Nomadic Piano : Antoni O'
Antonio played the National Concert Hall (Ireland) 10th of May 2007
New Album Out |
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Watch the Video !! Lugano "1992" |
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New Orleans Jig
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"He is a genius whose music is without frontiers, and whose originality makes him one of the most innovative artists in the varied musical genres of today. He gives us a strong feeling of our roots and most of all he points in a new direction for the future."
Antonio Breschi www.ethnicpiano.com
More at Some Artists |
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A poet of music, a Shaman of sound, one of the fathers of World Music, New Age, and Minimalism, Antonio Breschi has been recognized as an innovative and prolific composer. In his recordings of the 80's and even the 70's, very different musical worlds are brought together and fused in a manner unique in those years.
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"Much before Riverdance" "Rolf Lovland's 'Secret Garden' with Davy Spillane and Fionnuala Sherry generates a profound, lifting, orchestrated escapism, something Antonio Breschi achieves no less dramatically with acoustic artists in his 'Irish Portrait'."
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| "Al Kamar [...] A musical journey where the mystery of the Orient, the sensuality of the Mediterranean and the magic of the Celtic world meet in a wonderful fusion rich in contemporary spirit and archaic reminiscence". (Juan Martin) |
Al Kamar , Antonio's Celtic-Arabic-Basque-Flamenco-Jazz baby, is a very exciting project which Antonio has been nurturing for many many years, but which still remains as fresh as the day it was born, each time it is performed.
The show, which Antonio originally put together for an Italian TV series in the early 80's, is a wonderful fusion of ethnic styles, combining the Arabic violin, lute and tarabuka of Jamal Ouassini, the powerful Flamenco dancing of Elena Vicini, the Basque songs and Spanish guitar of Balen Lopez de Munain, the whistles, fiddle, and seán-nós singing of Johnny McCarthy, imaginatively interlaced with Antonio Breschi's sometimes explosive, always sensitive piano.
One of the magical aspects of this show, is that audiences today still can experience the magical combination of the original musicians Antonio found and chose for his TV project.
Antonio Breschi was born in Florence and started taking piano lessons at a very young age. After graduating from the Luigi Cherubini Conservatorium he dedicated many years to teaching and experimentation. He documented this period of his life in his work: "Ecology: Lets save the music too".
His passion for jazz and ethnic music lead to his founding of the Florence Jazz Society in 1966, Florence-based group Whisky Trail in 1975, and La Radice Center in 1981. In recent years he has been concentrating on composing and performing his own music, and bringing together musicians and musical styles from many different cultures, both in his recordings and in live performances.
He has played in concert with Andy Irvine and Dollar Brand at the International Jazz Festival of Kalish in Poland, with Jacques Higelin and Manu Dibango in his "Al Kamar" show in Paris, with Benito Lertxundi in Madrid and Oiartzun, and with the African singer Ismael Lo in Milan with whom he received the joint award for "Dialogue with the far Shore of the Mediterranean", from Milan City Council.
Other concert highlights to date have been the Mercat de las Flors in Barcelona, the Arriaga Opera Theater in Bilbao and Victoria Eugenia Theatre in San Sebastian, the Teatro Romano in Verona, Cirque d'Hiver in Paris, the National Gallery in Dublin, Queens Arts Festival in Belfast, Volkshaus Zurich and Ljubljana Stadttheater.
Artists involved in the Ethnic Piano Collection |
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"Rolf Lovland's 'Secret Garden' with Davy Spillane and Fionnuala Sherry generates a profound, lifting, orchestrated escapism, something Antonio Breschi achieves no less dramatically with acoustic artists in his 'Irish Portrait'."
Fintan Vallely, Sunday Tribune, 1998
| Antonio Breschi has recorded 13 albums, including "My Irish Portrait" for which he even changed his name to Antoni O'Breskey, out of love for his adopted country, Ireland. On this album, Antonio combines elements of traditional Irish music with superb piano improvisations, producing a beautiful intertwining of classical, modern, jazz and world music, with the help of his Irish guests, including Ronnie Drew, Mairtín O'Connor, Jimmy Faulkner, Joe McHugh, Johnny McCarthy, and Mick Kinsella, as well as international guests Balen Lopez de Munain (Basque Country), Sergio Candotti (Italy - sadly departed), and Alí Tajbakshs (Morocco). |
Breschi's complete recordings to date are available on his "Ethnic Piano Collection". His compilation CD "The Colours of Music - 25 years of the music of Antoni O'Breskey" will give you an excellent taste of his previous collaborations with musicians from many different cultures, with examples of his early Irish and Flamenco compositions - going as far back as 1975 - way before any other pianist thought of using the piano as a main instrument in Irish music or of using Flamenco dancers in Irish shows.
Antonio Breschi is currently collaborating with different artists and musicians to provide workshops of various kinds, including classes in oil painting and aquarell as well as workshops in percussion instruments.
