The Jazz Side of Bacharach

Claudio “Wally” Allifranchini was born in Romagnano Sesia by Novara (Italy). As a saxophonist, poly-instrumentalist, arranger and composer, he has been active for years, performing with great jazz artists such as Giorgio Gaslini and Enrico Rava.
He performed for more than ten years with the “Jazz Class Orchestra”, the big band of the Pomeriggi Musicali in Milan, where he had the opportunity of playing with artists such as Ennio Morricone, Phil Woods, Bob Mintzer, Giorgio Gaslini, Gianni Basso, Bruno Tommaso, Ronnie Cuber, Barney Kessel, Lee Konitz and many others.
Being active also as a composer and arranger, besides his performances as a saxophonists, in 1996 he won the prestigious competition of jazz arrangement and composition “Barga Jazz” with his piece “Gazpacho”.
He is very active also in the field of pop music. His participations as a side man in many recordings, tours and TV broadcasts with the greatest Italian singers are countless.
Since many years he teaches at the Scuola di Musica Dedalo in Novara, where he leads the “Jazz Workshop for Big Band” and the ensemble music course for small ensembles by the name of “Combo Jazz”.

Andrea Anzalone performs on cello in The Jazz Side of Bacharach. The recording brings together Claudio “Wally” Allifranchini’s jazz quartet, the Archimia String Quartet and guest trumpeter Fabrizio Bosso in a programme of eight Bacharach songs, with arrangements by Allifranchini.

The Archimia Quartet was born from an idea by four classically-trained musicians, coming from the Conservatories of Milan and Piacenza, and sharing a wish to explore new sounds and acoustic possibilities. The Quartet performed in many important cities, such as Milan, Naples, Verona, Venice, Rome, Zurich, Lugano, Beograd, Bratislava, Berlin, Madrid, Vienna, London, Brighton, Vienna, Washington; moreover they played approximately 20 times on the stage of the prestigious “Blue Note” of Milan. The Quartet began to actively cooperate with Teresa Pomodoro and her Teatro NO’HMA of Milan, as well as he was chosen to accompany the performance “Journey to the Moon” by artist William Kentridge, in the most important European theatrical festivals. Their cooperation, both live and in studio, are numerous: Lucio Dalla, Elisa, Nicolò Fabi, Nick The Nightfly, Malika Ayane, Fabrizio Bosso, Paolo Tomelleri, Gabriele Comeglio, Paola Folli, Walter Ricci, Franco Fasano.
Il Quartetto Archimia nasce dall’idea di quattro musicisti di formazione classica, provenienti dai conservatori di Milano e Piacenza, che hanno in comune il desiderio di esplorare nuove sonorità e possibilità acustiche. Il quartetto si è esibito in diverse importanti città tra le quali: Milano, Napoli, Verona, Venezia, Roma, Zurigo, Lugano, Belgrado, Bratislava, Berlino, Madrid, Vienna, Londra, Brighton, Vienna, Washington, inoltre si sono esibiti circa 20 volte sul palco del prestigioso Blue Note di Milano.
Il Quartetto inizia a collaborare attivamente con Teresa Pomodoro ed il suo Teatro NO’HMA di Milano ed è stato scelto per accompagnare la rappresentazione scenica “Journey to the Moon” dell’artista William Kentridge nei più importanti festival teatrali d’Europa. Numerose sono le collaborazioni live e in studio: Lucio Dalla, Elisa, Nicolò Fabi, Nick The Nightfly, Malika Ayane, Fabrizio Bosso, Paolo Tomelleri, Gabriele Comeglio, Paola Folli, Walter Ricci, Franco Fasano.

Fabrizio Bosso
Gifted with an unexceptionable instrumental technique and a lyricism capable of making every listener’s soul’s deepest strings vibrate, Fabrizio Bosso developed his artistic flourishing and his career in dialogue with all musical genres, while remaining always faithful to his roots as a jazz musician. He is rigorous and tireless in his performances all over the world, where he brings his great melodic richness and his exquisitely Italian singing style – qualities which make the sound of his trumpet unique and immediately recognizable.

Dotato di una tecnica strumentale ineccepibile e di un lirismo capace di far risuonare le corde più profonde nell’anima di qualsiasi ascoltatore, Fabrizio Bosso ha sviluppato la sua crescita artistica e la sua carriera confrontandosi con tutti i generi musicali, pur rimanendo sempre fedele alla propria radice jazzistica. Rigoroso e instancabile si esibisce nei palchi di tutto il mondo, portando con sé una grande ricchezza melodica e la cantabilità tutta italiana che rende il suono della sua tromba unico e immediatamente riconoscibile. www.fabriziobosso.eu

Marco Micheli performs on double bass in The Jazz Side of Bacharach. The recording brings together Claudio “Wally” Allifranchini’s jazz quartet, the Archimia String Quartet and guest trumpeter Fabrizio Bosso in a programme of eight Bacharach songs, with arrangements by Allifranchini.

Matteo Del Soldà performs on viola in Le Mezze Stagioni, the JAS project conceived by Cesare Carretta. The recording places movements from Vivaldi’s Four Seasons alongside jazz standards and new arrangements, bringing the sound of a string ensemble into dialogue with rhythm and improvisation.

Nicola Stranieri performs on drums in The Jazz Side of Bacharach. The recording brings together Claudio “Wally” Allifranchini’s jazz quartet, the Archimia String Quartet and guest trumpeter Fabrizio Bosso in a programme of eight Bacharach songs, with arrangements by Allifranchini.

Paolo Costanzo performs on violin in The Jazz Side of Bacharach. The recording brings together Claudio “Wally” Allifranchini’s jazz quartet, the Archimia String Quartet and guest trumpeter Fabrizio Bosso in a programme of eight Bacharach songs, with arrangements by Allifranchini.

Sandro Gibellini performs on guitar in The Jazz Side of Bacharach. The recording brings together Claudio “Wally” Allifranchini’s jazz quartet, the Archimia String Quartet and guest trumpeter Fabrizio Bosso in a programme of eight Bacharach songs, with arrangements by Allifranchini.

Serafino Tedesi performs on violin in The Jazz Side of Bacharach. The recording brings together Claudio “Wally” Allifranchini’s jazz quartet, the Archimia String Quartet and guest trumpeter Fabrizio Bosso in a programme of eight Bacharach songs, with arrangements by Allifranchini.

Burt (F.) Bacharach
(b Kansas City, MO, 12 May 1928). American composer and pianist. He learnt the cello, drums and piano from an early age and developed a particular interest in jazz. He played as a night club pianist, and then served in the army, touring as a pianist (1950–52). He went on to study music at the Mannes College of Music, New York, the New School of Social Research, McGill University, Montreal and gained a scholarship to the Music Academy of the West, Santa Barbara, California. His composition teachers included Milhaud, Martinů and Cowell. Bacharach became an accompanist for Vic Damone, subsequently working with such performers as Polly Bergen, Steve Lawrence, the Ames Brothers and Paula Stewart, to whom he was married from 1953 to 1958. From 1958 to 1961 he toured internationally with Marlene Dietrich. Bacharach began writing arrangements and composing songs in the mid-1950s, working at the Brill Building and collaborating with the lyricist Hal David (b Brooklyn, NY, 25 May 1921), the brother of the lyricist Mack David, on a large number of popular songs, including The Story of My Life (1957), Magic Moments (1958), Anyone Who Had a Heart (1963), Walk on by (1964) and (There’s) Always something there to remind me (1964). Some 60 of their songs were recorded by their protégée Dionne Warwick and these, along with recordings by Dusty Springfield (notably I just don’t know what to do with myself and The Look of Love), remain among the best interpretations of the Bacharach-David repertory. Such songs, in addition to the Broadway musical Promises, Promises (1968), which was also staged to great success in Australia and Europe, made them one of the most successful songwriting teams in American music history.