Formed in the late 1990s by acclaimed Italian jazz reedist and composer Gianluigi Trovesi, the Gianluigi Trovesi Nonet is a highly conceptual ensemble best known for its genre-defying 2000 album, Round About a Midsummer's Dream. Inspired by Shakespeare’s references to the "Bergamasque" dance in A Midsummer Night's Dream, Trovesi structured the nonet as a brilliant interlocking of three distinct units: a jazz trio, a classical string trio, and a folk ensemble. This ambitious configuration allowed the group to seamlessly blend Renaissance and baroque counterpoint with contemporary jazz improvisation and traditional European folk music, resulting in a vibrant, cinematic soundscape that feels both historically rooted and fiercely avant-garde.
The success of this complex, multi-layered interplay relies heavily on a deeply versatile rhythm section capable of navigating chamber suites, swinging jazz forms, and rustic dances with equal agility. The nonet's foundational low end on its definitive recording is anchored by the virtuosic French double bassist Renaud Garcia-Fons (with Giovanni Maier also holding the bass chair in alternate live formations). His masterful arco and pizzicato techniques provide a resonant, driving pulse that bridges the classical strings with Trovesi's soaring saxophone and clarinet melodies. Alongside percussionists Fulvio Maras and Carlo Rizzo, the ensemble's intricate bass work ensures that its ambitious compositions never lose their earthy, magnetic groove.
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