Saxophonist and composer Eugenio Colombo is among the most important figures on the Italian and European avant-garde and free jazz scene
Following his graduation from the Frosinone Conservatory of Music, he became part of Rome’s lively free jazz scene, collaborating with Neapolitan saxophonist Mario Schiano, with whom he recorded in 1973 the album Sud
The same years saw a meeting with pianist and composer Giorgio Gaslini, with whom he recorded, together with a large group of young musicians from the Roman area, the album Favola Pop
In 1975 he took part in the cultural initiative of the Scuola Popolare di Musica di Testaccio, together with other young artists, such as Bruno Tommaso, Enrico Pieranunzi, Maurizio Giammarco, Tommaso Vittorini, Paolo Damiani, Danilo Terenzi, Giampaolo Ascolese, Giancarlo Schiaffini, and Giovanna Marini. Attracted not only to European free jazz and avant-garde but also to the British rock scene, Eugenio Colombo collaborates with Maurizio Giammarco’s experimental group Suonosfera, with Tony Ackermann, Nicola Raffone, Michele Iannaccone, Gianni Nebbiosi
He founded a saxophone quartet called I Virtuosi di Cave in 1977, a group that later merged into the orchestra Grande Elenco Musicisti, led by Tommaso Vittorini. A year later with English pianist Martin Joseph he recorded the album Solos and Duos
He also founded, with trombonist Giancarlo Schiaffini and drummer Michele Iannaccone, the trio SIC
Another long-standing collaboration is with Italian folk music and ethnomusical singer-songwriter and researcher Giovanna Marini
In the 1990s he was among the musicians and authors of the Italian Instabile Orchestra, with Pino Minafra, Bruno Tommaso, Gianluigi Trovesi, Mario Schiano, Paolo Damiani, Tiziano Tononi, Giorgio Gaslini, Giancarlo Schiaffini, Renato Geremia and others
Over the years, Eugenio Colombo recorded several records pursuing his philosophy centered on experimenting with new musical modulations between jazz, popular music, opera, and avant-garde
Essential discography: 29.9.78 Piece with the trio SIC (1978 – Red Records), Martin Joseph & Eugenio Colombo (1978 – Duets and Solos), Curriculum Vitae (1986 – Ismez Polis), Summertime (1987 – Splasc(H) Records), Giada (1990 – Splasc(H) Records), Live in Noci and Rive De Gier with Italian Instabile Orchestra (1992 – Leo Records), Guida Blu (1999 – Splasc(H) Records), Tempiduri (2003 – Splasc(H) Records), Sorgente Sonora (2005 – Zone di Musica ), South America with Luigi Bozzolan (2010 – Zone di Musica)
