NICOLA JOCOLA BIOGRAPHY

Nicola Jocola is born to Foggia in 1951, from 2005 he's moved to Rome where still he lives and he carries out the musician activity freelance and session-man.

To 15 years (1966) part of some bands of it's city comes near to music making, cultivating from the beginning a large interest for Afro-American music Rhythm&Blues, Jazz, Blues and all that round about it.

In 1968, after two years from its debut professional becomes making part of some orchestras known enough in the within of the night clubs Italian of the age, between which Mimmo D' Amore, Peppino Negri, Vero Nori, Massimo Pilotti, taking part to numerous tournée in Italy, Middle East, Africa North, Europe.

In 1970, to it's first return in Italy, know Franco Tolomei (one of the best musician hot jazz of Europe to said of many critics us) and Arnaldo Santoro(drummer "Dixie" and great connoisseur of music  (jazz, subsequently important author television transmissions RAI) which transmit the passion and the love for jazz music.

Essentially self-taught, has studied later on putting scrupulously in practical, all the councils of large friend-connects that they have formed its musical character. Between these, with particular affection and esteem, Clement Santangelo, Tullio De Piscopo, the mourning Giampiero Prina, Gianni Cazzola.

In 1976, after an alternation between departures and the activity of freelance re-enters, returns definitively in Italy undertaking, making tournè with singers of enunciates of Italian light music alternating itself with concerts of Jazz music.

DRUMMER of clear Jazz matrix and great communication, your sound bring back us to the tradition, to the intensity and to the atmosphere of the age Be Bop and Hard Bop, its jazz formation is matured mostly through listens of discs of great founders of the battery like: Kenny Clarke; Max Roach; Buddy Rich; Elvin Jones; Art Blakey; Philly Joe Jones; Bobby Dhuram; Roy Hines; Steve Gadd. Its musical evolution and the technical ability have carried it in the years to alternate themselves happily also with other styles like the Funky, Blues, R&B, Latin, and the so-called light music... that then today... much light one is not.

JAZZ LIVE ACTIVITY

 It's asserted in the Jazz world at the beginning of years 70 after to have been uncovered from Carletto Loffredo and the great Tony Scott with which they give 1970 to 1974 it has taken part to numerous concerts in all Italy.

From 1976 at today, it has played with numerous musicians of the Italian jazz world and not, between the more important they are:

PIANIST

Sante Palumbo, Mario Rusca, Nando De Luca, Ettore Righello, Luigi Bonafede, Romano Mussolini, Teo Ciavarella, Davide Santorsola, Carlo Gargioni, Marco Contardi, Angelo Palazzo,Gianni Micciola, Karim Blal, Notker Eberle, Marco Di Gennaro, Claudio Colasazza, Giorgio Cuscito, Cesare Saldicco, Luciano Tellico, Mario Donatone, Riccardo la Barbera.

CONTRABASS

Sergio Picucci, Carletto Loffredo, Gigi Bagnoli, Lucio Terzano, Rino Zurzolo, Danilo Gallo, Maurizio Quintavalle, Vito di Modugno, Michele Zonno, Roberto Maddalena, Torindo Colangione, Franco de Matteis, Steve Mariani,Walter Sannoner, Paride Furzi, Giulio Scarpato, Fabio Zampa, Guido Giacomini, Fernando Redavid.

GUITARIST

Gianni Cataleta, Angelo di Gioia, Bruno de Filippi, Francesco Palmitessa, Antonio Tosques, Nino Palmieri, Franco Vinci, Franco Lauriola, Pino Cotrufo, Gino Ferrandino, Nico Acquaviva, Giancarlo Evangelisti, Francesco Mazzeo, Francesco Saguto.

SAX/CLARINET

Gino Sannoner, Tony Scott, Sal Genovese, Castrocucchi, Larry Nocella, Paolo Tomelleri, Michele Carrabba, Nicola Perrone, Giovanni Cafaro, Mauro Verrone, Tony Formichella, Davide Grottelli, Stefano "Ciccio" Arduini, Saro Sorba, Graziano Lecci.

TRUMPETER

Franco Tolomei, Sergio Fanni, Paolo Petruzziello, Olivier Barney, Potito Porrari.

TROMBONIST

Fabio Forte, Aurelio Santoro, Luciano Capobianco, Luciano La Neve.

FLUTE

Filomena de Pasquale.

SINGER

Shirley Bunnie Foy, Show Robinson, Gegè Telesforo, Ninni Maina, Lino Marcantonio.

PERCUSSIONIST

Karl Potter, Alfredo Ricciardi, Panthaleon Perez Prado.

It has taken part to numerous Jazz Festival between which Dixyrama Rome, Lugano, Clusone, Foggia, Vieste, Orsara, Bari.

From 1978 to 1981 moved to Milan, it has played with musicians like : Sante Palumbo (p), Luigi Bonafede (p), Larry Nocella (sax), Bruno de Filippi (guitar, harmonica), Sergio Fanni (tr) Roman Mussolini (p) and many others, to mythical Jazz-Club "Capolinea" of Giorgio Vanni.

From 1979 to 1980 he's official drummer of the group "Milan Brera Jazz Band" at mythical "Club 2" in Milan exhibiting all the evenings for approximately two years with Paolo Tomelleri, Mario Rusca, Nando de Luca, Franco Tolomei, Luciano la Neve, Gigi Bagnoli, Nino Cittadino, Ettore Righello, Shirley Bunnie Foy.

In several Jam-Session it has played with famous musicians Americans and not, between the more important: J.Griffin, Kenny Clarke, Jimmy Woode, Franco Cerri, Cameron Brown, Art Blakey, Dusko Goigovic and many other.

In 1995 in a memorable concert it has played the percussions (several drum and gadgets) with the Italian sinphonic orchestra (120 elements) composed from the best musician students of Italy of the center south directed from the M° Pedretti on agreements and rivisitazioni in sinphonic key of the M° Angelo Palazzo, of the tracks ones more celebrates than Lucio Dalla with its same participation.

From 1988 to 2000 it has collaborated with to its pupils, to the laboratories of music of with to the "Guitar School" of master Gianni Cataleta in Foggia.

He was be official drummer of the first Big Band "Nuova Orchestra Taverna del Gufo" of Foggia in years 1986/87 held to baptism from Renzo Arbore it's illustrious one citizen.

In the 2005 it is moved definitively to Rome where currently it resides carrying out the musician activity freelance and session-man making jam-session in the several jazz clubs of the understood one them with musicians of the roman area between which:

Steve Mariani, Notker Eberle, Claudio Colasazza, Mario Donatone, Stefano "Ciccio" Arduini, Giulio Scarpato, Mauro Verrone, Tony Formichella, Fabio Zampa, Giorgio Cuscito, Guido Giacomini, Marco Di Gennaro, Francesco Saguto, Olivier Berney, Saro Sorba, Karim Blal, Fernando Redavid, Giancarlo Evangelisti and many others.

It collaborates irregularly with the contrabbassista friend Steve Mariani in its several groups with Francesco Mazzeo, Cesare Saldicco, Davide Grottelli, Luciano Tellico, and other.

IN LIGHT MUSIC

He was be the drummer in the tour of: Billy Boy, Rocky Robert' s, Patrick Samson, Anna Oxa, Fausto Leali, Christian, Francesca Alotta, Jo Squillo, Shel Shapiro, Ivan Cattaneo, Giampiero Artegiani, Mino Vergnaghi, the Bora-Bora-Group, Stefania La Fauci, P.Perez Prado, "Giromike" with Mike Bongiorno, taking part to numerous television transmissions RAI and Mediaset with the aforesaid artists.

IT'S STYLE INFUENCES

Charlie Parker; Dizzy Gillespie, Fats Navarro, Miles Davis (primo periodo), Jay Jay Johnson, Bud Powell, Thelonious Monk, Bill Evans, Ray Brown, Red Garland, Paul Chambers, Wes Montgomery, Joe Pass, John Coltrane, Sonny Rollins, Sonny Stitt, Johnny Griffin.

ITS PREFERRED DRUMMERS

Kenny Clarke; Max Roach; Buddy Rich; Elvin Jones; Art Blakey; Philly Joe, Jones; Bobby Dhuram; Roy Hines; Steve Gadd; Tullio de Piscopo and others.

A felt thanks to which they have had the patience to read to all this page.

A thanks goes also to all those people which for forgetfulness have not only been mention to you.

Nicola Jocola.