Gianni Gebbia

Palermo (Italy) May 1 1961
alto, soprano, sopranino saxophones, clarinet, accordeon, objects

FREELANCE WORKS & COLLABORATIONS (collaborazioni): Antonello Salis, Pino Minafra, Orchestra Instabile, Peter Kowald, Gunther Sommer, Oliver Lake, Glen Velez, Tiziano Popoli, Massimo Simonini, Jim Meneses, Evan Parker, Fred Frith, Lindsay Cooper, Lars Hollmer, Sakis Papadimitriou, Jean-Marc Montera, Edmond Hosdikijan, André Jaume,Steve Buchanan, Yves Romain, Dominique Regef, Sergey Kuriokhin & Pop Mekanika, Eldis Ibrahi- Mova, Anatoly Vapirov, Vladimir Tarasov, Miriam Palma, Vittorio Villa, Lelio Giannetto, Tadashi Endo, Masaki Iwana, Antonio Carallo, Raul Ruiz, Julie Stanzak, Noel Akchote', Ernst Reijsiger, Salvo Cuccia, Enzo Rao, Giorgio Occhipinti, Renato Geremia, Mauro Orselli, Thierry Madiot, Benoit Delbeq, Guillaume Orti, Paul Rogers, Basse Sfere, Roberto Paci Dalò.

FESTIVALS : Total Music meeting FMP Berlin, Imola Jazz at the Rock, International jazz festival Sofia Bulgaria, Varna Bulgaria, Wuppertal jazzspektakel, Gibellina Etnojazz, Roccella Ionica Rumori mediterranei, Sibiu jazz festival Romania, Bucarest, Faenza, Noci Europa jazz fest., S.Arcangelo di Romagna, Riposto,Taormina Arte, Angelica Bologna, Clusone, Bolzano Jazz summer, Lavori in corso Bologna, Ayler fest, Roma Tradizione e movimento Firenze Concentus Musicus, Verona Jazzitalia, Macchina dei sogni, Suoni900 Palermo, Sord Nud Palermo, Jazz antiapartheid Bologna, Sicilia jazzestate Ct, L'arte di improvvisare Roma, Spazio della memoria Bologna, Festival ibleo del jazz 93 93 95 Ragusa, Mulhouse jazz fest.95,Welkenraedt(ex oupeye)Belgium 95, Noci Europa jazz fest 92-95. Obiettivo Giappone Roma 96, Europa jazz festival Le Mans 96 France 96, Jazz e interferenze Schio 96, Druga Godba Slovenia 96, Butoh festival London GB 1996, Bolzano jazz summer 96, Noci festival 96, Rive De Gier.

AWARDS (premi e riconoscimenti)
Top jazz poll (new talents) by Musica Jazz Italy: 4th place 1988, 3rd 1989, 1st 90

SOUNDTRACKS for movies & videos (musiche per film e video)
" Solo " a video by Salvo Cuccia prod.Avalon 93
" Shiki" a video by Salvo Cuccia prod.Avalon, Galleria Toledo (with P.Kowald and Tadashi Endo) 1993.
" Thriller "," Dr.Jekill and mr.Hyde "," Una mosca in citta' "," I diavoli della Zisa
" cartoons by Grafimated ass.Palermo 91,94.
" Il viaggio clandestino.Vite di santi e peccatori " a movie by Raul Ruiz 1993.
" Un sogno di lumaca " a movie by Salvo Cuccia prod.avalon 1995.
" Diario senza date " a movie by Roberto Ando' with Bruno Ganz, Palermo 1995

PERFORMANCES
" Considerazione dell'immobile nomadismo " Bologna Teatro di Leo 1992.
" Le Idi di Marzo " concert & exposition G.Gebbia,P.Kowald,Palermo 1992
" Stazioni " Happenings on the Circumetnea railway,Mount Etna Ct 1989.
" Shiki " with P.Kowald & Tadashi Endo,Galleria Toledo Napoli 1993.
" Terra Arsa " with Antonio Carallo,M.Palma,V,Villa,Palermo 1993.
" Bachstage " solo performance on B class interpretations of J.S.Bach,Bologna Teatri di vita 1994.
" Kowald,Gebbia,Stanzak " music & dance,Wuppertal Ort 1994.
" Kowald,Gebbia,Iwana " music & dance,Wuppertal Ort 1995.
" La macchina dei rumori " for 12 musicians Palermo 1995.
" Yo motsu hi ra saka " dance piece by Masaki Iwana,Roma Dark camera 1995.
" Busshitsu to no mitsuyaku " duo with Masaki Iwana,Paris Theatre Clavel,May95.
Roma palazzo delle esposizioni,Paris ambassade du Japon Jan.96
" Here &........" dance piece with Tadashi Endo.Teatro Libero Palermo 1996.
" In Sospensione " audio - video & portable phones installation by Salvo Cuccia, Gianni Gebbia abd Roberto Paci Dalò / Palermo Church of S.Maria dello Spasimo 96.

ARTICLES,INTERWIEWS & REWIEWS (articoli e recensioni su G.G. apparse sulle seguenti riviste)
Musica Jazz, Tzaz, Ekos, Jazz magazine, Jazz hot, Cadence, The Wire, Le monde de la musique, Frankfurter Rundschau, Taz, Option, World music, Rockerilla, Il Manifesto, Repubblica, Jazz Podium, Jazzthetik,Notes, Improjazz, Jazz not Jazz, Blu Jazz etc.

SELECTED DISCOGRAPHY (discografia selezionata)
GIANNI GEBBIA 1987 Soundevent SEOO1
ARABESQUES 1988 Splasch lp
SOLO, DUETS, TRIO 1990 Geb SO3
OUTLAND Splasch rec.1990 H315
ZERO IN GEOMETRIA Soundevent 1990 SE003
ANGELICA92, ANGELICA 93 with F.Frith,L.Hollmer,L.Cooper,Cai Cai music OO2,003
PAN EROS with Glen Velez CMP rec.63 1993
GEBBIA SOLOS soundevent S005 (cassette only)
CAPPUCCINIKLANG(with.P.Kowald,G.Sommer)Splash rec.93
THE KAOS LEGEND Giorgio Occhipinti ensemble Leo Records 95
LAVORI IN CORSO cd Stile Libero (with Terra Arsa) 95 TERRA ARSA cassette Soundevent 004/ 95
BODY LIMITS solo for alto saxophone cd Splasch records 1996 Splasch CDH 462.2
TERRA ARSA cd More Music Momus 004 1996.

Gianni Gebbia Solo
Body Limits
Alto saxophone

"The italian saxophone player Gianni Gebbia is a homo novus on the free music scene. He has a brilliant tecnique and uses different reeds instruments special mouthpieces and overtones singing inside the body of the saxophone.His playing is going all trough the history of saxophone:fast be boppish licks, cool gestures and strange sounds are coming out of his instrument in a clear and effortless way. A name to keep in our minds for the future."
Reiner Kobe " Total music 90 " in Jazz podium 1/91

"Gianni Gebbia takes off his saxophone some interesting new sounds and tones. His solo performance was full of vivid sounds and sudden changes." Michael Rieth " Der risiko der Freiheit " Frankfurter rundschau 12.11.90 "Some jazz dissidents are taking new inspirations out of folk roots.It's the case of Gianni Gebbia that we saw at the last Total Music Meeting in Berlin." Ellen Brandt ,Tagesspiegel Berlin

"Everything: from free masters,radical improvisation,ney flute music to unknown ethnical masters comes out in Gianni Gebbia solo with a kind of circular ring shape plus a special mediterranean attractive." Marco Boccitto liner notes for Angelica Festival Bologna 1991

"Gianni Gebbia has shown to us a 45 degrees burning versions of Evan Parkerish kind of solo art." Markus Muller in Jazzthetik 94

"Gianni Gebbia has put together thirthy minutes of perfect solo playing with a lot of organic-like structures and tone variations." Stefano Zenni in Musica Jazz 94

"Gianni Gebbia is provocating the listener since the first notes.The cover of his solo cassette is made with pieces of meccano and corresponds perfectly to his music: a patient construction of simple pieces that slowly goes to his place........." Philippe Renaud in Improjazz june 95

"A saxophone trip, a discovery of mind and memory,an hypno-imaginary folk with continuous breath and post free kaleidoscopic flights.Immense ! " Luigi Onori / Extra il Manifesto 1996

"Gebbia is a very intense and passionate player with a brusque gawky sound. His music is based on repetitive textures and bluntly juxtaposed passages of noise and near silence. He seems to have taken up the challenge posed by Braxton and Evan Parker,not so much in sound as in his approach to structure. He's conscious too that Sicily marks the southernmost point of continental Europe and as such marks at least a metaphoric refocus of the whole diffused mediterranean tradition. " Brian Morton,The Wire March 1994

Gianni Gebbia solo performances were presented in many different festivals like: Total Music Meeting in Berlin FMP 1990, Teatro di Leo Bologna 92, Angelica festival Bologna 92, Ort Wuppertal 94, La macchina dei sogni Palermo 94, Festival ibleo del jazz Ragusa 94, Theatre Clavel Paris 95, Dark camera Rome 95, Talos Festival, Roma Palazzo delle Esposizioni etc.

SOLO DISCOGRAPHY :
" Solo, duets, trio " Il pontesonoro 1989
" Angelica 92 " cd Cai cai music
" Gebbia Solos" Soundevent records 1995
" Body Limits " Splasch records cd 1996

E-mail: Gianni Gebbia
via Notarbartolo 31
90141 Palermo Italy
Tel & fax 0039 91 30 43 37