Face The Music

Anais Drago is an Italian violinist and composer whose work connects jazz, free improvisation, electroacoustic music and other contemporary languages. She studied violin and jazz composition and arrangement, developing projects including Anais Drago & The Jellyfish and the trio Relevé. She contributes violin to Terra Liberata on Federico Calcagno & The Dolphians’ Face The Music.

Andrea Mellace is a musician and member of Federico Calcagno & The Dolphians. He performs on vibraphone in Face The Music, recorded at Elfo Studio in Piacenza in September 2024.

Beatrice Sberna is a singer and performer from Brescia whose work draws on jazz, improvisation and Italian song. She studied at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam and pursued the EUJAM programme with further experiences in Berlin and Paris. She contributes voice to Lutto Nazionale on Face The Music.

Davide Sartori, credited also as Chaaran, contributes voice to Castelli di Sabbia on Federico Calcagno & The Dolphians’ Face The Music. The recording credits identify Chaaran and Davide Sartori as the same performer.

Led by acclaimed clarinetist and composer Federico Calcagno, the Italian sextet Federico Calcagno & The Dolphians brings a fresh and imaginative voice to contemporary jazz, blending tradition with innovation.
Formed in 2018, the group draws inspiration from multi-instrumentalist Eric Dolphy.
Their debut album From Another Planet (2019) reimagined Dolphy’s Out to Lunch with striking creativity, marking the start of an evolving journey into uncharted sonic territories.

Described by All About Jazz as “the new bishop of the best Italian and European jazz,” Calcagno has garnered prestigious accolades, including the 2020 Giorgio Gaslini International Award and recognition as New Talent in Musica Jazz's Top Jazz 2020.
Under his direction, The Dolphians have developed a unique repertoire of original works defined by collective energy, deep interaction, and fearless experimentation. Their music bridges the soulful resonance of the 1960s Blue Note era with contemporary influences such as post-bop, avant-garde, Balkan music, world music, and hip-hop.

Committed to expanding Dolphy’s artistic vision, the group embraces imagination, spirituality, and social awareness as essential elements of their music.
After six years of artistic growth, the group presents its new album, Face the Music, which represents a major evolution in the ensemble’s sound and creative direction since their debut.

The core lineup features Federico Calcagno on clarinets, Gianluca Zanello and Luca Ceribelli on saxophones, Andrea Mellace on vibraphone, Stefano Zambon on double bass and Stefano Grasso on drums.
For this project, the ensemble expands its sonic palette with the contribution of special guests: violinist Anais Drago, drummer Francesca Remigi, vocalist Beatrice Sberna, and rapper Chaaran (Davide Sartori).
Federico Calcagno & The Dolphians have performed on prominent stages across Italy and Europe, including the Edinburgh Jazz Festival, JazzMi, Teatro Grande di Brescia, and NOSPR in Katowice, leaving a powerful mark on the international jazz scene.

Francesca Remigi is a drummer, improviser and composer from Bergamo. Her work centres on contemporary jazz and free improvisation, with international collaborations and ensemble projects including Archipélagos. She released her first album as a leader, Il Labirinto dei Topi, in 2021. She contributes drums to Castelli di Sabbia on Face The Music.

Gianluca Zanello is a musician and member of Federico Calcagno & The Dolphians. He performs on alto saxophone in Face The Music, recorded at Elfo Studio in Piacenza in September 2024.

Luca Ceribelli is a musician and member of Federico Calcagno & The Dolphians. He performs on tenor and soprano saxophones in Face The Music, recorded at Elfo Studio in Piacenza in September 2024.

Stefano Grasso is a musician and member of Federico Calcagno & The Dolphians. He performs on drums and percussion in Face The Music, recorded at Elfo Studio in Piacenza in September 2024.

Stefano Zambon is a musician and member of Federico Calcagno & The Dolphians. He performs on double bass in Face The Music, recorded at Elfo Studio in Piacenza in September 2024.

Gianluca Zanello: Alto Sax
Luca Ceribelli: Tenor and Soprano Sax
Andrea Mellace: Vibraphone
Stefano Zambon: Double Bass
Stefano Grasso: Drums and percussions

Federico Calcagno & The Dolphians
Led by acclaimed clarinetist and composer Federico Calcagno, the Italian sextet Federico Calcagno & The Dolphians brings a fresh and imaginative voice to contemporary jazz, blending tradition with innovation.
Formed in 2018, the group draws inspiration from multi-instrumentalist Eric Dolphy.
Their debut album From Another Planet (2019) reimagined Dolphy’s Out to Lunch with striking creativity, marking the start of an evolving journey into uncharted sonic territories.

Described by All About Jazz as “the new bishop of the best Italian and European jazz,” Calcagno has garnered prestigious accolades, including the 2020 Giorgio Gaslini International Award and recognition as New Talent in Musica Jazz's Top Jazz 2020.
Under his direction, The Dolphians have developed a unique repertoire of original works defined by collective energy, deep interaction, and fearless experimentation. Their music bridges the soulful resonance of the 1960s Blue Note era with contemporary influences such as post-bop, avant-garde, Balkan music, world music, and hip-hop.

Committed to expanding Dolphy’s artistic vision, the group embraces imagination, spirituality, and social awareness as essential elements of their music.
After six years of artistic growth, the group presents its new album, Face the Music, which represents a major evolution in the ensemble’s sound and creative direction since their debut.

The core lineup features Federico Calcagno on clarinets, Gianluca Zanello and Luca Ceribelli on saxophones, Andrea Mellace on vibraphone, Stefano Zambon on double bass and Stefano Grasso on drums.
For this project, the ensemble expands its sonic palette with the contribution of special guests: violinist Anais Drago, drummer Francesca Remigi, vocalist Beatrice Sberna, and rapper Chaaran (Davide Sartori).
Federico Calcagno & The Dolphians have performed on prominent stages across Italy and Europe, including the Edinburgh Jazz Festival, JazzMi, Teatro Grande di Brescia, and NOSPR in Katowice, leaving a powerful mark on the international jazz scene.

Eric Dolphy
(b Los Angeles, 20 June 1928; d Berlin, 29 June 1964). American jazz alto saxophonist, bass clarinettist and flautist. After studying music at Los Angeles City College, he played the alto saxophone in Roy Porter’s band (1948–50). He then served in the US Army for two years, after which he transferred to the US Naval School of Music (1952–3). He returned to Los Angeles and joined Chico Hamilton’s quintet early in 1958. In New York he worked with Charles Mingus’s group (1959–60) and also played freelance a great deal and recorded his first albums as a leader; but thereafter he ceased to work steadily, even as his fame grew. In mid-1961 he led a quintet with the trumpeter Booker Little. He played in Europe on his own and during a brief spell with John Coltrane (to March 1962), then in November 1962 joined John Lewis’s Orchestra U.S.A. He spent the rest of his short career working freelance with Mingus, Lewis and Coltrane, though he also recorded as a leader, including Out to Lunch (1964, BN). He died after a heart attack occasioned by diabetes.

Dolphy was a highly versatile African American musician who played jazz but also performed third-stream music by Gunther Schuller and pieces such as Edgard Varèse’s Density 21.5 at the Ojai (California) Music Festival in 1962. This close link to 20th-century art music influenced his fondness for dissonant harmonies in jazz. His startling intonation, especially on the alto saxophone, reflected the acknowledged influence of Ornette Coleman, as well as his love of African and Indian music; he also imitated bird calls. As a jazz improviser Dolphy was unrivalled in his ability to leap fluently between traditional and avant-garde idioms. An intense, passionate improviser, he constantly surprised his listeners with his rapid flow of ideas and his unexpected phrasing and intervals. Perhaps his greatest contribution was his exploration of the bass clarinet as a medium for jazz improvisation; What Love, on the album Charles Mingus Presents Charles Mingus (1960, Cand.), includes bass clarinet ‘conversations’ with Mingus. A volume of transcriptions of his solos, Dolphy Series Limited (Washington DC, n.d.) has been published by Andrew White.

Led by acclaimed clarinetist and composer Federico Calcagno, the Italian sextet Federico Calcagno & The Dolphians brings a fresh and imaginative voice to contemporary jazz, blending tradition with innovation.
Formed in 2018, the group draws inspiration from multi-instrumentalist Eric Dolphy.
Their debut album From Another Planet (2019) reimagined Dolphy’s Out to Lunch with striking creativity, marking the start of an evolving journey into uncharted sonic territories.

Described by All About Jazz as “the new bishop of the best Italian and European jazz,” Calcagno has garnered prestigious accolades, including the 2020 Giorgio Gaslini International Award and recognition as New Talent in Musica Jazz's Top Jazz 2020.
Under his direction, The Dolphians have developed a unique repertoire of original works defined by collective energy, deep interaction, and fearless experimentation. Their music bridges the soulful resonance of the 1960s Blue Note era with contemporary influences such as post-bop, avant-garde, Balkan music, world music, and hip-hop.

Committed to expanding Dolphy’s artistic vision, the group embraces imagination, spirituality, and social awareness as essential elements of their music.
After six years of artistic growth, the group presents its new album, Face the Music, which represents a major evolution in the ensemble’s sound and creative direction since their debut.

The core lineup features Federico Calcagno on clarinets, Gianluca Zanello and Luca Ceribelli on saxophones, Andrea Mellace on vibraphone, Stefano Zambon on double bass and Stefano Grasso on drums.
For this project, the ensemble expands its sonic palette with the contribution of special guests: violinist Anais Drago, drummer Francesca Remigi, vocalist Beatrice Sberna, and rapper Chaaran (Davide Sartori).
Federico Calcagno & The Dolphians have performed on prominent stages across Italy and Europe, including the Edinburgh Jazz Festival, JazzMi, Teatro Grande di Brescia, and NOSPR in Katowice, leaving a powerful mark on the international jazz scene.