October 20th, 2015 – The Italian saxophonist Paolo Recchia won first prize at the International Jazz Festival “Johnny Raducanu” held recently in Braila, Romania. Now in its third edition and open to young jazz musicians from all over the world, the competition was created to remember the bass player known as “Mr. Jazz of Romania”, a man who founded the Romanian Jazz School and trained several generations of jazz musicians, who passed away in 2011 at the age of 79. The festival saw the victory of the Fondi-native saxophonist Paolo Recchia, who charmed the jury and the audience with a masterful interpretation of “Central Park West” by John Coltrane and a song of his own composition entitled “Boulevard Victor.” His way of communicating through the saxophone is full of sensitivity, strength and clarity of expression; a balanced and often composed sound, capable of incredible emotional surges. Paolo Recchia is also a skilled composer with strong roots in the early bebop but an eye for a more tangible modernity. He is a complete artist who gains strength from the study of the instrument and the African-American musical culture. These elements make him one of the most interesting artists of the new generation of jazz musicians on the national scene. (Red)
