Introduction
Andrea Centazzo (born 1948 in Udine) is an Italian-born percussionist, composer, and record label founder.
Music career
Centazzo was born in Udine, Italy and became a naturalized American citizen in 1999. Since 1992, he has lived and worked in Los Angeles. He has written over 300 compositions, ranging from opera and symphony to solo works. He has a doctorate in musicology and written several books on the subject. Early in his career he played avant-garde jazz with John Zorn, Steve Lacy, and Don Cherry. He has also performed and recorded with Albert Mangelsdorff, Alvin Curran, Anthony Coleman, Evan Parker, Fred Frith, Gianluigi Trovesi, Henry Kaiser, Sylvano Bussotti, Teo Jöergesmann, Tom Cora, and Toshinori Kondo. He has conducted his own compositions with the American Youth Symphony, the L.A. Contemporary Orchestra, the Mitteleuropa Orchestra, and many ensembles.
He directed and staged his operas and theatrical plays of other U.S. authors. His opera Tina was highly acclaimed in Italy and in California.
Centazzo has also created multimedia projects that fuse acoustic instruments, electronic instruments, and video. His multimedia projects include Mandala (inspired by the Buddhist Universe), Eternal Traveler (inspired by Leonardo da Vinci) was Einstein's Cosmic Messengers (with astrophysicist Michele Vallisneri, inspired by gravitational waves), and R-Evolution (inspired by Charles Darwin)
In 2006 Centazzo re-established ICTUS Records, the label he founded in 1976.
Awards and honors
Centazzo has received music and video awards (Italian Critic's Choice Award, Italy, Downbeat Magazine Poll, USA, International Video Festival Tokyo, Japan, Prix Arcanal of French Culture, France, Jazz Forum Critic's Poll, USA, Bruce Chatwin Award, Italy, Dramalogue Award. His 30th ICTUS Anniversary Box Set was nominated Box Set of 2006 by the Journalists of the American Jazz Critics Association.
Filmography
- 1986 Romance
- 1992 Obiettivo indiscreto
- 1995 Shadow of a Kiss (TV movie)
- 1995 Star Struck
- 1999 I Karaoke (short)
- 2001 The Circle (short)
- 2009 La Corsa (short)
- 2009 Mei Mei (short)
- 2009 Toto Forever (short)
- 2010 Desire Street
- 2013 Ni Jing: Thou Shalt Not Steal
- 2015 Floating Melon
- 2016 Advent (film)