Luca Flores (October 20, 1956 - March 29, 1995) was an Italian pianist and composer. He is considered one of the most interesting exponents of the Italian jazz scene.

Biography

Born in

Palermo Palermo ( , ; scn, Palermu , locally also or ) is a city in southern Italy, the capital (political), capital of both the autonomous area, autonomous region of Sicily and the Metropolitan City of Palermo, the city's surrounding metropolitan ...

, the youngest of four siblings, he moved with his family to

Mozambique Mozambique (), officially the Republic of Mozambique ( pt, Moçambique or , ; ny, Mozambiki; sw, Msumbiji; ts, Muzambhiki), is a country located in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi ...

in 1959. There he began playing piano at the age of 5. When he returned to Italy in 1966, he spent some time in

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

and then in

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...

, before arriving in

Florence Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilancio demografico an ...

in 1972. He studied at the Luigi Cherubini Conservatory of Music where he graduated in piano with honours in 1981. Later on he studied jazz with Roberto Pichini, Marco Vavolo,

Enrico Pieranunzi Enrico Pieranunzi (born 5 December 1949) is an Italian jazz pianist. He combines classical technique with jazz. Biography The son of Renata Brillantini and Alvaro Pieranunzi, Enrico Pieranunzi was encouraged to study music at a young age. Hi ...

and

Franco D'Andrea Francesco "Franco" D'Andrea (born 8 March 1941 in Merano, Italy) is an Italian jazz pianist and composer. Life D'Andrea is considered one of the most famous jazz musicians from Italy and has recorded some 200 albums. He developed his style in ...

. His encounter with

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

took place in the early 1970s: he frequented Florentine clubs such as the Andrea del Sarto, where he met the nascent community of Italian jazz musicians. He made his national debut in the "Tiziana Ghiglioni Sextet" (with Tiziana Ghiglioni, Maurizio Caldura Nuñez, Luca Bonvini, Franco Nesti, Alessandro Fabbri) with which he recorded his first LP, Streams (1984). Together with Gianni Cazzola he formed the "Matt Jazz Quintet" (with Maurizio Caldura Nuñez, Alessandro Di Puccio, Marco Vaggi). With these groups he took part in major Italian festivals. Later he formed the "Luca Flores Trio" (with Lello Pareti and Piero Borri). He collaborated with artists such as

Chet Baker Chesney Henry "Chet" Baker Jr. (December 23, 1929 – May 13, 1988) was an American jazz trumpeter and vocalist. He is known for major innovations in cool jazz that led him to be nicknamed the "Prince of Cool". Baker earned much attention and ...

Massimo Urbani Massimo Urbani (8 May 1957 – 24 June 1993) was an Italian jazz alto saxophonist. He played principally in the bebop style. Life and career Urbani was born in Primavalle, Rome on 8 May 1957, the oldest of five brothers.Bailey, C. Michael (18 ...

Bruno Tommaso Bruno Tommaso (born 1946) is an Italian jazz double-bass player and composer, the cousin of fellow double-bass player Giovanni Tommaso. The first president of the Italian Association of Jazz Musicians and a founding member of the Italian Instabile ...

Lee Konitz Leon Konitz (October 13, 1927 – April 15, 2020) was an American composer and alto saxophonist. He performed successfully in a wide range of jazz styles, including bebop, cool jazz, and avant-garde jazz. Konitz's association with the cool jazz ...

Sal Nistico Sal, SAL, or S.A.L. may refer to: Personal name * Sal (name), a list of people and fictional characters with the given name or nickname Places * Sal, Cape Verde, an island and municipality * Sal, Iran, a village in East Azerbaijan Province * Ca ...

Paolo Fresu Paolo Fresu ( sc, Pàulu; born 10 February 1961) is an Italian jazz trumpet and flugelhorn player, as well as a composer and arranger of music. Career Born in Berchidda, Sardinia, he picked up the trumpet at the age of 11, and played in the ban ...

Gianni Basso Gianni Basso, (24 May 1931 – 17 August 2009), was an Italian jazz tenor saxophonist, who was influenced by Stan Getz. He was born in Asti, Italy. He started his career shortly after World War II, at first as a clarinetist, then switching to t ...

Paolo Damiani Paolo Damiani (born 1952) is an Italian jazz cellist and double-bassist. Performing primarily avant-garde jazz, he has worked with Gianluigi Trovesi, Kenny Wheeler, Tony Oxley, Paolo Fresu, and John Taylor. Damiani has also recorded on the alb ...

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Riccardo Del Fra Riccardo Del Fra (born February 20, 1956, Rome) is an Italian jazz double-bassist, bandleader, composer, and arranger. Del Fra first played guitar, then switched to upright bass when he was sixteen years old. He studied at a conservatory, playe ...

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, Steve Grossman,

Al Grey Al Grey (June 6, 1925 – March 24, 2000) was an American jazz trombonist who was a member of the Count Basie orchestra. He was known for his plunger mute technique and wrote an instructional book in 1987 called ''Plunger Techniques''. Care ...

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Bob Mover Bob Mover (born March 22, 1952) is an alto, tenor and soprano jazz saxophonist and a vocalist. His father was a musician who played professionally including stints with the Charlie Spivak orchestra. He started playing the alto saxophone at age ...

Kenny Wheeler Kenneth Vincent John Wheeler, OC (14 January 1930 – 18 September 2014) was a Canadian composer and trumpet and flugelhorn player, based in the U.K. from the 1950s onwards. Most of his performances were rooted in jazz, but he was also active ...

Dave Holland David “Dave” Holland (born 1 October 1946) is an English jazz double bassist, composer and bandleader who has been performing and recording for five decades. He has lived in the United States for over 40 years. His extensive discography r ...

, David Murray,

Nicola Stilo Nicola Stilo (born 1956 in Italy), is a jazz and pop instrumentalist, specialising in flute and guitar. Stilo began following Chet Baker in 1979, attending his concerts and recording sessions. Baker took him as part of his band for a tour of Italy ...

Enrico Rava Enrico Rava (born 20 August 1939), is an Italian jazz trumpeter. He started on trombone, then changed to the trumpet after hearing Miles Davis. Career He was born in Trieste, Italy. His first commercial work was as a member of Gato Barbieri's ...

Muhal Richard Abrams Muhal Richard Abrams (born Richard Lewis Abrams; September 19, 1930 – October 29, 2017) was an American educator, administrator, composer, arranger, clarinetist, cellist, and jazz pianist in the free jazz medium. He recorded and toured the Uni ...

Tony Scott Anthony David Leighton Scott (21 June 1944 – 19 August 2012) was an English film director and producer. He was known for directing highly successful action and thriller films such as ''Top Gun'' (1986), ''Beverly Hills Cop II'' (1987), ''Day ...

Tullio De Piscopo Tullio De Piscopo (born 24 February 1946 in Naples, Italy) is an Italian drummer, percussionist and singer- songwriter. De Piscopo was born in Naples. His father was an orchestra percussionist. In 1969 he moved to Turin and two years later he move ...

Pietro Tonolo Pietro Tonolo (born 30 May 1959) is an Italian jazz saxophone player and composer. Biography He was born in Mirano, Italy. Pietro Tonolo gave up a career as a classical violinist to become a jazz sax player. Around that time, he moved to Milan, ...

Roberto Gatto Roberto Gatto is an Italian jazz drummer, born October 6, 1958 in Rome. He has performed with Lee Konitz, Chet Baker, Bob Berg, Tommy Flanagan, Joe Zawinul, and Joe Lovano. He has composed film music, is the leader of his own jazz group and a ...

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, Flavio Boltro,

Barbara Casini Barbara Casini (born 1954 in Florence) is an Italian jazz vocalist and guitarist. While studying piano, she was exposed to bossa nova at the age of 15, which had a marked influence on her musical life. After graduating with a degree in psycho ...

. From 1979 to 1987 he taught at the Andrea del Sarto Institute in Florence, resuming his teaching activity in 1993, and participated in workshops in

Siena Siena ( , ; lat, Sena Iulia) is a city in Tuscany, Italy. It is the capital of the province of Siena. The city is historically linked to commercial and banking activities, having been a major banking center until the 13th and 14th centuri ...

as a piano teacher from 1985 to 1987, where he had numerous pupils; among them the renowned pianist Stefano Bollani. In October 1987, the mental illness that would accompany him for the rest of his life exploded, leading him to episodes of self-harm, including the injury of a hand and an ear and the consequent loss of hearing from this. His mental discomfort led him to the extreme choice: on 29 March 1995, 10 days after a last recording session in piano solo at Planet Sound Studios in Florence, he committed suicide in his house in Montevarchi. A biographical film called ''

Piano, Solo ''Piano, solo'' is a 2007 Italian drama film directed by Riccardo Milani. It is based on the book by Walter Veltroni ''Il disco del mondo - Vita breve di Luca Flores, musicista'' and it depicts real life events of jazz pianist and composer Luca ...

'', starring

Kim Rossi Stuart Kim Rossi Stuart (born 31 October 1969) is an Italian actor and director. Early life and career Rossi Stuart was born in Rome. His father, Giacomo Rossi Stuart, Giacomo, was an actor of Italians, Italian and Scottish people, Scottish descent ( ...

as Flores and directed by

Riccardo Milani Riccardo Milani (born 15 April 1958) is an Italian film and television director and screenwriter. Life and career Born in Rome, Milani began his career in 1985, as assistant director of Mario Monicelli in '' Let's Hope It's a Girl''. After b ...

, was released in 2007.

Discography

As leader

* 1986 - ''Sharp Blues'' - Matt Jazz Quintet - Splasc(h) Records – LP H 109.1 • 2003 - CD ''Version'' H 109.2 * 1986 - ''Riddles -'' Bruno Marini - Luca Flores - LMJ 3334; Splasc(h) Records – CD H 0533.2 (2003) Historical Performances (postumo) * 1987 - ''Where Extremes Meet'' - Matt Jazz Quintet & Guests - Splasc(h) Records – LP H 123.1 • 1989 - CD ''Version'' H 123.2 * 1990 - ''Sounds And Shades Of Sound'' - Luca Flores Trio - Splasc(h) Records – CD H 320.2 * 1993 - ''Love For Sale'' - Luca Alex Flores - Splasc(h) Records – CD H 396.2 * 1995 - ''For Those I Never Knew'' (piano solo) - Splasc(h) Records (posthumous) – CD H 439.2 * 2003 - ''Matt Jazz Quintet Live : Trescore Cremasco (1984) & Siena (1985)'' ''-'' Splasc(h) Records – CD HP 517.2/518.2 Historical Performances (posthumous) * 2005 - ''Luca Flores suona la musica di Fabio Turchetti'' (registrato 1985) - Incontronotte Records (posthumous) * 2007 - ''Concerto registrato a Firenze, 4/11/1994'' - combined with the soundtrack CD of the film ''Piano, Solo'' - Sony-BMG (posthumous) * 2019 - ''INNOCENCE -'' Luca Flores: 16 tracce inedite registrate tra Giugno 1994 e Marzo 1995 - AUAND piano series AU3019-20 doppio CD (posthumous)

As sideman

* 1985 - ''Streams -'' Tiziana Ghiglioni sextet - Splasc(h) Records – LP H 104.1 • 1989 - CD ''Version'' H 104.2 * 1986 - ''Barga Jazz Live'', Barga Jazz Festival - PIRAS Edizioni Musicali * 1987 - ''Easy To Love'', Massimo Urbani quartet - Red Records * 1987 - ''Dreams -'' Giko Pavan Group - Splasc(h) Records - LP H 128.1 • 2003 - CD ''Version'' H 128.2 * 1987 - ''A Night At The Sha-li-mar'', Chet Baker quartet - PHILOLOGY * 1987 - ''Barga Jazz 1987, Live -'' Barga Jazz Festival - Splasc(h) Records – LP HP 006.1 Historical Performances * 1988 - ''Chet Baker's Last Recording as Quartet'', Chet Baker quartet - Timeless * 1989 - ''Coriandoli -'' Tiziana Simona e Riccardo Bianchi with Luca Flores, Tino Tracanna, Ettore Fioravanti - Guest: Jean Jacques Avenel - Splasc(h) Records – LP H 167.1 * 1995 - ''Body And Not Soul,'' Roberta Pierazzini quartet - SAM jazz * 1995 - ''Errata Corrige'', Nicola Stilo - Including 2 tracks recorded with Chet Baker, Aprile 1987 - Splasc(h) Records – CD H 440.2 (posthumous) * 2002 - ''LIVE at the SUPINO JAZZ FESTIVAL 1987,'' Massimo Urbani Quartet - PHILOLOGY (posthumous)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Flores, Luca Italian jazz pianists 20th-century Italian composers Musicians from Palermo 1956 births 1995 deaths