MATTEO FRABONI
Jazz drummer, band leader.
Maestro Matteo Fraboni was born on 15/10/1983. Graduated in Jazz Composition and Arrangement at the Conservatorio G.B. Martini in Bologna while he was playing at the age of 24 years old with his teachers like Barendt Middellhoff. Dppprummer and composer, percussionist and arranger, began his music journey first approaching the keyboard who was at home then undertaking the study of drumset . Jazz music came in his life at the age of 16, beside joining some rock, folk and pop band, attended some of the most prestigious schools in Italy: Berklee College of Music in Perugia (2002), “Seminari di alto perfezionamento musical” Città di Castello (2003), with Fabio Zeppetella, Massimo Moriconi, Umberto Fiorentino, Maurizio Giammarco and John Arnolds.
He studied privately with the pianist composer Ramberto Ciammarughi (2004), drums with Massimo Manzi and improvisation techniques with Fabrizio Sferra. In Cuba he studied the foundations of Cuban music, with the great Maestro Josè Luis Quintana Fuentès “Changuito”, winner of two “Latin Grammy Awards” (2001) receiving tuition for hand percussion such as congas, bongos, cajon and timbales. He studied the basics of the Indian musical tradition with maestro Aky Montoya, (2003), at the seminars organized by the pianist Giovanni Ceccarelli in Fabriano and deepened the study of Brazilian rhythmic with native drummer Natalio Alvès De Oliveiras (2004).
In the same year he took the exams of the first 3 years of the course of Classical Percussion with M°Dardi at the Conservatory “G.Rossini” and took the exams of the 1 year of Musicology at the headquarters of Cremona studying ancient Greek music. Participate in the Masterclasses of Bill Stewart, Peter Erskine, Mat Wilson, Roberto Gatto, Christian Meyer, O.Hernandez, Paolo Pellegatti, Ron Savage, Tullio De Piscopo, Ellade Bandini, Franco D'Andrea, Seamus Blake, Brian Blade. In New York, (2009) takes private lessons from Gene Jackson, Ari Hoening, Dan Weiss, and Nat Smith. He made a trip to Africa (2009), Senegal, studying African polyrhythmies with griot Mamadou Diouf, leaving with them, in a fisherman village on the coast.
In 2008 participates in the summer workshop at the Fondazione Siena Jazz being selected at the 3rd level, (highest level), where he is selected to participate in the Permanent Laboratory of Musical Research “Theatrum” by pianist Stefano Battle (ECM). He studied “Composition and Arrangement” at the Conservatorio"Rossini” in Pesaro, was admitted by Bruno Tommaso and where he wrote for the examination of “History of African American music” with Stefano Zenni, a paper on African polyrhythmies rated 30 and praise and included in the archives of the said conservatory at the request of the committee. In addition to winning several musical contests on the national territory, he received the prestigious invitation to enter the Juilliard School in Manhattan for the Artist Diploma from the pianist Antonio Ciacca, teacher Juilliard and artistic director of the Jazz at Lincoln Center.
In the same year he won a scholarship at the Manhattan New School In New York for jazz performances but he couldn't complete due to some family issues. He has collaborated with many important international musicians including: Aruan Ortiz, Fabio Zeppetella, Dario Deidda, Franco D'Andrea, Reverend Lee Brown, Bruno Tommaso, Tino Tracanna, Toni Maiello, Maurits Roes, Raphael Gualazzi, Stadium, Francesco di Giacomo, Badara Seck, Mauro Pagani, Marco Poeta, Paola Turci, PFM, Simone Zanchini, Massimo Morganti, Giovanni Maier, Stefano Battaglia, George Garzone, Riccardo Del Fra and many others playing in major national and international festivals. He curated music for theatre and film, also actively participating in shows. He has several records recorded as sideman (“Clouds Digger “ and “Scratch” with Tino Tracanna, saxophonist of Paolo Fresu Quintet, never published, Milan) and recorded his first milestone of jazz under his name published by Via Veneto Jazz: Matteo Fraboni Quintet “This Is My Music” with George Garzone, Logan Richardson, Aruan Ortiz and Rashann Carter, recorded in Brooklyn, New York, for which he composed the music and directed the American quintet, at the age of 27 years old. Right after he was invited at Cannes film festival as soundtrack of the short movie "Uncomfortable Silence"by Gabriele Altobelli in 2014 and won many awards such as "Best International Jazz Album" by Tokyo Jazz Notes in 2012 along with R. Glasper.
As a teacher he published a method on snare drum techniques "The Jazz Snare Drum'" (Ed. Setticlavio), thanks to his drum teacher at the Conservatory, Giampaolo Ascolese, and he taught “modern drums techniques” at private schools in the province of Ancona, Pesaro, Bologna and Rome: Artemusica, Bettino Padovano, Scuoladimusica.org, LadyBirdProject, Aeschylus, Officine Musicali, from 2005 onwards.
He was the “Collaborator to Artistic Production” of the Conservatory “G.B.Martini of Bologna for the year [[1]] and in the same year he was assistant at the summer seminars “Arcevia In Jazz”. As artistic awards he was invited as 'youth excellence, 'to be part of the “Cavalierato Giovanile delle Marche”, (Young Knighthood of Marche Region), organized by Confindustria Giovani of the province of Ancona (2011). He has been collaborating as endorser of the “Amedia Cymbals” and “Silverfox sticks” brand since 2009. In 2012 he founded the Senigallia jazzfestival, directed the music department of Percussion for the private school “B. Padovano”, (Italy).
In 2016 he recorded and published his 2nd album as bandleader "Matteo Fraboni Quintet - Latino (Ed. Ok. Listen) with his Italian quintet, a project of his original music related to Hardbop sonorities with influences from Cuba and India and American jazz from the 60ies.
After teaching and performing in many cities of Europe, from 2014 to 2019, he started a long journey in India, Nepal, Russia and China, performing concerts in collaboration with the Italian Embassy of New Delhi, Mumbai, and Sunaparanta Cultural Center of Goa, taking an interest in Indian culture, to the study of spirituality with particular attention to the Hindustani classical singing tradition and the figure of the 'sadus', joining the Khumb Mela festival" in Ujain, playing trio in collaboration of Alliance Frances in march 2016 and during the same year he performed at the "Udaipur World Music Festival" with the support of the Italian Institute of Culture of New Delhi with the collaboration of Nathulal Solanki, the major exponent of Nagara drums from Rajasthan, involved by Johnny Greenwood of Radiohead in the world tour in 2019 with Shye Ben Tzur.
In 2019 he recorded and published with me label from Rome ERM his 3rd album as leader "India Jazz Vol. 1" with an Indian quintet composed by young talents with original music with contamination from Hindustani classical violin, including funk, free jazz, and Latin grooves. For the occasion the violinist from New Delhi, Sharat Chandra Srivastava, was invited by Fraboni to interpretate a violin melody in Pandora, whose a 12/8 circular, hypnotic, meditative song.
In 2018, he cooperates with the winner of the Oscar "A.R.Rahman" in Chennai, as Faculty of the Jazz Music Department of the Km Conservatory leading percussion ensemble with a traditional Malayalam collaboration.
In the years he has taught music in english in many institutions in Europe and Asia, he has published three original music albums as Bandleader and a Book for teaching by getting excellent press and critical results from many radios and newspapers, travelling in 24 different nations, receiving interviews from the Times of India, Decchan Chronicles, Radio Mumbai N1, Tokyo Jazz, Notes, Jazzit, Los Angeles Jazz Scene, Jazz.Ru to name a few, holding a concert with his Quintet at the most important theater in Mumbai, the National Center for Performing Arts, a sold-out show ended with a standing ovation of more than 500 crowd.
In February 2020, he was invited to play during the Dubai Jazz Festival at jazzgarden stage with a russian management playing as Rhythm section for guests singer from Europe and Israel like Roy Young, Faby Medina and Veronique Hermann-Sambin.