Piano Dado Moroni
Contrabass Eddie Gomez
DrumsJoe La Barbera
with the extraordinary participation of Paolo Fresu
Kind of Bill, a tribute to Bill Evans with the extraordinary participation of Paolo Fresu, is a musical project aimed at celebrating one of the most fascinating aspects of the great jazz musician’s music: the immortality of his message. The title Kind of Bill captures the spirit of the project created by pianist Dado Moroni, bassist Eddie Gomez and drummer Joe La Barbera, musicians who over time have made an enormous contribution to Evans’ music, bringing new life to the great pianist’s ideas. A tribute to Evans’ repertoire, but also to the world of jazz, Kind of Bill includes compositions by Bill, standards that have become almost completely new and original pieces under his fingers, and compositions written by Moroni, Gomez and La Barbera.
Kind of Bill is a production Zenart Management.
Dado Moroni is one of the most sought-after Italian jazz pianists in Europe and America. He made his debut at 17 with Tullio de Piscopo and Franco Ambrosetti, with whom he still collaborates today. In 1987, he was invited, as the only European, together with pianists Hank Jones, Barry Harris and Roland Hanna, to serve on the jury of the Thelonious Monk International Piano Prize, held in Washington. Dado Moroni is one of the very few Italian musicians whose biography is included in the important ‘Biographical Encyclopaedia of Jazz’ by Leonard Feather and Ira Gitler. He boasts prestigious and ongoing collaborations with the great stars of world jazz.
Eddie Gomez is one of the most brilliant double bassists in the history of jazz. After studying at Juilliard, Gomez played with Gary McFarland, Gerry Mulligan, Benny Goodman, Buck Clayton, Rufus Jones’ sextet, Marian McPartland, Paul Bley and Giuseppi Logan, among others. International notoriety came during his long stint in Bill Evans’ trio, with whom he collaborated from 1966 to 1977, taking part in several major recordings by the great pianist, including two Grammy Award-winning ones. Subsequently, Gomez collaborated in an infinity of contexts including Steps Ahead, Dizzy Gillespie, Freddie Hubbard, George Benson, McCoy Tyner, Chick Corea, Hank Jones, Nancy Wilson, Tania Maria and Ray Barretto, as well as on a large number of recordings.
Joe La Barbera has played all over the world with some of the best names in jazz since his debut on the scene. From his first performance as a professional at the Sands Hotel in Las Vegas with Frankie Randall and Buddy Rich’s band in 1968, to his work with Bill Evans, he has always been in demand among world-class jazz musicians. He attended the Berklee College of Music in Boston, and after his first professional experiences as a musician he moved to New York, where he played as with several great artists. 1978, Joe received an offer to play with Bill Evans. Performing regularly all over the world, this year his tour will take him to New Zealand, Japan, China and all over Europe.
Paolo Fresu, born in Berchidda (Sardinia), he began studying the trumpet at the age of eleven in the band of his home town. After various experiences in pop music, he discovered jazz in 1980 and began his professional activity in 1982, first attending the Seminari Senesi and then recording for RAI-Radio Televisione Italiana under the direction of Bruno Tommaso. In 1984, he graduated in trumpet at the Cagliari Conservatory with Enzo Morandini and subsequently attended the DAMS – music section at the University of Bologna. In 2003, he received an Honorary Degree from the Bicocca University in Milan in Psychology of Social Processes, Decision Making and Economic Behaviour, in 2015 from the Berklee School in Boston and in 2017 the ‘Nettuno d’Oro’ in Bologna. He has been a UNESCO Youth Ambassador for Italy since 2016. His recording activity boasts over 400 records (over 90 under his own name and as co-leader) and his concert activity over 3000 concerts on all five continents.
