Maria Pia De Vito
Encyclopedia
Maria Pia De Vito is an Italian jazz singer, composer, and arranger. Born 1960 in Naples
, she studied opera, contemporary singing, music theory and harmony and started her musical career in 1976 as a singer and guitarist (and, later, as a pianist) in groups ethno-oriented, specialising in music from the Mediterranean and the Balkans.
Since the 1980s she has been active on the jazz scene as a singer, performing and collaborating with, among others, Kenny Wheeler
, Ralph Towner
, Joe Zawinul
, Michael Brecker
, Steve Turre
, and the Art Ensemble of Chicago
.
Between 1994 and 1997 she worked together with pianist Rita Marcotulli on the project Nauplia, in which she combined the music of her home town, Naples, with improvisational elements of jazz.
She has often worked with the British composer Colin Towns
and with pianist John Taylor
. She was a leading player in projects such as The Ugly Duckling with music by Giorgio Gaslini
.
Naples
Naples is a city in Southern Italy, situated on the country's west coast by the Gulf of Naples. Lying between two notable volcanic regions, Mount Vesuvius and the Phlegraean Fields, it is the capital of the region of Campania and of the province of Naples...
, she studied opera, contemporary singing, music theory and harmony and started her musical career in 1976 as a singer and guitarist (and, later, as a pianist) in groups ethno-oriented, specialising in music from the Mediterranean and the Balkans.
Since the 1980s she has been active on the jazz scene as a singer, performing and collaborating with, among others, Kenny Wheeler
Kenny Wheeler
Kenneth Vincent John Wheeler, OC is a Canadian composer and trumpet and flugelhorn player, based in the U.K. since the 1950s....
, Ralph Towner
Ralph Towner
Ralph Towner is an American multi-instrumentalist, composer, arranger and bandleader. He plays the twelve-string guitar, classical guitar, piano, synthesizer, percussion and trumpet.-Biography:...
, Joe Zawinul
Joe Zawinul
Josef Erich Zawinul was an Austrian-American jazz keyboardist and composer.First coming to prominence with saxophonist Cannonball Adderley, Zawinul went on to play with trumpeter Miles Davis, and to become one of the creators of jazz fusion, an innovative musical genre that combined jazz with...
, Michael Brecker
Michael Brecker
Michael Leonard Brecker was an American jazz saxophonist and composer. Acknowledged as "a quiet, gentle musician widely regarded as the most influential tenor saxophonist since John Coltrane," he has been awarded 15 Grammy Awards as both performer and composer and was inducted into Down Beat Jazz...
, Steve Turre
Steve Turre
Steve Turre is a trombonist, recording artist, arranger, and educator. In 1998, 1999, 2001, 2002 and 2006 he won the Down Beat Reader's Poll for best trombonist....
, and the Art Ensemble of Chicago
Art Ensemble of Chicago
The Art Ensemble of Chicago is an avant-garde jazz ensemble that grew out of Chicago's AACM in the late 1960s. The group continues to tour and record through 2006, despite the deaths of two of the founding members....
.
Between 1994 and 1997 she worked together with pianist Rita Marcotulli on the project Nauplia, in which she combined the music of her home town, Naples, with improvisational elements of jazz.
She has often worked with the British composer Colin Towns
Colin Towns
Colin Towns is an English composer, born 13 May 1948 in London, specialising in soundtracks for film, television and commercials. Learning piano as a child, by the age of 13 he was earning money playing at weddings and birthdays in his neighbourhood of the East End of London...
and with pianist John Taylor
John Taylor (jazz)
John Taylor is a British jazz pianist; he has occasionally performed on the organ and the synthesiser. He is one of Europe's most celebrated jazz pianists and composers.-Performing career:...
. She was a leading player in projects such as The Ugly Duckling with music by Giorgio Gaslini
Giorgio Gaslini
Giorgio Gaslini is an Italian jazz pianist and composer.He began performing at 13 and recorded with his jazz trio at 16. In the 1950s and 1960s Gaslini performed with his own quartet...
.