Francesca Remigi's The Human Web

 FRANCESCA REMIGI Francesca Remigi is a polyhedric drummer, an inquisitive improviser and a visionary composer from Bergamo, Italy. Nuova Generazione Jazz 2021 and Top Jazz 2022 (MusicaJazz) winner Francesca Remigi is known for her international collaborations in the avant-garde and free improv jazz scene featuring musicians such as Steve Lehman, George Garzone, Danilo Perez, Kris Davis, Val Jeanty, Nicole Glover, Joachim Florent, Bruno Chevillon, Immanuel Wilkins, Marion Hayden, Ellen Rowe, Sharel Cassity, Patricia Perez and many others, with appearances at EFG London Jazz Festival 2020, DC Jazz Festival 2021, Vermont Jazz Festival 2021 and Panama Jazz Festival 2022.

With energetic drumming and intricate compositional choices, her music draws influence from different backgrounds: from Progressive Rock and Free Jazz, to Carnatic and Contemporary Classical Music, Francesca takes inspiration from today’s innovative artists such as Steve Lehman, Henry Threadgill, Jen Shyu, Tyshawn Sorey, Vijay Iyer,… Francesca’s second album The Human Web was released March 2022 by her record company Habitable Records. Francesca is also the winner of Nuova Generazione Jazz 2021, a project funded by Italia Jazz and MIDJ associations in order to promote the new Italian jazz generation internationally. Francesca was selected for the jazz residency at the Banff Centre for the Arts and Creativity (Canada – Alberta) in August 2019, directed by Vijay Yier and Tyshawn Sorey.

Remigi has performed with different bands in many festivals and venues all over Europe, such as DC Jazz Festival 2021, Panama Jazz Festival 2021 and 2022, EFG London Jazz Festival 2020, So What’s Next? Festival 2021, Bergamo Jazz Festival 2021 e 2022, Ambria Jazz Festival 2021, Il Jazz Italiano per le Terre del Sisma 2021, the Brussels Jazz Weekend 2019, the JAZZMI 2019, Una Striscia di Terra Feconda Jazz Festival (RO) in 2020, Rassegna Montagnola Bologna 2020, Novara Jazz Festival 2022, Sile Jazz Festival 2022, Pisa Jazz Festival 2022, Firenze Jazz 2022, Edinburgh Jazz & Blues 2022,… In January 2021, she performed with a band led by Kris Davis and John Patitucci for the Jazz Education Network (JEN Conference), and in November 2021 she did a gig with Val Jeanty Group at Vermont Jazz Festival 2021. In March 2022, she subbed for Allison Miller in the Ellen Rowe Quartet for a series of concerts at the JazzArts Charlotte (NC). In May 2022 she toured in Europe with the Danilo Perez Quartet, presenting Perez’s new album Crisálida in Italy and in the UK. In addition to her regular collaborations with American and European-based projects such as Patricia Perez’s Global Jazz Womxn, Livio Bartolo Variable Unit, Subconscious Trio, Nadav Lavie Quintet, Angela Varo Sextet, Holly Blue, Almoraima, Dragon Tree, Francesca is co-leader of the Labile Borders, Endangered Species, 3 Electrodes in a Glass Tube, and F2 Remigi & Calcagno Duo. She also had the chance to perform/record with famous international artists such as Marion Hayden, Ellen Rowe, Sharel Cassity, Andreas Polyzogopoulos, Camila Nebbia, Patricia Perez, Pepa Niebla, Claire Parsons, Julian Costello, Jen Shyu, Steve Lehman, Joachim Florent, Kris Davis, John Patitucci, Federico Calcagno, Giorgio Albanese, Killick Hinds, Javier Subatin, Anais Drago, Francesco Fiorenzani, Samuel Gapp and many others.

Raised in a musical family, at the age of 5 Francesca decided to follow her parents’ footsteps and began to study guitar and drums, developing a deep interest for rhythms and composition. After studying classical piano for 5 years while attending a private drum academy, Francesca earned a Bachelor’s degree in jazz drumming performance from Conservatorio G.Verdi of Milano in 2017, and was selected for a 1 year Erasmus Program in the Netherlands. In 2020, as soon as she graduated from a Master in jazz performance at the Koninklijk Conservatorium Brussels, under the guidance of the Belgian drummer Stéphane Galland, Francesca was awarded with a full scholarship to attend the Berklee Global Jazz Institute Master Program, directed by Grammy Award winning jazz pianist Danilo Pérez. Berklee Global Jazz Institute and Berklee Jazz & Gender Justice Institute alumna Francesca Remigi had the chance to study with visionary artists such as Linda May Oh, Billy Kilson, Kris Davis, Joe Lovano, John Patitucci, Terri Lyne Carrington, Shirazette Tinnin, Tamar Diesendruck,… Francesca is currently active as an educator: she gave masterclasses about Indian Carnatic music for the Panama Jazz Festival 2021 and 2022, she’s active as an educator for the Fundación Danilo Pérez (Panama) and she has been teaching drum for the École Kalleïs in Brussels for one year. She’s also one of the founders of the independent label “Habitable Records” and she’s currently an intern at The Jazz Gallery.

Boston-based musician, Francesca Remigi is a polyhedric drummer, an inquisitive improviser and a visionary composer from Bergamo, Italy. Nuova Generazione Jazz 2021 (ItaliaJazz) and Top Jazz 2022 (Musica Jazz) winner, Francesca is known for her international collaborations in the avant-garde and free improv jazz scene featuring musicians such as Steve Lehman, Danilo Perez, Kris Davis, George Garzone, Val Jeanty, Immanuel Wilkins, Marion Hayden, Ellen Rowe, Sharel Cassity, Joachim Florent, Bruno Chevillon and many others, with appearances at EFG London Jazz Festival 2020, Panama Jazz Festival 2022, Vermont Jazz Festival 2021 and DC Jazz Festival 2021. Francesca’s main project Archipélagos has performed in festivals and venues all over Europe (So What’s Next? Festival 2021, Bergamo Jazz Festival 2021, Ambria Jazz Festival 2021, Novara Jazz, Sile Jazz,…). It has won several jazz competitions such as Barga Jazz Contest 2021 and All You Have to do is Play 2019, and it was also one of the finalists of the Maastricht Jazz Awards 2020 and of the Gexto Jazz Competition 2022. Archipélagos’ first album Il Labirinto Dei Topi was published in 2021, “one of the most exciting debut albums I’ve heard in recent memory” according to Steve Lehman.

Francesca’s second album The Human Web was released March 2022. In Linda May Han Oh’s words, “Francesca is a bold and vibrant musical force.The Human Web’s compositions are edgy, thoughtful, and played with a compelling fervor that insists that you come along for the ride. A ride that I can guarantee is well worth it.” Berklee Global Jazz Institute alumna Francesca Remigi is one of the founders of the independent label “Habitable Records” and she’s also working for The Jazz Gallery in NYC. She has also participated in many different mentorship programs and artistic residencies, such as UmbriaJazz 2012, SienaJazz 2018, Banff Jazz Residency 2019 directed by Vijay Yier and Tyshawn Sorey, La Casa del Jazz Artistic Residency 2020, organized by MIDJ association, and “Mutual Mentorship for Musicians” (M3) program, run by vocalists Jen Shyu and Sara Serpa.

Federico Calcagno (1995) is a clarinet and bass clarinet player, creative jazz musician and composer from Milan, Italy, and currently active between Italy and The Netherlands. “The new bishop of the best Italian Jazz” [A. Bazzurro, All About Jazz] has considered on of the most exciting clarinet players and creative musicians of the young generation. As composer, Federico regularly writes music for his bands: Liquid Identities, Piranha, The Dolphians, Fade in Trio. His compositional style is a mixed between creative-expressive jazz and post modern classical music, with particular attention to the rhythmic aspect, influenced by classical Indian music from south of India (Carnatic Music) and African music. As leader and co-leader, Federico has released three albums and one EP till now: From Another Planet (2019), Liquid Identities (2020), Urlo d’Ebano (2021), Piranha(2021). Federico studied classical and jazz clarinet at Milan Conservatory, and in 2019 he graduated in Jazz Master in bass clarinet at Amsterdam Conservatory and attended the International Workshop in Jazz and Creative Music at Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity (Canada), directed by Vijay Iyer and Tyshawn Sorey. In the academic year 2020-2021 Federico was the teacher of the subject “Analysis and Application of Advanced Rhythm Techniques” at Conservatorio Vittadini, Pavia (Italy) and taught “Jazz Clarinet” at Cosenza Conservatorio as well. Federico has been active between Amsterdam, Milan and Bruxelles. He’s the leader of the bands The Dolphians, Liquid Identities, and co-leader of Fade in Trioand Piranha. He regularly plays as sideman in the bands Noneto Disconcertante, Aviv Noam Quartet, Amsterdam Modern Orkest (AM.OK), Adrian Moncada Sextet, Francesca Remigi’s Archipelagos, and played with Tino Tracanna’s Double Cut and Giovanni Falzone’s Contemporary Orchestra. In 2019, he developed interests in the rhythms of Carnatic music and in the world of the Conduction as instant composition: with Stab Freeze Collective Federico found and developed common elements between “Butch” Morris’ Conduction, Walter Thompson’s Soundpainting and Frank Zappa’s way, demonstrating how a limited dictionary of gestures can be applied on a small orchestra with success.

Dancer Clotilde Cappelletti (Amsterdam) Francesca Remigi and Federico Calcagno (Milan); Naomi McCarroll Butler, Evan Shay, Summer Kodama (Montréal)