Biography

Armando Battiston is notoriously a jazz pianist and composer, in 2000 he started playing the accordion with the heart of a jazz player and started to work on this instrument with the expertise he has in jazz, with composers like Dolphy Coltrane, Hancock, Tyner etc.
He has combined his own composers dimension to these composers, developing his unique, original style among accordion jazz players and is known internationally. He has a diploma in instruments for band taken at the public conservatory Jacopo Tomadini of Udine. He has studied composition with the music teacher Daniele Zanettovich.
He has taught music in public schools and still interacts with them, for finalized projects, such as music laboratories meant to teach how to improvise and do music as a whole etc.
In over thirty-years activity, he has done recordings, given concerts and has done festivals in Italy and in Europe, working with internationally famous musicians. He’s always working in television and radio. Does meetings and conferences on various musical subjects and shows, he’s utmost talent in comparing jazz to classic music. He composes and plays original pieces for artistic, cultural, theatrical and school events and movies. He interacts with the sculptor Vincenzo Balena, with astrophysicist Steno Ferluga, with wirters Stanislao Nievo and Mauro Covacich, writer and poet Amedeo Giacomini, the painter Giuseppina Lesa. Events: archaeological exhibition “7000 years ago the first bread” in Udine 1998/’99 season, musical performance at the Modern Art Gallery of Udine “Mosaic in New York City”, always in Udine 2003, “Fulgor j muerte de Joaquin Murieta” by Pablo Neruda, composition of the music for the theatrical piece Barber Shop by Alberto Severi. Recently has composed, recorded and directed the musical event “Specchi Sonori”, the lyrics by the friulan poet Amedeo Giacomini.
Actual projects: Quadrant (Armando Battiston: Piano, flutes, accordion and live electronics), The Contact (duo with jazz percussionist and drummer Adrew Cyrille), Project Kurtweill (with mezzo soprano Monica Saronni plus jazz rhythm), Quintet Echos to include drummer Hamid Drake and double bass player William Parker.
Recordings: CD’s “Revelations in solitude”, “Cardinal Points”, “Gospels”, “Ninfe”, “Foolish Heart”, “Jazz reflections only for jazz accordion”, the book and cd “Tanche Giaiutis” interacting with Amedeo Giacomini and “Live in Ceglie” with qintet Echos. “The Contact” with jazz percussionist and drummer Andrew Cyrille. “Poesie nel friulano concordiese”.
He’s also music critic for Gazzettino and weekly magazine “Il Friuli” for several years.
He’s the artistic director for “Lignano Jazz” and “Jazz Esponenziale” inserted in the project Friuli Venezia Giulia Jazz Sesto al Reghena (PN) confirmed also for 2007.
Gian Maria Maletto, jazz critic, describes him like this: “Armando Battiston seems to dwell the furthest galaxy of Italian jazz, so singular, his impact with music is so exclusive. Pordenone’s pianist seems to search for a new dimension for jazz, spreading his impromptou on vaster territories. He chooses his music with great care” (Musica Jazz, marzo 1996).
Armando Battiston, outsider for Italians has only one vice: to live; one virtue: solitude… music is what glues his existence.

He has a diploma in instruments for band taken at the public conservatory Jacopo Tomadini of Udine. He has studied composition with the music teacher Daniele Zanettovich.

He has taught music in public schools.
In over 30 years activity, he has done recordings, given concerts and has done festivals in Italy and in Europe, working with internationally famous musicians.

Participates in radio transmissions, television shows, regional and national and for private networks. In 2000 and 2001 from the studios of Rai 3 Rome has done four cycles of afternoon shows \93Fahrenheit\94 from Milan Rai Studio.

Has participated in the evening show \93Radio 3 Suite\94, here he presented \93Fermental Jazz in Friuli\94. He does seminars and conferences on the history of classic music compared to jazz (provinces of Udine, Pordenone and Venice).

He also interacts with gospel and spiritual choirs, composes and plays original music for artistic, cultural, theatrical and scholastic events. Examples are performances with sculptor Vincenzo Balena, astrophysical Steno Ferluga, with writer Stanislao Nievo, Mauro Covacich, with poet and writer Amedeo Giacomini and the French Philosopher Philippe Lacoue-Labarthe, \93Schermo sonoro\94 for Cinema Zeno, where he commented silent movies.

Archaeological exhibition \937000 years ago the first bread\94.

Theatrical Events: \93Il piccolo principe\94 (\93The small prince\94) by Antoine De Saint-Exupery e \93Fulgor j muerte de Joaquin Murieta\94 by Pablo Neruda.

Musical performances at the modern art gallery of Udine, \93Mosaic in New York city\94 in 2003. Other scholastic examples are \93Il gioco e la fiaba\94 (\93The fable and the game\94), for elementary schools \93Mito e realt\E0\94 (\93Myth and reality\94), for the middle schools and \93Gineceo\94 for the high schools.

He has composed, recorded and directed, the musical event \93Specchi sonori\94 on lyrics from the Friulan poet Amedeo Giacomini.
Recordings: \93Revelations in solitude\94, \93Cardinal Points\94, \93Gospels\94, \93Ninfe\94, \93Foolish Heart\94, \93Jazz reflections only for jazz accordion\94, the book and cd \93Tanche Giaiutis\94 interacting with Amedeo Giacomini and \93Live in Ceglie\94 with qintet Echos. CD \93The Contact\94 with jazz percussionist and drummer Andrew Cyrille. CD “la poesia nel friulano concordiese”.

Has composed music for literary parks Nievo foundation. Has done classes on music education. He\92s also music critic for Gazzettino and weekly magazine \93Il Friuli\94 for several years.

He has been the artistic director for years for \93Lignano Jazz\94 and \93Jazz Esponenziale\94 on the medio Friuli project. In 2007 has been again confirmed to direct the Friuli Venezia Giulia Jazz, born in 1997 and takes place in the Sesto al Reghena Abbey.
He has written and played music for regional and national Rai network shows, has given concerts for the Italian Institute of Culture in Strasburg and given conferences of contemporary music and \93Jazz in Italia\94.

In August 2002 participates at the \93Colonos Project poetry and music\94 with his own original composition and other events of \93music and poetry\94 again with his own musical compositions like \93Concerto per tre poeti e pianoforte\94 (\93concert for three poets and piano\94), played in January 2003 in Codroipo.

In 2005 he composes the music for the theatrical piece \93Barber Shop\94 by Alberto Severi, collaborates with M. Covacich. In 2007 participates in important Italian jazz festivals.