Born 1975 in Bologna (IT), Nicola Guazzaloca’s mixes a variety of influences working out of orthodox language boundaries to express the most sincere and direct intention. His musical journey started in the late eighties in the underground Bologna’s scene, to pass then through many different musical experiences and a various range of approaches. In the ’90 he moved to the jazz and experimental scene, focusing on a personal way to compose, organize and improvise music with an extremely personal piano language. He has performed in international exhibitions and festivals in Italy, Germany, England, Spain, Russia, Portugal, Hungary, Serbia, Croatia, Austria, Holland, France and Belgium.

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He has over thirty publications (Leo Records, Rai Radio3, FMR, Amirani Records, Not Two, Setola di Maiale, stella*nera, Aut Records, Klopotec, Fonterossa, Rudi Records), several of which have received special mentions. His piano solo "Tecniche Arcaiche" (IT, 2013) is listed among the best italian records of the year by the influential magazine Musica Jazz, as well as "Live in Rome 2005" with the Comanda Barabba quintet, whose records are recorded at the Rai Radio3 studios (italian national network) for the "Battiti" and "Radio3 Suite" programs. Most of the record production documents a live activity of international level, including his concerts in Russia, Portugal, Belgium, United Kingdom, Austria. Among the recent releases, "A Pearl In Dirty Hands" (with Portuguese and Uruguayan musicians) is listed by Jazz Portugal among the fundamental records of the Portuguese avantgarde scene, "Tell no Lies" (IT, 2018) is indicated among the best records of the year from All About Jazz, and the production of "En Portugal!" (PT, 2018) was supported by Unesco; "Anasyrma" (DE 2020) il indicated among the best records of the year from Il Giornale della Musica, Musica Jazz, Bandcamp, The New Noise, Controradio.

 

He took part of the ensemble "Fete Foreign" conducted by the double-bass player Barre Phillips and of various groups led by the cellist Tristan Honsinger, two important figures who exercised a fundamental influence especially for the improvisational scope, and the participation in the early 2000s masterclasses given by Anthony Braxton, Roscoe Mitchell, Muhall Richard Abrahms and William Parker led him to develop his personal compositional and conceptual vision. He has composed and played for cinema, theater, dance and multimedia (Prima Aziz '03, Favolando '04, Interculture Map '05 awards), collaborating among others with the choreographer Brigel Djoka (Forsythe Company), with the festival of comics BilBolBul, with the Cantieri Meticci theatre, with the Leggere Strutture Factory dancers.

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Since 2006 he has been collaborating with the Ivan Illich Popular School of Music in Bologna, a training institution recognized by the Emilia-Romagna Region, developing an approach to laboratory teaching with peculiar characteristics of inclusion, participation and creativity. Over the years he has been repeatedly invited to hold seminars and workshops in Italy and abroad. Since 2010 since 2010 he has been conducting workshops dedicated to the creation and interpretation of unconventional scores.

 

He have recorded and performed with several musicians as John Russell (UK), Barre Phillips (USA), Tim Trevor-Briscoe (UK-IT), Satoko Fukuda (JP), Francesco Guerri (IT), Szilard Mezei (SR), Gianni Mimmo (IT), Hannah Marshall (UK), Ricardo Tejero (ES), Gabriele Di Giulio (IT), Tristan Honsinger (USA), Edoardo Marraffa (IT), Silvia Bolognesi (IT), Sabir Mateen (USA), Nils Gerold (DE), Luis Vicente (PT), Vasco Trilla (SP), Roger Turner (UK), Christian Ferlaino (IT), Lee Noyes (NZ), Piero Bittolo Bon (IT), Anna Kajsa Holmberg (S), Luca Bernard (IT), Gaetano Alfonsi (IT), Paul Flaherty (USA), Luciano Caruso (IT), Paulo Chagas (PT), Marcello Magliocchi (IT), Stefano Giust (IT), Carlo Mascolo (IT), Rocco Casino Papia (IT), Lol Coxhill (UK), Eugenio Sanna (IT), Edoardo Ricci (IT), Matthias Boss (CH), Andrea Grillini (IT), Daniel Studer (CH), Ermanno Baron (IT), Frantz Loriot (CH), Roberto Bellatalla (IT), Davide Lorenzon (IT), Maresuke Okamoto (JP), Alex Ward (UK), Joao Pedro Viegas (PT), Taylor Ho Bynum (USA), Carlos Zingaro (PT), Alvaro Rosso (URY), Harri Sjoestroem (S), Phil Minton (UK), Luo Chao-yun (TW), Thollem McDonas (USA), Maryclare Brzytwa (USA), John Hughes (DE), Peter Ajtai (HU), Szilveszter Miklos (HU), Helena Espvall (S), Alfred Lorinius (S), Martin Öhman (S), Ahmed Tambouz (PS), Federico Eterno (IT), Antti Virtaranta (DK), Adrian David Krok (PL) among others. 

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He got to perform in festivals and venues like Angelica Festival (Bologna IT), Bimhuis (Amsterdam NL), Long Arms Festival (Moscow RU), APositzia Festival (St. Petersburg RU), Ujbuda Jazz Festival (Budapest HU), Kanjiza Jazz Festival (Kanjiza SE), Cerkno Jazz Festival (Cerkno SL), Mopomoso (London UK), Impronedjeljak (Zagabria HR), Kaleidoskop Kulture (Novi Sad SE), Free Sounds Festival (Leuven BE), MIA Encontro de Musica Improvisada (Atouguia da Baleia PT), Rai Radio Tre – Battiti Series (Roma IT), Jazz and Wine of Peace (Cormons IT), Festival des Musiques Insolentes (Puget Ville FR), Limmitationes (Heiligenkreuz im Lafnitztal A), MibNight Jazz Festival (Bremen DE), Area Sismica (Meldola IT), Italian Jazz Rebels Festival (Bologna/Meldola IT), Kune (ES), International Jazz Festival (Nijni Novgorod RU), Orsara Jazz Festival (Orsara IT), Bologna Jazz Festival (Bologna IT), Avantgarde Jazz Festival (Imola IT), Scatola Sonora Festival (Alessandria IT), Massa Sonora Festival (Massalombarda IT), Improvvisamente Festival (Milano IT), Bè Festival (Bologna IT), MamBo - Modern Art Museum (Bologna IT), SPM Ivan Illich (Bologna IT), Bordighera Jazz&Blues (Bordighera IT), Ceglie Jazz Open Festival (Ceglie IT), Monash University - Metastasio Festival (Prato IT), Ivan il Terribile (Bologna IT), Free Flow Festival (Gravina IT), Valdapozzo Spettacolare (Quargnento IT), Giornata Internazionale del Jazz Unesco (Bologna IT, Pisa IT), Lucca International Festival Composers (Lucca IT), Noise Delivery (Torino IT), Urbino Plays Jazz Festival (Urbino IT), Ground Music Festival (Franciacorta IT), Torrione Jazz Club (Ferrara IT), Firenze Jazz Festival (IT), Pisa Jazz Festival (IT), MITO Torino Milano Festival (IT).