music and theatre

DRUMS

Chicco Accornero

He began studying drums as a self-taught musician in 1970 and enrolled at the Vivaldi Conservatory in Alessandria in 1972. For the next three years, he studied percussion under Maestro Michele Messerklinker. After his didactic studies, he spent years specializing in the styles of drummers such as Max Roach, Elvin Jones, Roy Haynes, Ed Blackwell, Tony Williams, and others. He attended seminars with Don Um Romao, Roy Haynes, Max Roach, Enrico Lucchini, Brian Abrahams, and Giancarlo Pillot. Meanwhile, he began playing with friends in amateur jazz groups.
In 1984 he began playing in clubs in Northern Italy with some Italian jazz musicians such as Gianni Basso, Gianni Dosio, Alberto Mandarini, Renzo Rigon, Piero Pollone, Wally Allifranchini, Massimo Minardi, Gigi Degregorio, all soloists with whom he still participates in concerts and recordings.
He founded and participated in several jazz and para-jazz groups, such as "Jazz Zeta," a group of musicians from Casale who shared a love and passion for the music of Attilio "Zeta" Zanetti, jazz pianist and composer. "Jazz Zeta" revived "Zeta's" music, reinterpreting it with great originality and performing it in numerous concerts at various theaters in Monferrato. In 1996, the group also recorded a collection.
In 1993, he formed the "TAT Trio" with Fabrizio Trullu on piano and Paolo Trocelli on double bass. The trio performs original pieces by Trullu, an established Sardinian pianist who has worked with P. Fresu, B. Serra, S. Grossman, and others. Trullu's pieces are very fresh and modern, "a la Hanc Kok." In addition to being performed in many clubs and theaters in Northern Italy, including as a rhythm section for various soloists, the "TAT Trio" performed them at the 3rd Professional Jazz Groups Competition in Arcore (MI) in 1996, winning second prize.
In 1997, in Portugal, he played and recorded a CD with the group of Manuel D'Oliveira, a highly expressive acoustic guitarist with jazz influences. With D'Oliveira, he toured briefly in Guimaraes, where he also performed at the Auditorium of the prestigious University of Guimaraes.
He also collaborates in non-jazz situations, such as with Brazilian singer and percussionist Adi Souza. With her, he founded a group featuring Alberto Giorcelli on guitar, a fine expert and arranger of Bossa Nova, Paolo Trocelli on double bass, and Fabrizio Trullu on piano. In his many concerts, Chicco Accornero had the opportunity to perfect Brazilian and Afro rhythms. He also served as drummer for singer-songwriters Gigi Cilumbriello, with whom he played and recorded demo tapes for Lucio Dalla's "Pressing" label, and Marco Berruti. He also played rock with the Casale Monferrato group "45° Parallelo" in various clubs for about two years. He also appeared in the Vercelli-based group "Graceland," which revisited the Simon & Garfunkel repertoire.
In 2000, with four musicians from diverse backgrounds, he formed the musical group "Amish," which performs its own songs in the Monferrato dialect with reggae, ska, swing, and South American rhythms: a modern and captivating sound. In 2001, he also participated in the production of a CD with the group.
Also in 2000 he recorded some songs included in the collection “Jazzisti Italiani” for the Ducale Records label with Piero Pollone.
In 2003 he recorded a CD with Gianni Dosio and Piero Pollone for Ducale Records, where they performed original songs by Dosio-Pollone.
He plays with: Jeff Silverstruth, Gianni Basso, Wally Allifranchini, Piero Pollone, Alberto Mandarini, Stefano Solani, Fulvio Albano, Claudio Chiara, Stefano Riggi, Loris Tarantino, Dino Cerreti, Livio Zanellato, Marco Detto, Marco Ricci, Ginger Brew, Giulio Libano, Massimo Minardi, Gigi Degregorio, Giorgio Allara, Alberto Giorcelli, Paolo Trocelli, Fabrizio Trullu, Max Ormea, Riccardo Anfosso, Max Carletti, Alessandro Chiappetta, Michele Anelli, Fabrizio Fogagnolo, Luca Bigio, Fabio Gorlier, Mayra Torres, Claudio Bruzzese.
Chicco Accornero's drumming style is tinged with Elvin Jones influences and broad rhythmic-melodic openings à la Roy Haynes, Jack de Johnette, or Bob Moses. His favorite styles include all music, when it's creative, free of cliché, and open. As for jazz: Ornette Coleman, Thelonious Monk, Miles Davis (1958-1965), Ahmad Jamal, Keith Jarrett, and '60s free jazz.