Saturday 13 April at 9.00 pm FABBRICA GRASSI
WAIKIKI CONTEMPORARY QUARTET
Percussion Orchestra
DAVID MERLINO
ALESSANDRO DELL'AGLIO
ANDREA COCCO
DAVIDE BROGGINI
The quartet was formed in 2016 within the larger ensemble of the Waikiki Orchestra (a unique reality in Italy, active since 1998, imagined and directed by Davide Merlino), after several attempts we arrived at today's formation, with an idea very clear: to propose the repertoire of historical minimalism, supported by the literature of the third millennium. The set brought to the stage includes 2 marimbas, 2 vibraphones, drums and electronics, plus a series of small percussion instruments. The quartet commissioned several composers to create songs with this set, so as to be able to offer a concert with only original songs in the setlist.
Davide Merlino, Alessandro dell'Aglio, Davide Broggini and Andrea Cocco are the names of the four members, all graduates of the Conservatory in percussion instruments or jazz drums, and with subsequent studies in composition, jazz music, teaching of the instrument. His music is broadcast by RadioTre RAI and the live performance is taken to some prestigious national festivals, including Tones on the stones, Le altre note festival Poliritmica Festival di percussioni, Verbania musica, and to many theaters and auditoriums in the area including the Teatro Maggiore and the Silvio Pellico Theatre.
Davide MERLINO graduated in 2007 in Percussion Instruments at the Cantelli Conservatory of Novara, followed by the masters Gianni Arfacchia and Luca Gusella with whom he also studied jazz improvisation.
Subsequently he specialized in solo and chamber repertoire for percussion under the guidance of Maestros Matteo Moretti and David Searcy and in teaching of the instrument, again at the Cantelli Conservatory. He then follows the Advanced Course in Jazz Music studying with Maestro Ramberto Ciammarughi at the Civica Scuola Brera in Novara. In 2010 he won the PercFest International Percussion Competition with the mention "creative percussionist", and since that date he has always been included by Jazzit awards among the top ten most important jazz vibraphonists in Italy. Numerous finals in other competitions.
Percussionist, vibraphonist, composer, he has the fortune of working alongside great jazz musicians live and in the recording studio, including: David Friedman, Sabir Mateen (Sun Ra), Ramberto Ciammarughi, Tony Arco, Andrea Dulbecco, Luca Gusella, Dudù Kouate ( Art Ensemble of Chicago), Tino Tracanna, Israel Varela (Pat Metheny), Gino Robair (Tom Waits), Patrizio Fariselli (AREA), Gilson Silveira, Michele Rabbia, Ingar Zach and many others.
In the classical field he collaborates with the Ensemble de I percussionisti della Scala, Orchestra i Cameristi del Teatro alla Scala di Milano, Ney Rosauro, the ensemble de i Virtuosi Italiani, Orchestra dei Pomeriggi Musicali, Milano Classica, Marco Decimo. In the electronic field with Crookers, Boosta (Subsonica), Bienoise, Bjorn Torske (Royksopp), Lorenzo Senni.
He plays on stages throughout Europe and records almost 50 albums, some in prestigious studios such as Sundlaugin in Iceland with the production of Jòn “Biggi” Birgisson (former producer of Sigur Ros) or Stefano Amerio's ArteSuono (ECM sound engineer) in Udine , later released by various labels (ABeat, 12lune, Setola di pork, FFR). His compositions are repeatedly broadcast by the national radio stations RAI, and he is invited to play live on various RadioTre RAI broadcasts including Battiti and Piazza Verdi. From 2010 to 2015 he wrote a monthly column on Drumset Mag, entitled Unhortodox behaviour.
In 2021 his first collection of vibraphone songs "Naturali harmonie" and the CD of the same name were released, a work already appreciated by music critics and broadcast on national broadcasters.
Artistic director since 2015 of Poliritmica Festival di Percussioni in Verbania, founder of the improvised music label Floating Forest Rec, creates and directs the Waikiki Percussion Orchestra. As a teacher he teaches percussion at secondary schools with a musical focus, collaborates with the Conservatory's Teaching Department as an expert trainer and with some universities.