Michele Pazzini ‘Stick to Sticks’ project is an ode to the music composed by drummers. Many drummers have also worked as bandleaders in addition to their sideman careers and have released their own compositions. This music is rarely performed and is therefore relatively unknown in the jazz world. The compositions are versatile because they are melodic, dynamic, rhythmically complex, groovy and interesting for a wide audience.
As a drummer and composer, Michele has been researching the music of drummers in recent years. This has created the desire to make this music accessible to a wide audience. Especially for this project, Michele has arranged compositions for a guitar trio. They perform compositions by drummers such as Jeff “Tain” Watts, Victor Lewis, Ralph Peterson, Paul Motian, Tony Williams and others.
The Michele Pazzini Quartet is born from the collaboration of four young and talented musicians who studied at the Royal Conservatoire of The Hague. The group has been collaborating since November 2018. The quartet has played in several venues and festivals in The Hague and its surroundings ever since.
Besides drumming, Michele has always had a strong interest in composing. The goal of this project is to play his original music written especially for this ensemble. The quartet is formed by Luka van de Pol on alto saxophone, Federica Lorusso on piano, Simon Kalker on double bass and Michele Pazzini on the drums.
Michele’s intent was to unite these four people based on their style, approach to the instrument and musical background. Their personalities and music influences, mixed together in this quartet, created an original sound. His music is considered as modern jazz and consists often of memorable melodies with a strong approach to swing and grove. The compositions are written using a melodic approach. However, since Michele is working on a research for his master studies about composing from the drum set, some of his compositions are getting more complex in terms of form, rhythm, harmony and melody.
The most important influences for Michele’s music are coming from hard/post bop and modern jazz, like artists as: Kenny Garrett, John Coltrane, Michael Brecker, Branford Marsalis, Jeff “Tain” Watts, Christian McBride, Nate Smith, Joshua Redman, Brian Blade and many many others.
Michele Pazzini - Drummer, Composer and Teacher 