Daniela Spalletta

Having obtained her classical high school diploma in 2001, she enrolled in the Faculty of Philosophy at the University of Catania and attended the Opera Singing course at the “V. Bellini” Musical Institute in Caltanissetta. He studied jazz, singing, piano, baroque singing with prominent musicians from the national music scene, including: Giovanni Mazzarino, Rosalba Bentivoglio, Vito Giordano, Angela Bucci, Michael Aspinall, etc. and has attended seminars with: Steve Swallow, Anthony Coleman, Maria Pia De Vito, Cinzia Spata, Huw Warren etc. She holds a degree in Jazz Singing (Three-year and Two-year) with Highest Honors, Mention and Academic Kiss from the “V. Bellini” Conservatory of Palermo. Since 2015 he has been collaborating with pianist Giovanni Mazzarino in a project dedicated to Sicily, featuring refined compositions by the pianist and lyrics in Sicilian written by Spalletta.

From 2017 to 2019, she is ranked fourth, third and second respectively in the Jazzit Awards, by Luciano Vanni‘s famous JAZZIT magazine, in the “Italian Female Voice” category.

Engravings, publications

In 2013 he recorded his first record as a leader entitled “D/Birth,” together with Urban Fabula, a trio of young and talented Sicilian musicians, the Hermes String Quartet and Max Ionata as a special guest. The album, released in April 2015 on the Roman label “Alfa Music,” received numerous public and critical acclaim and was awarded the “Likes it” stamp by the prestigious magazine “JAZZIT,” as well as being included in the “100 Greatest Albums 2015” of the same magazine. In June 2016, the album won the “SoundCheck Airplay Music Awards2015/2016″ from the well-known radio program “SoundCheck” on Radio 24, hosted by Gegè Telesforo, as “Best Italian Jazz.” In 2015, as part of the Festival Musica Futura – Giovani Vincitori del Premio delle Arti (Pescara), a live recording of part of the concert performed for the occasion with the No Game 5et was released. She is the author, along with Norma Winstone, of the lyrics of the record “Willow: a jazz suite,” a philological work on the music of Steve Swallow, released in March 2014 as a supplement to the magazine “Musica Jazz“; in addition to Swallow himself, musicians such as Giovanni Mazzarino, Cinzia Roncelli, Adam Nussbaum, Stefano Bagnoli, Riccardo Fioravanti, and Dino Rubino play on the disc. In 2016 Alfa Music released “Shemà,” the album by Apulian pianist Donatello D’Attoma, in which Daniela Spalletta is a special guest. In June 2016, it was released as an appendix to l’Espresso di Repubblica the live album “Young Lionesses: Janis,” a tribute to Janis Joplin, recorded live at the Casa del Jazz in Rome, along with many Italian female jazz musicians, edited by Midj for the “Jazz Italiano Live Series“, in which Daniela Spalletta is vocalist and arranger of the songs she performs. In 2017, the album “Sikania,” in which Daniela Spalletta is vocalist and author of the lyrics in the Sicilian language, was released by Jazzy Records. The album, winner of the SIAE Sillumina 2016 call for proposals, is recorded at Stefano Amerio‘s “Artesuono” studio, together with Giovanni Mazzarino, Francesco Patti, Gabriele Evangelista, and Alessandro Paternesi. In 2018 the record “Melodyterranean” by vibraphonist Giuseppe Mazzamuto was released, published by Da Vinci Publishing Classic Jazz, in which Daniela Spalletta is Special Guest. Soon to be released by Alfa Music is the album “Juiu” by saxophonist Claudio Giambruno, in which Daniela Spalletta is Special Guest. In 2018, AJEE by Polish percussionist Jacek Kochan was released by Audio Cave Label, in which Daniela Spalletta is Special Guest.

Contests, prizes, awards

In June 2008, she was third runner-up in the National Competition “Vittoria Rotary Jazz Award,” directed by F. Cafiso (Vittoria, RG). In July 2009 he won a Scholarship as the best student at the “Piazza Jazz” Festival (Piazza Armerina EN). In January 2012, he won the Enzo Randisi Award (Palermo); in 2013 in April she was the winner of the National Arts Award in Turin with the “No Game 5et” of the “V.Bellini” Conservatory of Palermo; in June she was a finalist Massimo Urbani International Prize (MC); in July she was a finalist in the Jazz Live Award – Fara Music Festival (RI); of the Conad Jazz Contest and the Baronissi Jazz (SA); in August 2014 he was a finalist at the Barga Jazz Contest; in September he is a finalist in the “Writing in Jazz” (SS); in October, she won the “Lucca Jazz Donna” Award and concurrently the “LJD Ambassador” Award; also in October, she was among the Top 15 Finalists of the “Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition” Newark (NJ, USA); in December, she won the Corrado Maranci Award (Syracuse). In January 2015, he was a finalist in the “Enzo Randisi Prize – Stardust Edition,” with the No Game 5et. In May 2015, she is Third Classified at the “Abbado Prize” – Jazz Section, held in Rome, at the “Santa Cecilia” Conservatory. In July 2015 he won a “Full Tuition” scholarship for the Master’s program at Berklee College of Music in Valencia, as well as the opening concert of Umbria Jazz Winter 2015 in Orvieto. In August 2015 he won the Tony Scott Jazz Award (Campofelice di Roccella – PA). In July 2016 he won the Multiculturita Europe Contest (Capurso, BA). In 2017 he was among the winners of the Siae Prize “Sillumina 2016 ” – New Works Category – Music Section, for the production of the album “Sikania“; also in 2017 he was among the winners, together with pianist Donatello D’Attoma, of the Siae Prize “Sillumina 2016” – National Live Category – Music Section.

National and international festivals

He has participated in numerous national and international festivals, including: Atelier Musicale XX Season (MI), Jazz al Piccolo (MI), Umbria Jazz (Perugia), Rendez Vous De L’Erdre (Nantes), Crema Jazz Art Festival, Suona Italiano (Nice), Modica Jazz Fest (RG), Iseo Jazz (BS), Piazza Jazz (EN), Musica Futura, Django World Music Festival (Malta), Count Basie Jazz Club (Genoa), Piacenza Jazz Club, Biella Jazz Club, Bari in Jazz, etc.

Collaborations

He has collaborated with: Giovanni Mazzarino, Enrico Intra, Max Ionata, Fabrizio Bosso, Riccardo Fioravanti, Monica Mancini, Gregg Field, Seamus Blake, Dino Rubino, Alessandro Paternesi, Gabriele Evangelista, Israel Varela, Alessandro Marzi, Andrea Beneventano, Rosalba Bentivoglio, Chiara Civello, Giuseppe Bassi, Nicola Angelucci, Tony Arco, Marco Vaggi, Aldo Vigorito, Urban Fabula, etc. He carries out ‘ intensive teaching activities as a teacher of jazz and modern singing, choral workshop and ensemble music. He teaches jazz singing, at theHigher Institute of Musical Studies “Arturo Toscanini” in Ribera (AG) and at the “Fausto Torrefranca” Conservatory in Vibo Valentia. He has been teaching a Jazz Singing and Vocal Improvisation Workshop at the prestigious Saint Louis College of Music in Rome since November 2018.