Biography
An eighteen-piece big band known as the Italian Instabile Orchestra assembles some of Italy's most accomplished free and avant-garde jazz players, among them trumpeter Pino Minafra and saxophonists Eugenio Columbo, Gianluigi Trovesi, and Carlos Actis Dato. Pianist and composer Giorgio Gaslini together with bassist Bruno Tommaso numbered among its founding participants. The group first convened in 1990 as a one-off ensemble assembled for the annual Festival di Noci; Pino Minafra later revived the project for the following year's edition of the same event. Its initial performance beyond Italian borders occurred in 1992 at the Rive de Gier festival in France, and material from the orchestra's debut Leo Records album was captured during that appearance as well as at the second Festival di Noci. Additional concerts that year in France, Germany, and Italy helped establish its growing profile. Journalist and producer Steve Lake subsequently recorded the ensemble for ECM in 1994.
Gaslini departed in 1996 and was succeeded by Umberto Petrin, while trumpeter Enrico Rava joined the same year. Bruno Tommaso exited in 1998. Guest appearances have featured such figures as Cecil Taylor, Lester Bowie, and Willem Breuker. The orchestra marked its tenth anniversary in 2000 through festival engagements in Canada and the United States. That September it joined Cecil Taylor at the Talos Festival in Ruvo-di Puglia, Pino Minafra's birthplace. In common with other European large ensembles such as the Willem Breuker Kollektief and the Vienna Art Orchestra, the Instabile Orchestra departs from the conventions of the American big-band model. Instead of adhering to established formulas, it explores the technical and philosophical frontiers that define twenty-first-century jazz. From the outset, its composers—including Gaslini, Tommaso, and trombonist Giancarlo Schiaffini—have displayed a pronounced sense of sardonic wit and irreverence.
Gaslini departed in 1996 and was succeeded by Umberto Petrin, while trumpeter Enrico Rava joined the same year. Bruno Tommaso exited in 1998. Guest appearances have featured such figures as Cecil Taylor, Lester Bowie, and Willem Breuker. The orchestra marked its tenth anniversary in 2000 through festival engagements in Canada and the United States. That September it joined Cecil Taylor at the Talos Festival in Ruvo-di Puglia, Pino Minafra's birthplace. In common with other European large ensembles such as the Willem Breuker Kollektief and the Vienna Art Orchestra, the Instabile Orchestra departs from the conventions of the American big-band model. Instead of adhering to established formulas, it explores the technical and philosophical frontiers that define twenty-first-century jazz. From the outset, its composers—including Gaslini, Tommaso, and trombonist Giancarlo Schiaffini—have displayed a pronounced sense of sardonic wit and irreverence.
Albums
