STEFANO BATTAGLIA
Genres: Post-Fusion Contemporary, Avant-Garde Jazz, Third Stream, Cool Jazz, Post Bop, Jazz Related Improv, Composition, 21st Century Modern • Italy

Born in Milan in 1965, Stefano Battaglia originally trained as a classical pianist. He first attracted attention on the European festival scene, playing mainly baroque and 20th century music, before making the transition to music that incorporated improvisation, inspired initially by Paul Bley and Keith Jarrett. He cites Bley’s Open, To Love and Jarrett’s Facing You as critical encounters in his musical development. By the late 1980s he was winning jazz awards. Subsequently he has played with Lee Konitz, Dewey Redman, Marc Johnson, Barre Phillips, Steve Swallow and Kenny Wheeler, among many others. Battaglia has been an ECM artist since 2003, when the double album Raccolto (Harvest) was recorded. Subsequent releases have included Re: Pasolini, a tribute to the Italian filmmaker and polymath, which includes contributions from Salvatore Maiore and Roberto Dani, and Pastorale, an album of duets with percussionist Michele Rabbia. Battaglia’s fourth ECM release, an organic-sounding piano trio recording read more...