Saint Louis Wins the 2024/2025 Edition of the SIAE “Per Chi Crea” Call – Live and National/International Promotion with the project “Urban Quartet – Live in European Conservatories.”
Following last year’s success, which saw Napstamind produce their debut album and perform 16 concerts across the United States, Saint Louis has again been awarded the SIAE “Per Chi Crea” grant for the 2024/2025 edition – Live and National/International Promotion category.
The winning project, “Urban Quartet—Live in European Conservatories,” centers around the jazz ensemble Urban Quartet: Gianluca Robustelli on guitar, Giuseppe Sacchi on piano, Vincenzo Quirico on double bass, and Federico Balestra on drums. The group is one of Saint Louis’ most recent productions and released its debut album, “Sofà,” as part of the Jazz Collection series, featuring special guest Max Ionata.
Urban Quartet is an ensemble that blends traditional jazz sounds with contemporary elements, exploring new rhythmic and harmonic dynamics. Their music stands out for the refined interplay between band members and an expressive depth that resonates with both jazz enthusiasts and a broader audience. Their debut album, Sofà, has already received strong critical acclaim for its fresh sound and high-quality performance.
Urban Quartet is composed of four talented musicians, all former students of Saint Louis, where they first met and connected. During their academic journey, they had the opportunity to develop and refine their musical chemistry, which later evolved into a strong artistic collaboration. This partnership has led them to perform at prestigious venues such as the Auditorium Parco della Musica and Casa del Jazz in Rome, the JazzAp Festival in Ascoli, the B-Jazz International in Ghent, Belgium, and the Umbria Jazz Festival, where they won the Audience Jury Award at the Umbria Jazz Contest in 2022.
One of the giants of Italian jazz, Max Ionata, contributed his artistry to the release of their album Sofà.
The project includes a tour of seven concerts held in the auditoriums of seven different European conservatories. Each concert will be preceded by an afternoon masterclass led by the band, focusing on jazz music and the exploration of performance techniques.
These sessions will offer students from the host conservatories a valuable opportunity to engage directly with the band members and take part in a meaningful educational experience, ahead of attending the quartet’s evening performance.
Furthermore, each concert will be recorded to create a new live album, which will be digitally released on all major music distribution platforms and printed in a limited edition of vinyl copies.
