LUCA DI LUZIO - GLOBETROTTER, FEAT. JIMMY HASLIP, DAVE WECKL, MAX IONATA, GEORGE WHITTY

A diverse and versatile guitar player, Luca di Luzio plays electric, acoustic and classical guitar with a style that covers everything from jazz standards and bossa nova to funky, fusion and blues. Luca is a graduate of the Conservatorio di Musica Frescobaldi di Ferrara music conservatory in Italy, with a degree in Jazz guitar. During the course of his extensive studies he has attended seminars and masterclasses with Pat Metheny, Mike Stern, Mick Goodrick, Jim Hall, Joe Diorio, John Abercrombie, Wolfgang Muthspiel, Donovan Mixon, Jim Kelly, and Garrison Fewell. His studies in harmony and guitar continue with Les Wise and Dean Brown.

His performance and concert career include collaborating with a multitude of national and international artists, including Jimmy Haslip, Marvin Smitty Smith, Roberto Spadoni, Marco Tamburini, Max Ionata, Fabrizio Bosso, Paolo Fresu, Massimo Manzi, Javier Girotto, James Newton, Bob Stoloff, Tom Sheret, Teo Ciavarella, Giancarlo Schiaffini, Lauren Bush, Barend Midelhoff, James Monque D., Howard Paul and Garrison Fewell with festivals and concerts in Europe and the United States. A member of the SIDMA Orchestra from 2008 to 2013 he has also played with the Jazzlife Orchestra and the Conservatorio Frescobaldi Big Band.
In March 2018 Luca toured in Italy with Jimmy Haslip, Marvin Smitty Smith and Max Ionata to promote the upcoming CD, Globetrotter a journey in contemporary jazz where funk, blues, jazz and Latin music come together on a musical common path. All the tracks are original and written by Luca di Luzio, a guitar player who studied different music styles to generate his personal music vision, based on two main characteristics: melody and groove. Therefore, he decided to collaborate with two heavy hitting players bassist, Jimmy Haslip and drummer Dave Weckl for this recording project. The album also features George Whitty on keyboards and Max Ionata on tenor saxophone with special guest Alessandro Fariselli on saxophone.

SMILE! (Luca di Luzio) - 4:43
Luca di Luzio - Guitar Max Ionata - Tenor Saxophone
Jimmy Haslip - Electric Bass Dave Weckl - Drums
George Whitty - Keyboards
One of the first tunes I wrote, here is presented in a new contemporary arrangement. Smile! Is the synthesis of my music language made mostly by simple melodies and groove . Max Ionata plays a wonderful solo on this tune.

MR BROWN (Luca di Luzio) - 4:42
Luca di Luzio - Guitar Max Ionata - Tenor Saxophone
Jimmy Haslip - Electric Bass Dave Weckl - Drums
George Whitty - Keyboards
It’s dedicated to the guitarist Dean Brown, a musician who has given me a lot both musically and humanely. He guided me facing music challenges and he has always encouraged me to “raise up” the goals to reach.

JAZZLIFE (Luca di Luzio) - 4:29
Luca di Luzio - Guitar
Alessandro Fariselli - Tenor Saxophone
Jimmy Haslip - Electric Bass
Dave Weckl - Drums
George Whitty - Keyboards
It is a tune that reflects a change in my life, the great choice of leaving my previous job and plunge into music world because just dunking your feet is not enough. After nearly 20 years spent working as consultant and businessman I decided to leave my job and dedicate myself only to music. I had to run very fast to make up for lost time, I had to concentrate myself avoiding any distractions that would have taken me away from my goals. On this tune, my friend and buddy in many bands , Alessandro Fariselli, blows a great solo on his tenor Saxophone.

BUENA SUERTE (Luca di Luzio) - 4:49
Luca di Luzio - Guitar Max Ionata - Tenor Saxophone
Jimmy Haslip - Electric Bass Dave Weckl - Drums
George Whitty - Keyboards
It’s a ballad I wrote on a plane some years ago, flying to Boston to see my close friend Garrison Fewell. Buena Suerte is the hope for better future, for a good luck , for people that, like me, never give up!

ELISIR (Luca di Luzio) - 4:19
Luca di Luzio - Guitar Max Ionata - Tenor Saxophone
Jimmy Haslip - Electric Bass Dave Weckl - Drums
George Whitty - Keyboards
Two melodies chasing on a 6/8 feel. Two melodies that become a single melody in the bridge. I wrote this tune recently starting from a phrase taken from a Emily Remler’s solo. Transcribing influences constantly my way of writing music.

SUNSHOWER (Kenny Barron) - 5:01
Luca di Luzio - Guitar Max Ionata - Tenor Saxophone
Jimmy Haslip - Electric Bass Dave Weckl - Drums
George Whitty - Keyboards
A Kenny Barron’s tune I used to play with Marco Tamburini. Like remembering Marco playing this song and I can always feel his tone in my heart when I play it.

POP FLA (Luca di Luzio) - 4:27
Luca di Luzio - Guitar Jimmy Haslip - Electric Bass
Dave Weckl - Drums George Whitty - Keyboards
My passion for latin music and tradition, and swing together in a tune where George Whitty and Dave Weckl built an incredible harmonic and rhythm scenario. I wrote this tune in Florida a couple of years ago.

NAIMA (John Coltrane) - 5:00
Luca di Luzio - Guitar Max Ionata - Tenor Saxophone
Jimmy Haslip - Electric Bass Dave Weckl - Drums
It is one of my favorite standards, I have been playing this for about 20 years. I have reharmonized the theme in chords and changed the original tone in order to use guitar open strings.

S.I.S. - Simple Italian Song (Luca di Luzio) - 1:58
Luca di Luzio - Guitar
The only solo guitar tune in the album: it is dedicated to my father. I played it for him a few months before he passed away in 2014. He was laying on the couch and I was playing some standard song for him. Then he asked me to play an “Italian song” and I improvised this melody that I named “Simple Italian Song”. My dad loved music and he always encou¬raged me to do my best in everything.