Gigi di Gregorio

[Larry Kart]

Anyone know this Italian tenor and soprano saxophonist? Harold Danko sent me an album he recorded with Di Gregorio, a bassist, and drummer at a club in Torino, and I'm impressed, as always, by Danko, and also by Di Gregorio, about whom I can find nothing in English.

Di Gregorio looks from images on the 'net to be age 50 or more and sounds like he might have listened some to early Shorter, although he sounds quite individual. Basically a reflective, mellow, melodic player, he has an attractively grainy sound, sort of like a cross between latter-day Warne Marsh and Paul Gonsalves, if such a thing can be imagined. He also sounds a bit like another talented Italian tenor man, Claudio Fasoli. who I think is a decade or more older than Di Gregorio. (P.S. I see upon checking that Fasoli is age 74.)

The album, which is under Di Gregorio's name and titled "Live at JCT" ("JCT" must be "Jazz Club Torino") is on the Jazz City Records label, which probably is Italian. Don't see the album on Amazon . There are some clips of Di Gregorio on You Tube, including one with Danko and a different band than the one on the album.