The Power of Three

In 2020 Tommaso released the album 'The Power of Three'. Over the years he has enjoyed trying to explore the sound of a band by combining different instruments and in this specific case he also wanted to collaborate with musicians who's playing he admired: Laurence Cottle on Electric bass and Jim Watson on piano. The recording took place at Chapel Arts Gallery, Cheltenham. The large space in the Art Gallery offers a big and resonant sound to the three instruments and a more natural and 'A Cappella' style. As opposed to his previous projects, Starace decided he wanted to create a 'Live' recording session that worked as a jam session by performing some of his favourite Jazz standards and tunes that he enjoyed playing across the last years in concerts. On this album you can hear music written by Charlie Parker, Sam Jones, Bobby Timmons, Chick Corea, Michel Petrucciani but also by composers such as Ennio Morricone, Stevie Wonder, Pino Daniele and there's also an original tune dedicated to his niece Nina.

Narrow Escape - Harmony Less Quartet

The year 2018 is a productive year for Tommaso as he releases two CD's as a band leader:'Harmony-Less Quartet' and 'Eleuthera All That Jazz Quintet'. With 'Harmony-Less Quartet' Tommaso features in this project one of Britain’s best Tenor saxophonists, Dave O’Higgins and two of Italy's most in demand rhythm section musicians Davide Liberti on bass and Ruben Bellavia on drums. The Quartet gets its title from the absence of a harmonic instrument such as the guitar or piano: the absence of these gives the opportunity to both horns to improvise with more harmonic freedom as if they are in a Trio context when each left to solo. The melodies in the horns ( alto and tenor) are harmonised to give more character to the compositions. Strong melodic and rhythmic written lines contained in the compositions are provided to Liberti's and Bellavia's virtuoso playing. Tommaso adds to his repertoire 5 new original tunes and revisits some of the great jazz standards of the past such as Trinkle-Tinkle ( T. Monk), Bebop ( D. Gillespie), Grand Central (J. Coltrane).

Eleuthera All That Jazz

“Eleuthera All That Jazz” is an annual jazz festival held on the island of Eleuthera on the Atlantic edge of the Bahamas archipelago. It’s a fairly new festival, having been founded in 2013 by its chairwoman Patricia Oakes Leigh-Wood to help raise funds for the island’s historic Haynes Library. In 2017 Tommaso was lucky to be invited to perform at the festival with jazz pianist Massimo Colombo. As the week long festival turned out to be so successful Tommaso and Massimo were invited back to the festival across the following years and Tommaso acted as musical director in 2018 and 2019. In 2018 Tommaso decided to record a CD with the musicians he had collaborated with during the festival which made up the “Eleuthera All That Jazz” Quintet including Massimo Colombo on Fender Rhodes and three gifted Bahamian local jazz musicians from the island of Nassau: Lamont Gibson on trumpet, Adrian D'Aguilar on bass and Kevin Dean on drums. The music recorded on the album reflects the uplifting spirit of the Festival and the amazing natural surroundings made of pink sandy beaches overlooking clear turquoise waters. There are six originals most of them written with a Latin feel and some in a blues and swing style.

From a Distant Past

The key to this CD with its blend of traditional flavour and modern taste is in the melody. In From a Distant Past the soprano narrates tales of sonorous landscapes, while the piano leaps from peak to peak through the history of jazz, reaching the high points of an evolution that is transformed into art.

Italian Short Stories

This is my second 'jazz-photographic' project dedicated to the iconic images of Gianni Berengo Gardin considered the Italian 'Cartier-Bresson'.

I wanted this new CD to be rich of cinematic motifs inspiring myself from the likes of composers such as Ennio Morricone and singer song writer Fabio Concato feeling the need to work with my quartet on compositions with strong melodies, in tune with the elements that make Italian music so famous throughout the world.

Simply Marvellous (Celebrating the Music of Michel Petrucciani)

This recording is the result of the admiration the Italian quartet shares for Michel Petrucciani.

The French pianist was a music sensation at an early age. Petrucciani was classically trained but his love for Duke Ellington and the jazz tradition quickly took over, making him one of the most talented young jazz pianists of his generation.

Petrucciani's career took off when he decided to move to the United States and he started playing with saxophonist Charles Lloyd.

Blood & Champagne

This is my latest release with a newly formed UK Quartet featuring Frank Harrison on piano, Laurence Cottle on electric bass and Chris Nickolls on drums. In this new recording I decided to include four new original compositions, two of which were directly inspired by a couple of books I have recently read: 'Il Tunnel della Liberta' and 'Blood & Champagne'.

Don't Forget

This CD marks the start of, I do hope, a fruitful and long lasting collaboration with Attilio, Tommy and Michele and this newly formed Italian Quartet. It's also the first time I have the pleasure to record under the label of 'Edizioni Musicali Brocca' run by Alessio Brocca a man who through his generousity and astute sense of business has managed to produce and make known to the public many recordings from up and coming and more established Italian jazz artists.

Tommaso Starace Plays the Photos of Elliot Erwitt

'Tommaso Starace Plays the Photos of Elliott Erwitt' is an album inspired by the photos of the great Magnum photographer Elliott Erwitt. My passion for movies and soundtracks and the magic relationship between them motivated me to compose jazz music to black and white photography.

Tommaso Starace Quartet + Special Guests

'Tommaso Starace Quartet + Special Guests' is my first recording produced in 2002.