Pietro Tonolo

Pietro Tonolo (born May 30, 1959) is an Italian jazz saxophone player and composer.

Classical music’s loss was jazz’s gain in 1979, when Pietro Tonolo gave up a career as a classical violinist to become a jazz sax player. Around that time, he moved to Milan, where he played with some of Italy’s best jazz musicians, including Franco D’Andrea, Luigi Bonafede, Larry Nocella, Massimo Urbani, Rita Marcotulli and Enrico Rava.

In 1982, Tonolo joined the Gil Evans Orchestra, playing with notable musicians as Steve Lacy, Lew Soloff and Ray Anderson. He later went on to perform in jazz clubs and on radio and television around Europe and the USA, both as a sideman and as a leader with his own band. He was a steady member of the Paul Motian’s Electric Bebop Band from 1999 to 2004. Other notable collaborators have included the likes of Kenny Clarke, Roswell Rudd, Sal Nistico, Chet Baker, Lee Konitz, John Surman, Steve Swallow, Gil Goldstein, Barry Altschul, Joe Chambers, Henri Texier, Aldo Romano, Kenny Wheeler, Eliot Zigmund and Tony Oxley.

Besides Jazz, Tonolo has been collaborating with contemporary musicians and ensemble (‘Ex Novo Ensemble’, ‘Laboratorio Novamusica’, ‘Nex Time Ensemble’, ‘Sentieri Selvaggi’, ‘Orchestra d’archi Italiana’, sax quartet ‘Arundo Donax’). Is currently teaching at the Conservatory of Vicenza and Siena Jazz international masterclasses.

He lives in Venice.

As leader

• Quartet, Quintet, Sextet – Splasc(h), 1985
• Un'Altra Galassia – Fonit Cetra, 1987 with Rita Marcotulli
• Flight Charts & Plants – Le Folies Art, 1988
• Slowly – Splasc(h), 1991
• Alliance – Pentaflowers, 1993 with Joe Chambers
• Tresse – Splasc(h), 1993 with Henri Texier and Aldo Romano
• Simbiosi – Splasc(h), 1995
• Tribute to Nino Rota – Nel Jazz, 1995
• Notte di Luna Calante – Jazz Today, 1998
• C'era una Volta - Splasc(h), 1996 with Arundo Donax
• Amigdala – Velut Luna, 1997
• Un Veliero all'Orizzonte – Egea, 1997
• Disguise – Splasc(h), 1997
• Ricercar Scintille – Splasc(h), 1998 with Steve Swallow
• Monologues – Splasc(h), 1998 (solo sax)
• Arundo Donax – BMG, 1999
• Sotto la Luna – Egea, 1999 with Danilo Rea
• Leoni e Altri Gatti – Velut Luna, 2000
• Luna Park – Egea, 2000
• Portrait of Duke – Label Bleu, 2000 with Gil Goldstein, Steve Swallow, Paul Motian
• Glasswater – Splasc(h), 2001
• Retrò – Egea, 2001
• Autunno – Egea, 2001 with Paolo Birro
• Dancers in Love – Splasc(h), 2002 with Arundo Donax
• Farfalle – Egea, 2002 with Gil Goldstein
• Oltremare – Egea, 2004 with Paul Motian
• Italian Songs – Egea, 2006 with Gil Goldstein, Essiet Essiet, Joe Chambers
• Lennie's Pennies – Blue Serge, 2006
• Your Songs – ObliqSound, 2007 with Gil Goldstein, Steve Swallow, Paul Motian
• Mirando – Egea, 2009 with Gil Goldstein
• The Translators – Parco Della Musica, 2009 with Joe Chambers
• Pietro Tonolo – Gruppo Editoriale Repubblica-l'Espresso, 2010 with Rita Marcotulli
• Corner Brilliance – Alma, 2012 with Eliot Zigmund
• Passport – Parco Della Musica, 2012 with Joe Chambers, Jordi Rossy
• Dajaloo – Parco Della Musica, 2012

As sideman

• Guido Manusardi A Bridge into the New Generation – Splasc(h), 1981
• Enrico Rava: Andanada – Soul Note, 1983
• Luigi Bonafede Live in Sanremo & in Pesaro – Splasc(h), 1985 with Massimo Urbani
• Luca Flores Where Extremes Meet – Splasc(h), 1987
• Big Band Keptorchestra Keptorchestra – Nord Sound, 1992
• Giovanni Tommaso Over the Ocean – (Red, 1993
• Mario Raja Ellington – Splasc(h), 1994
• Big Band Keptorchestra Sweet Sixteen – Caligola, 1994 with Steve Lacy
• Marcello Tonolo DAYS – Caligola, 1995
• Big Band Keptorchestra Miss Etna – Caligola, 1996 with Joe Lovano
• Giovanni Tommaso Strane Stelle Strane – BMG, 1996
• Marcello Tonolo Seed Journey – Caligola, 1998
• Mario Raja Dodici Storie – Splasc(h),1998
• Giovanni Tommaso Third Step – BMG, 1998
• Francesco Maccianti Oasi – Splasc(h), 1998
• Ex novo Ensemble Ouverture – Velut Luna, 1999
• Francesco Maccianti Mosaico – Philology, 2000
• Paul Motian Electric Bebop Band Europe – Winter & Winter, 2001
• Paul Motian Electric Bebop Band Holiday for Strings – Winter & Winter, 2002