French jazz fans can say thank you to Silvio Berlusconi! It is thanks to his appetite for unparalleled power and his contempt for culture that we have inherited a whole generation of Italian jazzmen who went into exile to Paris in the 90's.

Pianist Giovanni Mirabassi, born in Perugia in 1970, is undoubtedly one of the most singular among them, a hiker attracted to sinuous paths rather than straight-lined ones.

In 2001, the French public succumbs to the discreet charm of his solo album, Avanti!
Some would have chosen themes of improvisation among jazz standards; he preferred to reveal the hidden melancholy of fifteen hymns to freedom and committed songs from all countries. 

The CD is a staggering success in France and abroad.

At 31, he signs his declaration of independence in a very ambitious way. Being the son of a religious lawyer who wanted his offspring to become a lawyer too, he decides to turn his back to his previous life, also leaving behind an older brother -  a jazz clarinetist - reluctant to share his place in the sun and the hazards of the journey of a determined self-taught musician. "I had the urgent need to continue my dialogue with music, which started at the age of two playing on the family piano. At the time, it was the only one who answered me when I spoke to him. I could not have been anything but a pianist."
At 7, he can play all the preludes of Bach's Well-Tempered Clavier, then discovers jazz at the Perugia Festival, spends all his pocket money on Monk, Miles and Blakey’s records and intuitively forges his style. He becomes impregnated with Enrico Pieranunzi's delicate harmonies, Bill Evans' aristocratic phrasing and the collective rhythmic fury of Mingus.

Yet, even if one night he shares the stage with Chet Baker, experiences the thrill of an Italian tour with Steve Grossmann and wins piano competitions, Giovanni Mirabassi can’t believe in his lucky star.

He definitely finds his place in Paris in 1992. There, he mingles with the Italian diaspora: Paolo Fresu, Flavio Boltro, Stefano di Battista and especially their prestigious elder leader, Aldo Romano delighted to collect these birds fallen from the nest. There, too, he accidentally meets one of the last giants of classical piano, Aldo Ciccolini, who takes him under his wing and gives him some valuable piano lessons. There again, he bumps into Louis Moutin and Daniele Mencarelli with whom he records a first very personal Cd, Architectures (1998). Finally, he achieves glory with Avanti.
But instead of following this lead, Giovanni Mirabassi opts for a more personal path. Strongly committed to his political ideas, it is out of the question for him to do commercial jazz. He decides to change course rather than make an aesthetic road trip.

From there on, the notions of autonomy and sharing are his key drivers and the people he meets  guide him artistically. In 2003, he writes aerial compositions for an unusual piano / trombone / bugle team with his music partners Glenn Ferris and Flavio Boltro ("Air", best record of the year by Jazz Academy), then from 2008 to 2012, he forms a regular trio with bassist Gianluca Renzi and American drummer Leon Parker for three luminous albums where he returns to the jazz master formation without departing from the melancholic poetry and relentless swing which characterize his music ("Terra Furiosa", "Out of Track" and "Live at Blue Note, Tokyo").

Constantly looking for new sounds, he does not hesitate to mobilize a string orchestra to enhance his new compositions and elevate his new trio composed of Gianluca Renzi and Cuban drummer Lukmil Perez Herrera (VIVA V.E.R.D.I - 2009). He also invites American vibraphonist Stefon Harris for enchanting quartet dialogues (No Way Out - 2015). All these projects make him a pianist-composer always in search of freedom and insolence but at the same time faithful to the tradition of inventive jazz and a spirit of protest. A balance always welcomed by his audience but not always by his reviewers ...

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As Cinema has always been an important part of his life, Giovanni’s work cannot be separated from it.
After a few experiences, he starts composing for Emmanuel Mouret’s movies (Caprice -2015, Mademoiselle de Joncquières -2018, Les choses qu’on dit les choses qu’on fait -2020), then for Stephane Freiss’s Face à toi in 2021, and Gérome Barry’s Swing Rendez-vous in 2022. His last audiovisual composition is for Les Siffleurs (Nathalie Marchak), a televised series due for release shortly. 

 

There is also his passion for voice and songs, so recognizable in his right- hand piano playing. A passion that is expressed through projects in solo piano albums like Cantopiano in 2006, improvisations on a program of French songs by Nougaro, Agnès Bihl, Lama, Gainsbourg, Jeanne Cherhal, etc ... or Adelante! in 2011 recorded in Havana, which is like an echo to Avanti ! and elevates latinos-americans songs.
Brilliant accompanist, he emphasised the expressive force of singers such as Serge Lama or Charles Aznavour. 

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His passion is also found in his piano / voice Cds, which combine the power of the texts and the jazzman’s sensitivity: a tribute to Léo Ferré with Nicolas Reggiani (Léo en toute liberté 2004),a tribute to unloved authors like Allain Leprest, Daniel Darc or Philippe Léotard with Cyril Mokaiesh (Naufragés 2015). 

He stands up for the maltreated, daily life resistant- fighters and strong-willed people... 

 

He then discovered the French jazz singer and composer Sarah Lancman, took her under his wing and decided to produce her.
In 2017 they co-created the discographic label Jazz Eleven. 

The aim of this project founded by and for the artists is simple:
producing their own albums, editing vinyls, reediting ancient records, highlighting new talents, organising concerts in France and abroad. 

In short: to be free, independent, and to spotlight sentient and authentic projects. 

French double bassist Thomas Bramerie’s debut album is one of the first produced by the label.
For the occasion, he is surrounded by jazz greats whom international reputation goes without saying: 

the pianists Eric Legnini and Jacky Terrasson or the trumpet player Stephane Belmondo play side by side with the best of jazz new generation such as drummer Elie Martin-Charrière or pianist Carl-Henri Morisset.
To make different generations meet and dialogue for the best, here is Jazz Eleven’s trade mark.
The label produce both established artists such as Japanese trumpet player Toku and emerging artists like French singer Pamina Béroff. 

 

In the meantime Giovanni has shared the stage or the studio with many jazz Greats: Michel Portal, Henri Texier, André Ceccarelli, Marc Berthoumieux, Eliot Zigmund, Stefan Harris, Leon Parker, Alex Sitiagin, Gene Jackson, Jesse Davis, Rosario Giuliani or Christos Rafalidès to name just a few… ! 

In addition to his appearance on these projects, his inspiration leads him to solo or trio creations, always surprising by their originality.
Among those are, for example, the album Summer’s Gone recorded with his loyal team (Gianluca Renzi & Lukmil Perez) in 2018 or the amazing Mitaka Calling (2019), an album celebrating Miyazaki’s film composer: Joe Hisaishi. This project will lead to a collaboration with Hayao Miyazaki, who appears to be a Giovanni’s music listener. He will draw the album cover himself. 

 

Recently honoured by the French government with the Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres order, Giovanni continues to create: his last project [PENSIERI ISOLATI], recorded during the first lockdown, is a piano solo album released in 2021.
It is an invitation to self-reflection and poetry. This project creates bonds through social medias by inviting the listeners to share their isolated thoughts in any forms. This leads to a collective creation, a complete work of art, a laboratory for poetic exploration. 

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He will soon release a new album called The Swan And The Storm with a new quartet composed by Lukmil Perez on drums, Clément Daldosso on double bass and a special guest: Guillaume Perret on saxophone.