Siena Jazz University Orchestra “Lee Morgan Tribute” | Special guest Alessandro Presti // Pisa Jazz 2023

Directed by Roberto Spadoni – Alessandro Presti solo guest

In the 2023 concert season, the SJU-Orchestra will present a special project dedicated to the extraordinary trumpeter, composer, and bandleader Lee Morgan (1938 – 1972), one of the most beloved, followed, and imitated musicians in jazz from the 1950s to the early 1970s. He was a true champion of the prestigious Blue Note Records label and the hard bop style. Morgan was instrumental in shaping the sound and aesthetics of the record label, which continues to influence a wide representation of the rich jazz landscape. He has an extensive discography under his name and was a highly sought-after sideman for artists such as John Coltrane, Art Blakey, Wayne Shorter, Joe Henderson, Hank Mobley, and others.

Morgan’s numerous compositions blend various styles and trends that go beyond the genre known as hard bop, incorporating elements of blues, bebop, rhythm & blues, Caribbean and South American music, with a nod to the emerging rock trends that were capturing the attention of young audiences and mass media during the last years of his tragically short career. The project will feature guest soloist, the young trumpet player Alessandro Presti, winner of the Top Jazz 2022 in the category of New Italian Talent.

Siena Jazz University Orchestra è un ensemble orchestrale di oltre 20 elementi composta dai più promettenti studenti dei Corsi di Diploma Accademico di I Livello. A dirigere le talentuose promesse del jazz il maestro Roberto Spadoni, una delle figure più attive e dinamiche del panorama nazionale nell’ambito della produzione e della divulgazione del jazz. L’orchestra, nata nell’anno 2012-2013 in seno ai Corsi Accademici SJU, nel corso degli anni ha avuto modo di esibirsi su numerosi palchi partecipando a progetti di ampio respiro artistico e con ospiti importanti del panorama jazz nazionale e internazionale, tra gli altri Dave Liebman, Miguel Zenon, Claudio
Fasoli, Giovanni Falzone, Achille Succi, Maurizio Giammarco, Fulvio Sigurtà, Stefano Franceschini, David Krakauer, Francesco Fratini, Mirco Rubegni e altri ancora.