Peter Guidi
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Peter Guidi is a European jazz saxophonist and jazz flautist whose main instruments are flute, alto flute, bass flute, alto saxophone and soprano saxophone. Born in Scotland from Italian origins Peter Guidi is a self-taught musician. He began his musical career in Italy where he went on to play with many leading jazz musicians and performed in major Jazz Festivals including Umbria Jazz, the Aosta Jazz Festival, the Jazz Festival of Pescara and the Ivrea Jazz Festival.
He now tours with his own Quartet throughout Europe and has performed at the North Sea Jazz Festival in Holland, Torino Jazz in northern Italy, the Jazz Festival of Ostend in Belgium and the Django Reinhardt Festival in France. The Peter Guidi Quartet has also appeared on European national radio and television networks in Holland, Belgium, Spain and Portugal.
The Quartet has also performed outside Europe performing a series of concerts in 2002 at the Museum of Arts Theatre in Tel Aviv and Haifa, Israel. A frequent visitor to the United States he has played with some of the most prominent American jazz musicians, such as organist Jimmy McGriff and drummer Mel Lewis. In 1992 he participated in the 'World Festival' in Atlanta, Georgia as co-leader of the European Jazz Quintet with Paolo Fresu. In 1993 he performed as guest soloist with the 'Gillespiana' project led by composer/pianist Lalo Schifrin at the North Sea Jazz Festival.
Since moving to Holland he has founded the Jazz Department of the Muziekschool Amsterdam consisting of ensemble and improvisation classes, which is now connected to the Jazz Conservatory of Amsterdam via the Junior Jazz College. In 2006 Dutch national television station N.P.S. T.V. started filming a documentary about Peter Guidi's teaching and playing career. The documentary followed several of Peter's bands as they rehearsed, performed concerts, participateted in jazz competitions and went on tour. The documentary entitled 'Serious Fun' was broadcast in October 2006 as a part of the NPS Arena series. In December of the same year the Jazzmania big band released a double DVD entilted 'Jazzmania Live in het Bimhuis' featuring legendary jazz trumpeter Benny Bailey, together with a DVD of the documentary 'Serious Fun'.
Recently Peter Guidi has been asked by the NTB (the Dutch Jazz Union) to form and lead the first Dutch National Youth Jazz Orchestra which is to be inaugurated in the fall of 2007.
As leader of the Jazzmania Big Band, the Jazzfocus Big Band, the Jazz Juniors and the Jazz Generation he has won a total of forty prizes, including five 2nd prizes and twenty six 1st prizes in national and international Big Band competitions. The Holland Jazz Feel Good Award was awarded to Peter Guidi in February 2004 for his work in promoting jazz music in The Netherlands. The Jazzmania Big Band can be heard on the cd's Target Practise and 'New Impressions' plus the latest release Further Impressions. Peter Guidi has recorded as sideman with various European formations as well as making three CDs under his own name: Beautiful Friendship, Timeless SJP 352 (in quartet formation), A Weaver of Dreams, Timeless SJP 401 (in trio formation) and his latest recording Forbidden Flute BMCD 309 ditributed by Munich Records. He has recently released a double DVD 'Jazzmania in het Bimhuis' with special guest Benny Bailey together with the documentary Serious Fun. Peter Guidi is also author of a two volume flute method entitled The Jazz Flute published by Molenaar Edition BV, in The Netherlands.
I believe there are new roads to explore, I don't believe everything has been said on the jazz flute. For example I've heard some experimental work being done by Peter Guidi that I like very much, I find it very interesting.
—Frank Wess
