Concert of the quintet of Gabriele Quirino with music by Nini Rosso

Thursday, March 20th at 9:00 pm, at the auditorium “Cesare Chiti” of the State Conservatory Pietro Mascagni in via Galilei 40, concert by the quintet of Gabriele Quirino with music by Nini Rosso within the student review 8 concerts in search of an author organized by the Student Council of the Conservatory and now in its second edition.

The review started on March 13th and will end on June 5th. All concerts are free. Each concert features multiple groups formed by students ranging from jazz to pop and classical music to unpublished compositions by the students themselves.

The concert on March 20th will be opened by the quartet composed of Gianmarco Tonini, clarinet, Tommaso Pietraperzia, guitar, Filippo Bassetti, guitar, and Tommaso Incerti, drums, who will perform music by John Coltrane and Soft Machine. Gabriele Quirino with Elena Currò, viola, Federico Monzani, piano, Simone Pesi, double bass, and Samuele Boscagli, drums, will perform among others Desperate Concert, Pink Cherry Trees, Stardust, Trumpet Ballad, Lonely Man, The Silence with the exceptional participation of the original trumpet owned by the great artist from Piedmont.

The trumpeter Gabriele Quirino, graduated from the Conservatory Pietro Mascagni under the guidance of Maestro Marco Nesi, is in fact on tour with his music project Silenzio – The great story of Nini Rosso dedicated to the great Raffaele Celeste Rosso, known as Nini Rosso (San Michele Mondovì, 1926 – Rome, 1944), symbol of pop trumpet and partisan. The project is also supported by the UNESCO Jazz Day Livorno Committee.

Nini Rosso lived in a context where nothing was taken for granted. His education led him to make courageous choices like joining the partisan struggle during the darkest moments of our history. He fought for freedom with the Val Maira Brigade of the 2nd Justice and Freedom Division, alongside figures like Giorgio Bocca and Detto Dalmastro. After this experience, he decided that his life would be dedicated to music. Entering RAI as the first trumpet of the rhythmic-symphonic orchestra, in 1961 Franco Pisano proposed him to replace Renato Rascel to sing in the Studio 1 program due to the actor’s sudden illness. The Trumpet Ballad thus marked the beginning of his success. He performed with Louis Armstrong, Nunzio Rotondo and contributed to the soundtracks of numerous films with Piero Umiliani and other greats. His masterpiece, The Silence, has sold over 5 million copies worldwide. His fame crossed national borders reaching the Americas and Japan where his records can still be found. His music continues to live on making him an unforgettable figure.

“I was looking for information on Nini Rosso for my thesis” says Gabriele Quirino, an exceptional talent who has already performed throughout Italy and, recently, in Slovenia and Croatia, “…I asked for an opinion from Andrea Pellegrini, known for his availability. I can’t help you, he told me, but I can find you Nini Rosso’s trumpet”. After the amazement, Quirino found out that the trumpet is in Livorno.

This is where Laura Brioli comes in. The renowned soprano, concert performer, and famous teacher says: “I come from a family in Riccione that owned one of the city’s most important restaurants, the Calderone, by the sea; a meeting place for artists who, after the shows, came to dine with us in the legendary ’60s/’70s. Riccione was an important destination for tourism and entertainment. The waiters would come to call us if the artists arrived: Renato Zero, Stefania Rotolo, the Mattia Bazar”. A bit like the Ciucheba of the late Mauro Donati. “Nini Rosso often came to our restaurant after his evenings in Romagna. My father enjoyed singing and playing the accordion. After dinner, they used to play together in joy. One evening Nini Rosso gave him his trumpet; from that day on, it was a relic for my family. Being a musician myself, the trumpet was donated to me. I keep it with great respect in Livorno, where I live and teach”.

And so the story of the partisan musician touches Piedmont, the Romagna Riviera, Japan, and Livorno. “I met Gabriele Quirino through my friend Andrea Pellegrini who knew this story” continues Laura Brioli. “So the trumpet owned by the great Nini Rosso was able to resound. I am happy to make it available for this project”.

Next appointment with this project, April 24th in Livorno.