Claudio Passilongo is an Italian composer and pianist who now lives in Denmark. Music has been part of his life since he was a child. He began to compose as autodidact at the age of 9, recording few years later his first demo made up entirely of his original songs and playing -in that occasionbass, piano, guitar and keyboards in multi-session tracks. Gradually, he felt in love with both Jazz and Classical music, and decided to begin to study them seriously. So, after graduating with full marks at the Conservatory of Music of Naples, he attended the Accademia Chigiana composition class with Salvatore Sciarrino, and Artes Prato Orchestration masterclass with Andrea Portera (teacher from Scuola di Fiesole).

Professionalism came by, and Claudio was hired by the most important Jazz Club of Southern Italy, Otto Jazz Club, to perform with its Muzikensemble-trio. Since then, he began playing ordinarily in Neapolitan music jazz-club scene taking part in many jazz festivals, as “Nick la Rocca European jazz festival” (2005) “Marechiaro Jazz Festival” (2006), Castello Doria d’Angri Festival (2011), Arena del Mare (Rassegna di Atmosfere, Salerno 2012), and many others.

“I do not consider properly myself as a jazz musician, although I love playing jazz so much. I do experience composition as a journey in the universe of sound, thus I love its heterogeneity.” said Claudio on an interview for Jazzitalia, after a prèmier of a theatrical pièce in Italy, for which he composed the soundtrack. This “yearning for learning” brought him to investigate the music of the second-half of nineteen century: “I’ve always been fascinated by Ligeti and Berio’s music. Although they were so different, there were something emotionally intense in their musical worlds, deeply hidden beyond their techniques. I had to grasp that, whatever it was, and trying to build something taking advantage of all that I would have learnt. But, in the meantime, I don’t want to leave jazz music world at all.” This last statement is enough to shows how Passilongo’s musical interests span from both sides of the Atlantic ocean.

This double-face-way-of-work goes on and Claudio composes the Concerto Dorico for Piano and Orchestra and the Stabat Mater for choir, soloists and orchestra. The Concerto Dorico and some of his chamber music works are published and available by Edizioni Sconfinarte, (Milano, Italia)

His first sextet, Frammenti, has been performed by Ensemble Bios (Prato, 2012) and Rockin’ the Harpsichord has been inserted, after a competition, in an International Contemporary collection of new repertoire for the Harpsichord (Bellman edition, Germany).

He released two CDs, “Evening Sun” and “Life is beautiful”, both edited by Claudio Poggi/Edel Music. Some of their tracks are regularly broadcasting by Radio Swiss Jazz, Radio Vaticana, RadioRai, and many other Italian radios. From the cd cover: “Claudio Passilongo Trio aims to explore the myriads of paths of Jazz. Their style is made by pleasant melodic lines, not very harsh harmonies, and a deep search for dynamic and timber hues. Their repertoire spans from some Claudio‘s originals to the worldwide famous movie soundtracks (Ennio Morricone, Nino Rota, Piovani and more…), all mixed by their peculiar stylistic approach”

In the 2008 he starts collaboration with the University Federico II, (math department) teaching Classical and Jazz harmony to non-professional musicians, and taking part as leader and arranger to the “Terzo convegno dei cori ed orchestre universitarie”, (Salerno)

Claudio is also a composer for movies and short movies. He composed and played the entire original soundtrack of Massimo Piccolo’s movie, Assolo (Ischia Global film fest, 2014, Explorer Entertainment, Ita/Usa), the soundtracks for the short movies Solidamore (on LA3, Pistoia Film Fest 2011), Vincere due volte (Fondazione Quattro stelle2014), La discesa (Mitreo Film Fest 2012)”, Sposi (Calitri sponz fest, 2014) by Felice d’Andrea, and the whole music of the theatrical pièce, “Sante, Madonne e Malefemmine” (Napoli, Palazzo Zapata, 2008).

His soundtrack for a cartoon has reached the final stage of International Lavagnino price (Oscar-prize winner Bacalov and Piersanti among the judges).

He composed and played also the music for the theatrical pièce “E’ cche famiglia”, and “Tra I vicoli di Napoli” by Renato di Meo, performed in many Neapolitan theatres (Sannazaro, 2010, Bolìvar, 2011) and in Sesto Campano, (Isernia, 2010).

He’s a songwriter too (check out Luna di Seta, Polo Sud, 2005). With the collaboration of the lyricist and Poet Maria C. D’Andrea (Aletti editore), Claudio released a cd, Babel (Auralbas, 2012), with pop songs sung in many languages (French, English, Italian and Spanish).

www.claudiopassilongo.com
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