Occhipinti, Roberto
Roberto Occhipinti. Bassist, composer, producer, b Toronto, Ont, 25 Mar 1955; Artist's Diploma (Toronto) 1999. Roberto Occhipinti came from a musical family that includes guitarists Michael (his younger brother) and David (a cousin). At the University of Toronto, beginning in 1972, he studied under Thomas Monohan; he was also mentored by David Young and Joel Quarrington. Occhipinti was a member of the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra (1976-8), Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra (1980-5) and Canadian Opera Company Orchestra (1984-9). In the field of contemporary music, he was principal bassist with the Esprit Orchestra (1986-94) and a member of Arraymusic (1979-2000). One of a small number of musicians who have had successful careers in both classical music and jazz, in 1997 Occhipinti began working with Cuban expatriate jazz pianist Hilario Durán, recording Killer Tumbao (1997), Habana Nocturna (1999), Havana Remembered (2001), New Danzon (2004) and From The Heart (2006). These recordings brought him into contact with saxophonist Jane Bunnett. He toured with her and appeared on three of her recordings: Ritmo and Soul (2000), Alma de Santiago (2001) and Cuban Odyssey (2003). He also performed with his brother's band, NOJO; the Toronto-based sextet, Soul Stew; Gorillaz; and Damon Albarn's Mali Music. His jazz quintet toured extensively in 2006. In addition to performing, Occhipinti has been a producer for artists including Durán, Dafnis Prieto, The Gryphon Trio, Quartetto Gelato and Shurum Burum Jazz Circus, and a music supervisor and orchestra contractor for films and commercials. Recordings Roberto Occhipinti's own recording career began in 2001 with Trinacria, featuring a nonet of Canadian and Cuban musicians performing compositions by Occhipinti, Durán (who performed on piano), Herbie Hancock and Thelonious Monk. The Cusp (2003) featured a 13-piece ensemble and mixed original compositions with his arrangements of songs by Wayne Shorter, Jimi Hendrix and Giacomo Puccini. Yemaya (2006) was even more ambitious, featuring 22 jazz musicians, a string quartet and the Globalis Symphony Orchestra. Awards In 2001, as part of Bunnett's Spirits of Havana, Occhipinti shared in a Juno award for best global album. In 2005 he received a Juno as producer of Durán's New Danzon. He won National Jazz Awards for producer of the year in 2005 and 2006, and acoustic group of the year in 2005. In 2006 he received a SOCAN award for a cartoon series, George Shrinks.
Author
James Hale
Bibliography
Sutherland, Greg. "World of wonders: A profile of Roberto Occhipinti," The Jazz Report, winter 2002 Miller, Mark. "I've always wanted just to play jazz," Globe and Mail, 30 Nov 2005 Wells, Paul. "A stand-up kind of guy," Maclean's, 5 Dec 2005
|
|
|
|
 |
|
| David Thompson was an outsider, struggling to find a foothold in the empire that had consumed his country... |
|
| Pierre Elliott Trudeau, politician, writer, constitutional lawyer, prime minister of Canada 1968-79 and 1980-84 (b at ... |
|
|
| Few countries were affected as severely as Canada by the worldwide Depression of the 1930s. It is estimated that ... |
|
|
| Louis Riel, Métis leader, founder of Manitoba, central figure in the NORTH-WEST REBELLION (b at Red River ... |
|
|
| Few countries were affected as severely as Canada by the worldwide Depression of the 1930s. It is estimated that ... |
|
|
| Evangelical Christian Church, often called the Christian Church (Christian Disciples), is a denomination stemming from ... |
|
|
| The Group of Seven was founded in 1920 as an organization of self-proclaimed modern artists. The original members - ... |
|
|
| Sears Canada Inc, headquartered in Toronto, is a Canadian retailer incorporated in 1952. In 1953 operating under the ... |
|
|
| John Ware, "Nigger John," horseman, rancher (b near Georgetown, SC 1845; d near Brooks, Alta 11 Sept 1905). ... |
|
|
| Land claims are dealt with by a process established by the federal government to enable INDIANS, INUIT and ... |
|
Browse the rich visual resources of The Canadian Encyclopedia through thematic galleries of Canadian Art, History, Nature, People, and Science and Technology.
Illustrations, lively text, animations, sounds and games help make learning about Canadian history, art, geography, architecture and other topics entertaining as well as informative.
The ultimate test of your knowledge of Canada, trivial and otherwise. You can choose from more than 60 dynamic quizzes with visual or text clues. Your scores depend on the speed with which you answer and the number of clues you need. Results are sent to you by email and high scores are posted on the site.
This unique resource includes more than 6000 events from Canadian and world history. It can be searched by era, subject, keyword or date. To find out what happened on your birthday, select the month and day of your birth.
This selection of the 100 "greatest" events in Canadian history was made by editor in chief James H. Marsh to draw attention to events that have left an indelible memory in the minds of later generations.
| THE ENCYCLOPEDIA OF MUSIC IN CANADA |
|
| Octave Chatillon. Violinist, pianist, organist, composer, playwright, b Quebec City 12 Apr 1831, d Nicolet, near Trois-Rivières, Que, 18 Jan 1906. He took his academic studies at the Séminaire de Québec while ... |
|
|
