DIEGO MORGA

biography

Pianist and composer, suspended between jazz, post-minimalism and film music. Master's degree in Jazz Music at the Conservatory of Music of Bari, at his fifth solo album, composes for contemporary dance and short films collaborating with leading figures from the worlds of music and dance, Ferruccio Spinetti, Francesco Magnelli, Ginevra Di Marco – for music - Oriella Dorella, Raffaele Paganini, Dino Verga, Larrio Ekson and many other – for dance -

After his first recording “Esprimendo L’Impresso”, album of original compositions for piano solo released in 2000, it's the turn of “Da Qui Passano i Venti” released by Dodicilune Records in 2007. Guests on this album are, among others, Sergio Rubini to declaim "I can write the Verses" by P. Neruda (track 3) and Ferruccio Spinetti (wonderful double bass on track 7). In the first months of 2011 he is grappling with the production of “Chi Ha Fottuto Donald Duck”, album in which he is joined by Camillo Pace (double bass) and Lello Patruno (drums) to form the Donald Duck Trio.On november 2011 he is on the stage of Teatro Forma in Bari for the XXVI edition of the international festival Time Zones – sulla via delle musiche possibili (with Yann Tiersen and the danish song writer Agnes Obel as main guests) to present his new album “Fluorescenze”which philosophically represents the continuation of the stylistic and artistic-creative line of the previous albums Esprimendo l’Impresso (2000) and Da Qui Passano i Venti with melodic lines and minimal atmospheres even more decidedly affirmed. Entirely new and original writings (except for a remake for string quartet of Mentre Ti Guardo - a piece already present in "Da Qui Passano i Venti"). In this latest work there are three tracks entitled “Incipit” some free “digressions” inspired by few measures from the Nocturne n.2 in E flat major Op. 9/2 by Fryderyk Chopin. Many of the tracks present here have been composed in the last years for contemporary dance choreographies, during his activity as an accompanist pianist and composer for dance. At the beginning of 2013 he decides to moves to Copenhagen where he immediately begins an interesting collaboration as accompaning pianist for ballet and contemporary dance classes with the most representative realities of the Danish and Swedish scene such as Royal Danish Theater ( Det Kongelige Teater), The Tivoli Pantomime Theatre (Pantomimeteatret i Tivoli), Danish Dance Theater (Dansk Danseteater), and the Danish National School of Performing Arts (Statens Scenekunstskole) in Copenhagen where, with the occasion, he also obtaines a postgraduate degree in Musical Accompaniment For Dance, and also collaborates with the  Skånes Dansteater in Malmö (Sweden) and the Accademia Nazionale di Danza in Rome. Here in Denmark, in Copenhagen, sees the light his new Italian/Danish production “Songs on My Mind” released on November 2017. This work sees the co-presence of Italian and Danish musicians to interpret elegant and refined arrangements, lightly tinged with jazz, by Diego Morga of some of the most significant songs from the pop and rock repertoires of the last 60 years (Don’t stand so close to me, Message in a Bottle, Come together, Imagine, With or without you, Norwegian Wood, Love will tear us apart, Take it with Me and Heroes)  with a leap a little further back to re-propose two of the most popular jazz standards (Someone to watch over me and and O que sarà)..

After some concerts to promote his music in Italy, Denmark and Japan, on 15th December 2021 he releases the album “Under my fingers”, a basically piano solo work with few but meaningful participations of great guests as well as the use of a latest generation mini synthesizer. In this record appear Emanuela Lioy (violin), Thomas Vang (contrabass) and Eliel Lazo (congas) and are proposed original arrangements of songs taken from different periods of jazz music: There is no greater love (I. Jones – M. Symes), Donna Lee (C. Parker), Tune up (M. Davis), Ida Lupino (C. Bley), Bone (S. Lacy), Silence (C. Haden) and finally Mrs. Fagan written by Gianni Lenoci friend pianist, composer and huge reference for many jazz musicians in Italy.

about him... 

“Diego Morga defies easy classification…. writes for dance and theater, cultivating the art of improvisation, but admires the post-minimalist composers (Nyman, Wim Mertens…). In short, a musician who should be listened to without prejudice. “Da Qui Passano I Venti” is a mature work: the twelve tracks that comprise it, all original compositions, and all very "written", are all themes for imaginary films, sound environments that lead to the idea of musique d\'ameublement but without being trapped. The piano is the center of everything, but there are also, here and there, contributions from other instrumental voices: double-bass by Ferruccio Spinetti, violin by Emanuela Lioy. In "Il canto" (track 3) the scene fills unexpectedly: here is the acting voice of Sergio Rubini, reciting some verses of Neruda's lost love, a very lyrical soprano sax solo, a beating percussion and a string quartet... Music does not speak. But sometimes it’s more eloquent than many words”.

Fabrizio Versienti  (Corriere del Mezzogiorno)
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