Harmonica virtuoso, classical guitarist, singer,
songwriter, arranger, composer Enrico Granafei
has a long history of musical experience which encompasses both Classical Music
and Jazz. Enrico After earning a degree
in classical guitar from the Conservatory of l’Aquila in Italy, Enrico started to broaden his horizons by
discovering Jazz through the harmonicaIn 1978 Enrico moved to Germany where he began to perform
and to teach in two different"Musikschulen".In the
early 80’s, after returning to Italy,
Enrico started to broaden his horizons by discovering Jazz through the harmonica.
Following in the tradition of the legendary Toots Thielemans, he
began to explore new possibilities for the harmonica, an instrument too often
associated solely with Rock and Blues.Besides playing in the best jazz clubs in Italy during that period, Enrico
performed regularly on national television where he was a member of the Pippo
Caruso orchestra inthe show “Un milione
al secondo”on national TV. His love for Jazz led him to New York City, the world capital of Jazz,. ,
where he soon started to perform in local jazz clubs, including The Blue
Note, Birdland, Visiones, Angry Squire, and
the Bottom Line. In 1992 Enrico earned
a masters’ degree in Jazz Performance from the Manhattan School of Music where
he was the only student of Toots Thielemans .
Particularly significant in
Enrico’s life was his association with Ted Curson who took him under his wing
allowing him to become known in Finland
and France. Upon Ted’s death Enrico was
asked to write an article about his relationship with the well known trumpet
player. The article was published in the Montclait Times in December 2012. During the time that he has resided in the New York
area, Enrico has performed extensively on the Chromatic Harmonica in the
United States and continued to be a featured musician in majorFestivals and Jazz clubs in Finland, Estonia,
France, Italy and Hungary. He has recorded with Eddie Gomez, Eliot Zigmund. Marc
Johnson, Adam Nussbaum, Patrick Saussois, Dany Doriz, Amina Figarova, Billy
Hart, Wallace Roney, Vic Juris, Dave Stryker, Ted Curson, Irio de Paula, Nnena Freelon ( Concord Records) and many others. Enrico's latest CD " Alone and Together" on CAP Records reached number 1, 2 and 4 in three different categories on the Radio charts of Jazz Week.