Our current Spotlight Artist, Hamlet & His Latin Jazz Experience, reminds us that Latin Jazz reaches far beyond the borders of the United States . . . in fact the music thrives in South America, the Caribbean, Europe, and more. Their collective experiences in Colombia, Italy, Spain, Germany, Austria, and the United States bring a diverse group of musical backgrounds into the group, opening the possibilities for musical experimentation. The group maintains a firm foundation in Afro-Cuban and Brazilian rhythms, but they obviously don’t fell pressured by the weight of tradition. The inclusion of odd time signatures, complex arrangements, drastic dynamics, and intricate yet catchy themes bring a distinctly different sound to the group, setting them apart from their stateside counterparts. It’s hard to classify the music as closely tied to European music traditions and it can’t be classified as authentically Cuban, Brazilian, or Puerto Rican. It would be hard to even call it traditional Latin Jazz from a U.S. perspective. Instead the music on Descarumbiando resonates as something unique - a lively collection of music that remains connected to many sources without being defined by them. It’s a great reminder that sometimes we simply need to look outside the standard sources to find inspiring Latin Jazz.

Take the time to check out Hamlet & His Latin Jazz Experience, there are plenty of opportunities to find them around the internet. You can find background information, news, videos, pictures, and tour dates on the group’s website. You can befriend the group, check out some tracks from Descarumbiando, see some pictures, and comment at the group’s MySpace page. Sit back and watch some videos on the group’s YouTube page - there’s some great rehearsal footage that you’ve got to check out! There’s plenty of opportunities to get to know the group, so go ahead and do it - you’ll be glad you did!

In the hopes of inspiring you to check the group out more extensively, I’ve included some background information about the different group members. Check out the varied backgrounds that these guys bring into the band, there’s a lot of great musicality there! The information comes from their webpage, where you can get even more musical goodies. I’ve included a video of the band performing the title track from Descarumbiando at the bottom of the post so that you can hear the group in action. Enjoy!

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Hamlet Fiorilli
Hamlet was born in Bogotà, Colombia in 1967. The family moved to Italy, and he soon began his musical studies on clarinet and drums, and later at age 13 on piano, studying with a private teacher for one year. He then continued instinctively learning by playing, as he still does today, considering himself more a musician than a pianist. Concurrently to the above studies, he took his diploma in french horn at the P. Mascagni conservatory of Livorno, also studying composition, choir conducting and classical percussion, and finished his arranging studies with a private teacher in the Berkley school method. Piano became his main instrument; he started professionally with his father’s Latin band “Macondo” at age 15, also replacing his piano teacher on the local jazz big band. There followed many concerts with different bands, playing many genres, helping him develop a big, open view of music. At age 17 he played a few seasons on cruise ships around Europe, North Africa and Russia and later moved to Monte Carlo, Divonne Les Bains, and Vienna, playing in prestigious clubs and hotels. In Italy he formed a pop-rock band called “Animali Rari,” performing hundreds of concerts around the country, winning prizes and participating in national radio and TV shows. He was the youngest orchestral conductor/arranger on the important Sanremo Festival, and collaborated with artists on the Italian pop scene, including Marina Fiordaliso, Fiorella Pierobon, Giorgia, Vinicio Capossela, Maurizio Solieri and Daniele Tedeschi (guitarist and drummer of Vasco Rossi.) On the salsa side he played a few years with Jairo’s Tribu Tayrona (Colombia) and again traveled Europe playing in Cannes, Luxemburg, Austria, Germany, Switzerland, and in Trinidad made several performances with the salsa band “Sonora Trinitaria.”

Victor Fiorilli
Victor was born into a musical family in 1973 in Spain. His father Roberto Fiorilli was a famous drummer and leader of artistic projects in Columbia in the late 60’s, and the two brothers Hamlet and Victor evolved in this Latin Jazz atmosphere. He started studying piano at age 9 in the P. Mascagni conservatory in Livorno and changed to acoustic bass after two years, completing his studies at the same conservatory. After his studies he switched to electric bass and began his career in rock cover bands, in his father’s band Macondo, and from 1994 until 1996 toured Italy with the show of the famous comedian Gene Gnocchi In 1995 he played with the top Italian pop singer Giorgia in the prestigious TV show Festival Bar and collaborated with Maurizio Solieri (Vasco Rossi’s lead guitarist) live on well-known TV shows, such as Help and Roxy Bar. He played bass 10 years in the Cani Sciolti show band and helped out in many fusion, Latin and rock bands, performing in Italy’s most important clubs, festivals and discos.

Stefan Mörtl
Stefan Mörtl was born in 1982 in Villach and began playing drums at age 8. He studied classic at the Kärntner Landeskonservatorium with Günther Hofbauer and Gerhard Kattnig, and later began jazz studies with Erich Bachträgl. In 2007 he had the great opportunity to play with Joe Zawinul and the Konse-Workshopband in 3 concerts in Klagenfurt, Maribor and Zagreb. He’s also played with Tamara Obrovac, Karen Asatrian, Gail Anderson, in “Hollywood Classics” with the Carinthian Synphonic Orchestra, and the musical “The Little Shop of Horror.” In 2006 he was at the Rhythm Seminar in Marktoberdorf, and has had lessons and seminars with Steve Smith, Russ Miller, Benny Greb, Wolgang Haffner, Rene Creemers, Rhani Krija and Joris Dudli. Stefan is a gifted drummer with a great feeling for Latin music, which inspired Hamlet to select him for the Latin Jazz Experience project. Stefan is also currently playing with the Gail Anderson Band, freelancing and teaching.

Giani Battilana
Giani Battilana was born in 1957 in Bologna and started studying Latin percussion in the early 80’s with great teachers, such as Lefty Medina, Candelo Cabezas, Roberto Evangelisti and Paulo La Rosa. He started his career as a conguero with Italian salsa pioneers like Jairo Bolano’s Tribu Tayrona, Carlos Ugueto’s Yemaya, and many other minor projects in Milano, Bologna and Rome in the 80’s. After that he got deeply into Afro Cuban music and played with top players like Jesus Miro (Munequitos de Matanzas) and Horacio “El Negro” Hernandez (Gonzalo Rubalcaba, Michel Camilo, Chick Corea, etc…). Gianni collaborated later on with the Cuban Percussion School in Florence “El Cabildo” with Valerio Perla, and worked as a teacher in schools in the Bologna, Modena and Ferrara area. He was a founder and member in such bands as Ahinama, Asi and Son Con Clave, played with the Cuban singers Wilma Bryson, Virgen Delgado and Ruth Abreu, and participated in experimental rumba projects with Venus and Stevie Insua (Cuban Folklore) and Roberto Faenzi, where he developed his passion for Latin Jazz. In his career he has played with many Cuban salsa bands, such as America y Su Tumbancha, Carlos Merlet y Puro Sabor, Mario Crespo, and with the Columbian Jairo Bolanos “Tribu Tayrona”. As a freelance player he has collaborated with such bands as Bongo Bata, Mambo Kids, Mezcla Latina, Croma Latina, Jimmy Bosh & Luisito Rosario, and taken part in big Latin festivals in Rome, Milano, Urbino, Bologna, and Verona. Right now he’s playing in several projects: Poco Loco Trio with Maurizio De Gasperi (piano) and Davide Lanzarani (baby bass), Cuban Connection with the Poco Loco trio plus Ruben Chaviano (violin) and Emanuele Smimmo (drums), and Hamlet’s Latin Jazz Experience.

Max Müller
Max Müller (real name Massimiliano Fiorilli) was born in Piombino (Italy) in 1974, the youngest brother of the musical Fiorilli family. He began playing drums very early, following his father steps, and at age 13 studied a few years at the P. Mascagni conservatory in Livorno. At age 16 he moved to the U.S.A, studying two years of drums with Jeff Gros in Miami. Back in Italy he studied drums with Alfredo Golino, who introduced him to Graziano Romani, enabling Max, age 19, to start a career with his band under a recording/performance contract with the WEA Company. In 1995 became a fix member of the band Custodie Cautelari, recording 6 albums and performing in live concerts (160 per year) in Italy and Switzerland. In 1998 he began collaborating with Maurizio Solieri in recordings and live performances. Concurrently he started his project “Notte Delle Chitarre,” performing with famous rock guitarists such as Maurizio Solieri (Vasco Rossi), Alberto Radius (Lucio Battisti), Ricky Portera (Lucio Dalla, Stadio), Mario Schilirò (Zucchero), Max Cottafavi (Ligabue) and many others. That project recorded an album in 2001, produced by Sony Music, with guest stars like Franco Battiato, Francesco Renga, Elio, Gianluca Grignani, Franz di Cioccio, Eugenio Finardi. In 2007 Max recorded the Custodie Cautelari album “L’incoscienza,” with big artists such as Irane Grandi, Eugenio Finardi, Elio, Neffa, Enrico Ruggeri, Max Gazzè, Alberto Fortis and Maurizio Solieri, all big stars on the Italian pop-rock scene. On the latin side he played drums and percussion often during the years with his brothers Hamlet & Victor in trio, in clubs and pubs, developing more and more passion and love for that music. Now he’s playing with Hamlet’s Latin Jazz Experience (Percussion), Custodie Cautelari & guest stars (Drums), Fiorilli Brothers Trio (Drums & Percussions) and with the Dookie trio, a Green Day Tribute.

Hans Lassnig
Hans Lassnig was born in 1974 in Austria. He studied jazz and classical trumpet at the conservatory in Klagenfurt, New School University in New York and University of Music and Dramatic Arts in Graz. In 2001 he participated in the “Euromeet Jazz Workshop” in Bassano (Italy), where he was the only trumpet player selected for a scholarship to the famous New School University (New York). In 2004 he participated in the “generations04_ jazz workshop in Frauenfeld (Switzerland), where he was invited to join the “Fellowship Award Band” which was touring in Germany and Switzerland in 2005. Among ten professional jazz trumpet players from Europe he is a finalist in the European YAMAHA Trumpet Contest 2009. While attending the “Jazz and Contemporary Music Program” at the New School University, he studied with some of the finest jazz players in New York City, including Jimmy Owens, Charles Tolliver, Cecil Bridgewater, Bobby Sanabria, Armen Donelian, Jane Ira Bloom, Rory Stuart. His most influental teachers were the great trumpeters Lee Harper, Matthieu Michel, John McNeil, Claudio Roditi, Clark Terry and Laurie Frink, but also Jerry Bergonzi and Kenny Werner. Hans is living as a freelance trumpet player and teacher in Austria.

Descarumbiando

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