Fabrizio Mandolini is a saxophonist and composer. His music is a happy mixture of articulated lyric poetry and northern European sounds. The Italian musician lived in Copenhagen, Denmark a long time. Because of his experience as a foreign musician in Scandinavia Fabrizio Mandolini transformed his own language and his music further on.

After 10 years of activity as a session musician (studio works and television) where he worked with the most known Italian artists (like Luca Carboni, Alex Britti and many others)
Fabrizio moved to Los Angeles, played in clubs and learned to become a sound engineer at the “Recording Institute Of Technology” (R.I.T) in the section “Musicians Institute in Hollywood”.

Today he is equally working in Denmark, Sweden and Italy. In Denmark he plays with the following musicians: Aske Acobi (DK), Bo Stief (DK), Paolo Russo (ITA), Hawk (DK), Debbie Cameron (USA), Horace Parlan (USA), Klavs Hovman (DK), Ian Bellamy (UK), Andrea Marcelli (USA/ITA), Jarkko Hakala (FIN), Robert Erlandsson (SWE), Monique (DK), Kristian Fredmark (SWE), Bjarne RoupÈ (SWE), Arild Andersen (NOR), Palle Danielsson (SWE), Engqvist Orkester (DK), Poul Reimann (DK).

He has just published his first project as bandleader La spiga (Dodicilune E212),
which in Italian means ear of corn. His music could be described as a successful encounter between his own personal lyricism and the Nordic tone. This Record attempts to create a Cultural Bridge between Italian lyricism and the Scandinavian sense of space.

More of the latest album and band concept of SPEAKIN’ 4:
More and more a generation of musicians establish another view out of the pre-defined market law, even because of the structures inside the business. These musicians put their music in a different position to recall a wider spectrum of expression and to get more attention on the composition itself. Above that they try to find more nuances in their play. No more regular structures with super elaborated soli, with crazy tempi and a bunch of standard repertoire, only to show, that they did not forget the tradition. It is more important to absorb the stimulus of the environment to create fresh and original sound material to transform it.

This is surely done in the band concept of SPEAKIN’ 4, the debut album of the equal named quartet. The group does not have a band leader, each band member brings in their personal ideas and sound. The listener wanders through various sound rooms: from the sweet melody of “Vedendoti crescere” over Nino Rota inspired tunes to the urban and neurotic rhythm of “Chi è il killer?”.

At the same time there is common sense, which works as a binder and gives the music a general style. The sound is like understatement, pastel tones are preferred here but also fat strokes of a brush come to action, if it is necessary. The guitar of De Frederics has refinement and harmonic elegance but could also sound as in smart scratches you can hear in the opener “Speakin’ Suite”.