Guiseppe Cucchiara, an upright bassist and composer, shares his musical journey with CiaoDC and the talented musicians that make up his Quintet performing at Blues Alley tonite (June 2) for the Italian Jazz Series. Hosted by Blues Alley and The Italian Cultural Institute (ICS) in honor of Festa Della Repubblica (Italy’s Independence Day.) Born and raised in Villa Rosa near Caltanissetta, Sicily. Giuseppe is now based in New York City. Listen to podcast in post!
“When I went to Sicily with my family we were hosted by the Mayor of Caltinessetta, Sicily (the town where Giuseppe was born.) It was beautiful. And that’s where I discovered Penne alla Norma - Sicily’s traditional dish.” - Alyssa Ciccone, Host, CiaoDC
Giuseppe Cucchiara grew up with jazz vinyls and musical genres. His father, a classical upright bass player, invited him to approach various instruments during his childhood. At 16, Giuseppe picked up the bass and has not let is go since! He toured with Italian jazz drummer Stefano Bagnoli, and recorded four albums with Italian jazz record companies, namely Ultrasound Records, Abeat Records and Jazzit Records
Giuseppe recorded his first album, “Cookin’ Hot,” featuring the Stefano Bagnoli on drums and Dado Moroni on piano. The album led Giuseppe to earn a spot in the Italian Jazz Dictionary edited by Feltrinelli. In the same year, he proudly earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Music Performance at Berklee then settled in New York City.
“There’s a lot of great talent over there (in Italia) and they (jazz musicians) have come to the states…because there are not a lot of places to play in Italy.”
- Giuseppe Cucchiara
Harry Schnipper of Blues Alley in collaborating with ICS has celebrated Italian Jazz artists for a decade now and we’re thrilled to have access to these great artists here in our Nation’s Capital! Listen to podcast in post!
Check out Guiseppe Cucchiara live tonite (June 2) at Blues Alley, 7 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. Win tickets at promotions@ciaodc.com or text 202-368-7379 to enter to win!
