The Hurricane Trio with Chris Collins
Detroit Jazz Festival
Sunday, September 3 at 5:15pm ET
Carhartt Amphitheater Stage
1 Hart Plaza, Detroit MI
In 2023 the Detroit Jazz Festival Global-Connect International All-Star Initiative explores the fusion of Detroit and Italian jazz artistry embodied in a multi-generational quartet featuring the lauded Milan, Italy based Hurricane Trio: Roberto Mattei-Bass, Lorenzo Blardone- Piano and Massimiliano Salina-Drums – and, the award-winning saxophonist from Detroit, Chris Collins; internationally recognized for his singular role in the global jazz scene.
This powerhouse quartet serves as the gravity- center for uniting artists and legacies from both cultures. Known individually for their unique creative and technical prowess, collectively, the ensemble creates highly refined, dynamic, communicative, unified and thoroughly modern jazz performances. The band presents original compositions and sophisticated improvisation born from cross-cultural fertilization and study of each other’s jazz traditions. Built on infectious grooves to complex metric environments, powerful lyricism to inventive angularity and fresh harmonic dimensions, the music captures the emotion, artistry, intellect, and legacy that defines great jazz art while displaying the wonders that come from true cultural collaboration.
For over 40 years, the Detroit Jazz Festival Foundation has celebrated Detroit’s rich history of jazz music by providing year-round concerts and educational programming, and of course, organizing the world’s largest free jazz festival, featuring world-class talent, over Labor Day weekend. With the support of corporate sponsors, philanthropic organizations, individual donors and volunteers, the Detroit Jazz Festival is free to music fans looking to revel in the artistry and improvisation of jazz legends, rising stars, legacy and homecoming artists.
One of the finest Italian double bass player, Roberto Mattei has played with Dave Liebman, Eddie Daniels, Greg Osby, Ralph Alessi, Rudy Royston, Larry Schneider, Adam Kolker, Tino Tracanna, Francesco Bearzatti, Stefano Cantini, Diana Torto, Wilbert “Junior” Gill, Mike Tracy, Chris Collins, among others. He has performed in numerous jazz clubs, theatres and music festivals, both in Italy and abroad, including “After Hour Jazz Club” (Tottori – Japan), “Jazz Club Milano”, “Milestones Jazz Club” (Piacenza), “Torino Jazz Club”, “Count Basie Jazz Club” (Genova), “Borgo Jazz Club” (Genova), “Biella Jazz Club”, “Birdland Jazz Club” (Sassari), “La Fabbrica” Theatre (Villadossola-VB), “Santannarresi Jazz Festival” (Carbonia-Iglesias), “Iseo Jazz” (Brescia), “Ossola Guitar Festival” (VCO), “Gallarate Jazz Festival” (Varese), “Davos Sounds Good Jazz Festival” (Davos-Switzerland), “Rhino Jazz(s) Festival” (Chateauneuf-France), “QuarnaMusica” (Quarna-VB), “Tones On The Stones” (Crevoladossola-VB), “EcoJazz Festival” (Reggio Calabria), DomoJazz (Domodossola-VB), Oxilia Festival (VCO). Roberto has performed with Dave Liebman, Eddie Daniels, Greg Osby, Ralph Alessi, Rudy Royston, Larry Schneider, Adam Kolker, Tino Tracanna, Francesco Bearzatti, Stefano Cantini, Diana Torto, Wilbert “Junior” Gill, Mike Tracy, Chris Collins, among others.
Lorenzo Blardone was born in Domodossola, Italy. He began studying the piano under the guidance of the master Roberto Olzer first and then Ramberto Ciammarughi. After several years he attended the Piano jazz course at the conservatory “G.Verdi”, in Milan, where he graduated. He won the first prize at the national jazz contest “Chicco Bettinardi” in 2015 with the trio “RCT”. Later he will join the band motel kaiju with which he will play in several european jazz festivals like Nisville (Serbia), Leopolis (Ukraine), Amman Jazz Festival (Jordan) and many others. He recorded different albums as a side man and co-leader and played with various Italian artists.
Massimiliano Salina was born in Gallarate, Italy, on June 11th 1987. Graduated in the Jazz Studies Master’s at the Conservatory of Milan, he began studying music very young, starting with the piano. Then he studied drums with Carlo Bernardinello, Oscar Trabucchi, Maxx Furian, Paolo Pellegatti, Giuseppe Cacciola, Stefano Bagnoli and Bengt Stark. Thanks to a scholarship, he studied in Stockholm, Sweden, at the Royal College of Music (KMH) for his Master’s degree. He attended Masterclass and Workshop for Siena Jazz and Berklee College of Music – Umbria Jazz and took part in many stages held by various international artists. He played and recorded with some artists like Jonathan Kreisberg, Henrik Linder, Yuri Goloubev, Yves Theiler, Harold Danko, Mike Mainieri, Joe Fonda, Joakim Milder, Eva Wymola and others.
Born in Detroit, Christopher Collins is cited as holding a singular place in the Detroit culture and jazz scene. He is Professor/Valade Endowed Chair in Jazz at Wayne State University, President and Artistic Director of the Detroit Jazz Festival Foundation , and an active jazz artist. Collins is an internationally recognized jazz woodwind player and composer who has toured throughout Asia, South Africa, Europe and North America as the leader of his own ensembles and as a featured soloist with artists including Chucho Valdez, Phil Collins, Omar Sosa, Kurt Elling, Doc Severensen, Danilo Perez, The Detroit Symphony Orchestra, The Philharmonia 900 and many others . He has held numerous residencies, published recordings, compositions, articles, and book chapters and presented as lecturer and panelist around the world. Collins has performed at jazz festivals including: Cork, Ireland, Montreux-Switzerland, Panama, Pori, Nice, North Sea, Glasgow and throughout the USA— and won numerous awards, including the first American to receive the Brusoni Award in Italy.
Presented by Detroit Jazz Festival with the support of the Italian Cultural Institute of Chicago
