BIOGRAPHY

Tony Cattano (1979)
Trombonist and Composer

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Tony was born in Augusta, Sicily, and is currently

resident in Livorno.

He began studying the violin aged 7, switching to trombone a few years later. In 2000, he graduated from the V.Bellini music institute in Catania. Interested in jazz from an early age, Tony attended various seminars led by artists of international fame such as Giorgio Gaslini, Paolo Fresu, Tony Oxley and Franco D’Andrea.

In1999, he attended the Siena Jazz summer school, and won a scholarship to attend the following year. During the same year he became part of the Mediterranean Jazz Orchestra, a big band from Catania, in which he played alongside and was directed by Gianni Basso, George Gruntz, Bob Mintzer, Maria Schneider and Flavio Boltro. 

In the summer of 2000 Tony returned to Siena Jazz and won a further scholarship to represent Siena Jazz, and Italy, at the12th International Meeting of I.A.S.J (International Associations of Schools of Jazz) at the Berklee College of Music in Boston in 2001. Following this, he played with the Roy Paci & Aretuska group for three years, touring and playing at high-profile festivals in Italy and abroad.
Between 2002 and 2003 he played and recorded with various groups of light and alternative music.

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Collaborations include:

Qbeta, Nello Toscano’s Walkway, the Antonio Moncada quintet, Francesco Cusa’s Skrunch, Stefano Maltese’s As Sikilli ensemble, Reevoluto, Alvaro Wilson, Paolo Sorge’s Trinkle trio, Altomaria, the Cattano Bros, Massimo Nunzi Jazz Orchestra, Roberto Spadoni Six, Silvia Bolognesi’s Living Quartet, Paolo Sorge and the Jazz Waiters, Four in Monk, Marco Colonna’s La Rivoluzione dal Basso (Bass Revolution), Stefano Tesei’s Test Quintet, Bobo Rondelli, Federico Marchesano’s The Inner Room, Pasquale Innarella’s Jazz Quintet, Mario Raja Big Bang, 
the Slide Family featuring Gary Valente, Far Fly Music Community, Colours Jazz Orchestra, Nada, Curva Minore Sicilian Music Crew, Giovanni Guidi’s The Zippy Code.

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Tony has played with:

George Gruntz, Bob Mintzer, Maria Schneider, Kenny Wheeler, Tony Scott, Gianluca Petrella, Gary Valente, 
Franco Ambrosetti, Eddie Henderson, Don Byron, Paul Jeffrey, John Tchicai, Keith Tippett, Tiziana Ghiglioni, 
Marcello Rosa, David Liebman, Lawrence Butch Morris, Marco Tamburini, Giancarlo Schiaffini, Rob Mazurek, Eugenio Colombo, Pietro Tonolo, Francesco Cafiso, Giovanni Guidi, Dan Kinzelman, Mauro Ottolini, Cristina Zavalloni, Ettore Fioravanti, Roberto Bellatalla and others. 

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Festivals:

“Jazzestate ’99” Catania, “Sanremo immagine jazz” Sanremo ’99, “Catania jazz” 2000, “Labirinti sonori” Siracusa jazz festival ’00 e ‘01, “Biancavilla jazz” Biancavilla(CT) ‘00, “Notti jazz al castello” Acicastello(CT) ’01, “Adrano jazz” Adrano(CT) ’01-‘05, “Dalle nuove musiche al suono mondiale” Torino ’02, “Villa Celimontana jazz” Roma, ’04-’08-’09-’10, “Duke’s festival” Città ducale(Rieti) ’04, “Terni in jazz” Terni ’04-‘05, “Chieti in jazz” Chieti ’05-‘06,
“Jazz koinè” Pordenone ’05, “Jazz no jazz” Zurigo ’05, “Curva minore” Palermo ’04-’05-’09, “Young jazz in town” Foligno ’05, “Grinzane festival” Cavour(TO) ’05, “Extramoenia” Noto(SR) ’05, “Festival Keltica” Cerkno(Slovenia) ’05, “Around sound festival” Roma ’07, 
“Musica sulle bocche” Santa Teresa di Gallura(SS) ’07, “An insolent noise festival” Pisa ’07, “Il moro jazz” Lentini(SR) ’08-’09, “Crossroads” ’08, “Ciriè jazz” Ciriè(TO) ’08, “Rivarolo guitar festival” Rivarolo(TO) ’08, “Vittoria jazz festival” Vittoria(RG) ’08, “Perinaldo Festival” Perinaldo(Imperia) ’08, “Lagarina jazz festival” Trento ’08, “Saalfelden jazz festival” Saalfelden (Austria) ’08, “Sonata island festival” Trento ’08, “Musica & musica” Roma ’09, “Cose” Roma ’09-’10, “Pomigliano jazz festival” Pomigliano(NA) ’09, 
“Festival internazionale jazz Sergio Amato” Canicattini bagni(SR) ’09, “Serravalle jazz” Serravalle(Pistoia) ’09, “Catanzaro jazz fest” Catanzaro ’09, “Summertime” Casa del jazz,Roma ’10, “Jazz on the road” Brescia ’10, “Ad occhi chiusi” Pitigliano(GR) ’10, “Ai confini tra sardegna e jazz” Sant’Anna Arresi(CA) ’10 Ecc...

He has recorded various works as leader and co-leader:

"Cattano Bros" by the Cattano Bros, (TRP, 2005),
"La gatta nel sacco" by the Test Quintet (Labirinti Sonori, 2008), "Vocione" by Vocione (Monk Records, 2010),
"Saragolla" by the Test Quintet (Musica delle Sfere, 2011),
"Sweet Dreams,Baby" by Baap! (Monk Records, 2011),
"Amazing Recordings" Collettivo by Franco Ferguson (P.P, 2011), "Live at Moro Jazz Festival" John Tchicai&Franco Ferguson Orchestra (2011), "L'Uomo Poco Distante" by the Tony Cattano Octet (Fonterossa Records, 2015),
"Le Armi di Ares" by Vocione (Aut Records, 2016),
"Naca" Tony Cattano "Naca" quartet (Aut Records, 2016),

"Left Hand Theory" Vocione (Aut Records, 2020).
 
He was a founding member of the Franco Ferguson musical collective, a group active in improvisational research involved in performance and recording, incorporating musicians from all over Italy. 

Tony regularly works with various nationally active jazz groups such as Silvia Bolognesi’s “Open Combo”, 
“L'Orchestrino”, "La Fabbrica dei Botti" Paolo Botti etc.

He directs the duo “Vocione” with the singer Marta Raviglia, and the Naca Quartet with Emanuele Parrini on violin, Matteo Anelli on bass and Andrea Melani on drums.

He teaches Jazz at the F.E. Dall’Abaco Conservatory in Verona, and at Siena Jazz University in Siena.