Riccardo Del Fra, born in Rome in 1956, is a multi-talented musician: a double bass player, arranger, and composer. Riccardo del Fra played alongside Chet Baker for nine years both in Europe and Japan on tours, for the radio and for the television; a collaboration which led to the recording of twelve albums, videos and the movie Chet’s Romance directed by Bertrand Fèvre. At the beginning of the 1980s Riccardo Del Fra settled in Paris where he joined a very active rhythm section with the pianist Alain Jean-Marie and the drummer Al Levitt, while at the same time continuing to play with Chet Baker and the pianist Michel Graillier. In the 1990s the trombone player and composer Bob Brookmeyer, whose composition classes Del Fra had taken in Cologne, invited him to join his quartet. They toured together and recorded the CD Paris Suite (which won the Prix de l’Académie du Jazz in 1994). In September 2004 Riccardo Del Fra was named head of the department of Jazz and Improvised Music at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris.
In 2003, Riccardo Del Fra was named Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the Minister of Culture and Communication, in 2014, he was promoted to the rank of Officier de l’ordre des Arts et des Lettres. In November 2006, Riccardo Del Fra was awarded the prestigious Django d’or (confirmed musician) and in 2008, the Prix du Musicien Européen de l’Académie du Jazz.
Riccardo Del Fra’s current projects as a leader: The trio Intime In Time, with the trombonist Glenn Ferris and pianist Alain Jean-Marie, the sextet Jazoo Project with young musicians coming from the conservatoire (CD Roses & Roots) or, more recently, special creations with the clarinet player John Ruocco.
In 2011 he played in Paris, Italy and Germany in trio with the sensitive pianist Marc Copland and the legendary master Billy Hart.
In August 2011, the festival Jazz in Marciac commissioned him to conceive and write a tribute to Chet Baker, My Chet My Song, with Roy Hargrove on trumpet, Pierrick Pedron on alto sax, Bruno Ruder at the piano, RDF on bass, Billy Hart on drums and the orchestra of the Conservatoire de Toulouse. With this homage to Chet Baker, recorded by the TV MEZZO, Riccardo Del Fra has conceived, arranged and composed to create a resonant world where the standards get a particular thickness and a new velvety smoothness thanks to an orchestration where the voices – jazz and classiques – meet, in a silky, fluid and luminous shiver.
Riccardo Del Fra has been recorded the CD My Chet My Song with Pierrick Pédron, Airelle Besson, Bruno Ruder and the Filmorchestra Babelsberg between end 2013 and February 2014 and was released at end of September 2014 on Cristal Records.
Artists : • Airelle Besson, tr, flugel - Pierrick Pedron, sax - Bruno Ruder, p - Billy Hart, dr
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