz Department of the Conservatory of Santa Cecilia in Rome, he gave countless seminars in the Conservatories of Pesaro, Lecce, Salerno, Como, Turin, Lima (Peru), Cordoba (Argentina), etc.. …. and in various music schools all over Italy and worldwide.

In 2012 he formed a duo with the renowned classical pianist Michele Campanella “Musique sans Frontiére” project, where he proposed the repertoire of great classical composers such as Debussy-RavelGuastavino, etc. … contaminating this wonderful music for piano with improvisation and the inclusion of additional saxophone. Recording of the project in March 2014 for the label CAM JAZZ.

Also in November and December 2012 realiza a tour of South American jazz festivals (Uruguay – Argentina – Brazil) with guitarist and pianist Ralph Towner.

In November 2016 problems with the left hand began, and throughout 2017 and half of 2018 began an uphill battle against a disease called DISTONIA FOCALE DEL MUSICISTA (FOCALE DISTONY OF THE MUSICIAN), a disorder that did not allow him to play and the hand suffered from crippling that did not allow correct movements, which fortunately (after a thousand attempts and research and personal work on this rare disease) was resolved in May 2018, Research and personal work on this rare disease) in May 2018 and thus a restart of his musical activity with a tour in Argentina and Uruguay and a project that Javier entirely on Lucio Battisti and the second disc with Michele Campanella VERS LA GRANDE PORTE DE KIEV – LIVE AT JERMANN WINERY with music on Mussorgsky – Rachmaninov – Stravinsky new, etc.. … In 2017 he published a book and a CD ” ESCENAS EN SOLO” MUSIC FOR SAXOPHONE SOLO ” and a CD in Sax solo, which he recorded before his illness.

Javier Girotto’s collaborations are endless, from Enrico Rava, with whom we find him as an interesting baritone player in the Pianoless Quartet, a tribute to Chet Baker and Gerry Mulligan, with whom he recorded Full of Life, to Roberto Gatto, the backbone of the quintet, with whom he participated in the three compacts “7#, “Sing Sing” and “Deep”, with trombonist Gianluca Petrella, with whom he recorded “X-Ray”, from Rita Marcotulli, whose formations is the soul ethnic-Argentine alternating with the Andean flute and soprano, with whom he recorded “The Woman Next Door” “Koinè” and a disc for the magazine L’Espresso in 2009, “Nanà”, “Variations on the theme”, etc….

It is not the first time that jazz and Argentine traditions fall in love with each other until they end in a fierce embrace, like a boisterous and sudden tango.

It is also not the first time that the accordion, a folk instrument that carries in its body the echo of a mixture of all the folklore of the world, comes out of its traditional universe in a very interesting way.

The Italian Vince Abbracciante (young new talent of the accordion) and the Argentine Javier Girotto, with his magical sound, are always looking for intimate conversations, both have the sensitivity and talent to reach the highest point of musical poetry.

Together, the two artists offer an original music that “builds new bridges between jazz, folklore, tango”, free improvisation and neoclassical writing with melancholic excerpts and expressive finesse of their musical universe that will appeal to both the soul and introspective thoughts.

The duo was formed in 2015.

The CD “Santuario” was released in 2021.