Davide Pannozzo Trio ft. Etienne Stadwijk & Steve Ferrone will hit the road in Italy this October for four exclusive concerts, bringing together contemporary blues, soul-funk and jazz-fusion in a powerful trio format built for the live stage.
Led by Italian guitarist and vocalist Davide Pannozzo, the band features Etienne Stadwijk on piano, keyboards and synth bass and legendary drummer Steve Ferrone. The trio combines Pannozzo’s modern blues language and melodic approach with Stadwijk’s rich harmonic textures and deep keyboard bass, driven by Ferrone’s unmistakable groove, timing and dynamic control.
The result is a compact but expansive sound, moving naturally between blues roots, funk, soul and high-energy fusion while keeping melody and groove at the center of the music.
Steve Ferrone brings to the trio a career that spans some of the biggest names in contemporary music. A longtime member of Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers and a key part of the classic Average White Band lineup, he has also worked with artists including Eric Clapton, George Harrison, Michael Jackson, Aretha Franklin, Whitney Houston, Johnny Cash, Mick Jagger, David Bowie, Duran Duran, Chaka Khan, Stevie Nicks, Slash and George Benson. More recently, Ferrone has continued performing through projects such as The Cream of Clapton Band and his own Steve Ferrone & Friends, confirming a musical presence that remains very much active today.
OCTOBER 2026 TOUR DATES
October 18, 2026 — Cagliari, Italy
Bflat Jazz Club
Via del Pozzetto 9, Cagliari
October 20, 2026 — Castellanza, Italy
Eventi in Jazz
Cinema Teatro di Via Dante
Via Dante Alighieri 5, 21053 Castellanza (VA)
October 21, 2026 — Bologna, Italy
Bravo Caffè
Via Mascarella 1, 40126 Bologna
October 22, 2026 — Napoli, Italy
Napoli Jazz Club
Four dates, four stages and a trio designed around interaction, groove and improvisation: Davide Pannozzo, Etienne Stadwijk and Steve Ferrone live in Italy in October 2026.
Discover the full artist profile, music, videos and booking information on Coral Riff Management.
Now’s the Time: watch Daniele Gottardo Trio perform Now’s the Time live at Forma e Poesia nel Jazz, Cagliari, on September 19th, 2025.
Charlie Parker’s riff-driven blues is pulled into the present through distorted guitar, sharp bebop phrasing and a rhythm section that swings without looking backward.
Polyphonic jazz-rock where the electric guitar behaves like a full ensemble voice. Contrapuntal writing, modern harmony, odd-meter architecture and wide-screen dynamics. Virtuosity always serving form and narrative.
Discover more: https://www.c
Project context
Daniele Gottardo Trio places the electric guitar at the center of a detailed polyphonic language. The project is not built around the usual idea of a guitar soloist with a rhythm section behind him. It works more like a compact chamber ensemble, where the guitar carries lead lines, inner voices, harmonic movement and contrapuntal figures while the bass and drums keep changing roles around the written material. That approach gives the music its particular identity: jazz-rock energy, modern fusion architecture and a strong sense of composition, with virtuosity used to clarify the form rather than simply to decorate it.
Gottardo’s writing often brings together bebop phrasing, progressive rock precision, contemporary harmony and a cinematic control of dynamics. The result is music that can be technically demanding without losing its narrative direction. Bassist Nicolo Vese expands the trio’s harmonic field through counterlines, register movement and a flexible sense of groove, while drummer Giuseppe Risitano shapes the rhythmic space with contemporary-jazz detail, sharp transitions and a strong control of density. In live performance the group can move from tight unison writing to open sections where the arrangement breathes, but the musical line remains clear.
This makes each live video useful beyond the single tune. A performance such as Now’s the Time shows how the trio handles guitar orchestration, rhythmic design and improvisational pressure in real time. The pieces are not only vehicles for instrumental display: they reveal how the band balances written counterpoint with stage dynamics, how electric tone can behave like an arranged ensemble voice, and how the rhythm section supports a guitar language that is melodic, harmonic and architectural at the same time.
Gottardo has been recognized internationally for a highly personal guitar voice, with attention from major players and guitar media for his technique, intonation and compositional imagination. For promoters, festivals and venues, the trio offers a contemporary instrumental set with the intensity of fusion, the discipline of jazz writing and the direct physical impact of a live electric band. The presentation page linked below gives the wider profile, line-up and booking context; this video post documents one specific performance moment inside that broader project.
From an editorial point of view, these videos also help explain why the trio belongs in a live jazz and fusion program rather than only in a guitar-specialist niche. The music has enough instrumental firepower to satisfy players, but its stronger value is the way composition, tone and interaction are organized. Each tune can be read as a compact statement of the project: a theme with clear identity, a rhythmic design that keeps the ensemble alert, and improvisational space that grows out of the written material. That balance is important for festival programmers because it gives the audience immediate energy while still offering depth for attentive listening. The same qualities make the material useful for clubs, theaters and contemporary jazz events looking for an electric project with a precise artistic profile.
This extra context is included to keep the media post useful as a standalone page as well as a video or photo entry. It gives search engines and readers enough information to understand the artist, the project, the live setting and the booking relevance without replacing the main presentation page. The video or album remains the primary content, while the editorial notes explain why the performance matters, where it sits in the artist’s wider work, and how a promoter, venue or festival can follow the internal link for the full profile before sending a professional booking request.
Mike Gotthard | guitar Gergő Borlai, Mohini Dey, Jesús Molina, Scott Kinsey, Al Di Meola, Gary Willis, Hadrien Feraud, Anton Davidyants, Kornél Fekete-Kovács, Dániel Szebényi
Martin Gudics | bass Gergő Borlai, Frank Gambale, Boca Gambale, Tom Schuman, HAUSER, Péter Ferencz, Attila Závodi, Olivér Magán, Marcell Gudics
Erik Tempfli | keyboards Bori Hegedűs, Petra Gubik, Dániel Görögh, Frankie Látó, Gergő Szakács, Dániel Szebényi, Dávid Kovács, Peta Lukács, Sándor Zsemlye
Gergő Borlai | drums Scott Kinsey, Gary Willis, Jimmy Haslip, Hadrien Feraud, Nathan East, Bob Mintzer, Al Di Meola, Matthew Garrison, Scott Henderson
Style
A modern fusion quartet led by guitar, where Mike Gotthard’s blues-rock phrasing meets a broader, more fluid jazz grammar. The rhythm section of Gergő Borlai and Martin Gudics drives the project toward an elastic, sharply defined groove able to absorb odd meters without losing immediacy. Erik Tempfli completes the DNA with open harmonic thinking and a contemporary timbral palette: the result is music that is sensual in attack, brutal in energy, and always melodic in design.
Profile
Mike Gotthard/Gergo Borlai Group is the most compact and readable form of Mike Gotthard’s authorial language: a project built on original compositions that move through jazz, blues, rock, and funk without treating genres as fenced territories, but rather as reservoirs of accents, timbres, and dynamics. Around Gotthard’s guitar, the band works through contrasts: tension and singability, rhythmic precision and spontaneity, electric impact and harmonic breadth. Borlai brings international-level metric drive, Gudics holds the center with a mobile, reactive bass voice, while Tempfli opens depth and color through keyboards that can be both structural and narrative. The dominant traits are energetic articulation, a modern fusion harmonic vocabulary, tight interplay, and a clear live-performance vocation: not a simple all-star vehicle, but an ensemble with its own identity, recognizable for its balance of technique, groove, and writing.
Details
Mike Gotthard
A Hungarian guitarist and composer, he forms the expressive center of the project with phrasing that blends blues lyricism, rock attack, and jazz-fusion development. Official and critical sources describe him as an author more interested in musical narrative than in technical display, with a language built on melody, groove, and reciprocal listening. Within the band, he is the main vector of aesthetic direction: themes, dynamic shifts, and formal design remain readable even when the ensemble opens into improvisation.
“Misi is a real bomb of energy whose musicality can speak equally to rock lovers and jazz devotees.” (György Szentgallay, review of “Intellectual Brutality”, 2016-11-11)
Martin Gudics
A bassist able to move across fusion, songwriter-driven pop, smooth jazz, and high-intensity technical contexts, he brings rhythmic elasticity and structural awareness to the group. His role goes beyond support: he builds links between guitar and drums, keeps metric transitions fluid, and strengthens the groove element without weighing down the texture. Within the band’s DNA, he represents the pole of balance: precise, but always in service of collective musical unity.
“By now we can say with pride that Martin Gudics belongs to the elite of bass players not only in his country, but worldwide.” (JazzMa.hu, presentation of “BVDA”, 2024-04-17)
Erik Tempfli
A pianist, keyboardist, and Artisjus Award-winning composer, he brings broad harmonic thinking and a timbral awareness that avoids both mere filling and decorative virtuosity. His parts help define the group’s breathing space: pads, organ colors, electric piano textures, and modern comping become tools of architecture rather than simple color. He is the member who most clearly expands the quartet’s tonal horizon and reinforces its melodic-contemporary side.
“The natural lightness of his touch is in perfect harmony with his personality; his playing and musical humour evoke the very greatest.” (JazzMa.hu editorial, 2020-12-12)
Gergő Borlai
An internationally established drummer and composer, Borlai acts as an identity accelerator for the project: rhythmic precision, dynamic control, advanced fusion vocabulary, and the ability to make even the most complex metric turns feel organic. His presence transforms the ensemble from an author-led group into a band with strong performance traction. In the group’s DNA he carries weight both as rhythmic engine and as a marker of prestige: his signature is recognizable in the energy, the clarity of pulse, and the dramatic handling of climaxes.
“Gergo has become one of the most exciting up-and-coming drummers today and continues to be recognized with each jaw-dropping solo.” (Drumeo, 2022-08-19)
Biography
Mike Gotthard is a Hungarian guitarist and composer whose work bridges blues phrasing, modern fusion, and a strong live-performance instinct. Gergő Borlai, with an international career spanning hundreds of recordings and top-tier collaborations, brings world-class rhythmic identity and prestige to the ensemble. Together with Martin Gudics and Erik Tempfli, the group delivers a modern jazz fusion format built on compositional clarity, high-impact groove, and advanced interplay.
Discography
Mike Gotthard
Intellectual Brutality — album — 2016
9 Wheels — single — 2021
Flotation — single — 2024
The Electric Shock Live Session — EP — 2025
The Group Live Session — single — 2026
Sensual Brutality — album — 2026
LesMi — single — 2026
Martin Gudics
Ups & Down — album with Peet Project — 2020
Sweet Lemon — album with Peet Project — 2022
Global Warning — Oliver Zisko album featuring Martin Gudics — 2022
Hard to Say Goodbye — single with Dániel Szebényi and Gudics Twins — 2023
Sensual Brutality — album with Mike Gotthard/Gergő Borlai — 2026
LesMi — single with Mike Gotthard/Gergő Borlai — 2026
Erik Tempfli
Altató — song performed at A Dal with Bori Hegedűs — 2021
Anya — single with Bori Hegedűs — 2022
Unalmas felnőtt — single with Bori Hegedűs and Johanna Lengyel — 2022
ReStar — album with Kodály Spicy Jazz — 2025
Sensual Brutality live set with Mike Gotthard Group — repertory documented from 2024 to 2026
Gergő Borlai
17 — album — 1998
Sausage — album — 2004
M.M.M. — album — 2010
ARC Trio — album — 2018
The Missing Song — album — 2020
Burger Joint on Oxnard Street — single — 2023
Monster Pop — single — 2023
A New Normal — single — 2025
Sensual Brutality — album with Mike Gotthard — 2026
LesMi — single with Mike Gotthard — 2026
Quotes
“Misi is a real bomb of energy whose musicality can speak equally to rock lovers and jazz devotees.”
György Szentgallay | JazzMa.hu | 2016-11-11
“The natural lightness of his touch is in perfect harmony with his personality; his playing and musical humour evoke the very greatest.”
JazzMa.hu editorial | 2020-12-12
“By now we can say with pride that Martin Gudics belongs to the elite of bass players not only in his country, but worldwide.”
JazzMa.hu editorial | 2024-04-17
“Gergo has become one of the most exciting up-and-coming drummers today and continues to be recognized with each jaw-dropping solo.”
Drumeo | 2022-08-19
Davide Pannozzo | Guitar, vocals George Benson, Steve Jordan, Will Lee, David Garfield, Phil Palmer, Matt Schofield, Oz Noy, Robben Ford
Etienne Stadwijk | Piano, keyboards, synth bass Paul Simon, Maxwell, Marcus Miller, Richard Bona, Nona Hendryx, Harry Belafonte
Steve Ferrone | Drums Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Average White Band, Eric Clapton, Duran Duran, George Harrison, Chaka Khan, Michael Jackson
Style
Contemporary blues wired into funk and jazz, with modern arrangements and a true stage-first drive. An iconic rhythm engine and a keyboard chair that can become bass: a trio that sounds like a full band. Set for October 2026, the music moves between wide grooves, singable themes, and high-intensity improvisation without losing song focus.
Profile
Davide Pannozzo leads an essential yet ambitious trio: guitar and vocals up front, with an expanded sound built on the idea of orchestrating every tune. The palette is modern blues, shot through with fusion accents and a decisive funk pulse; improvisation never becomes an end in itself, but stays narrative, shaping dynamics, timbre, and forward motion. Etienne Stadwijk works in textures and counterlines, switching between piano and keyboards while deploying a deep synth bass that redraws the balance of the band: the bass role turns mobile, harmonic, and rhythmic all at once. Steve Ferrone brings the authority of decades at the top of international rock and R&B: timing, weight, and space, with an elasticity that keeps the trio tight and always breathing. The result is high-voltage music rooted in tradition and designed for the present.
Details
Davide Pannozzo | Guitar, vocals
Classical training with an electric identity: a singing phrasing, controlled attack, and a vocabulary that crosses modern blues with jazz sensibility. In original material he favors clear themes and open-ended codas, letting the solo become a second verse. In trio format, the guitar carries melody and harmony without losing rhythmic weight.
“Today there are very few artists who can inspire and be full of ideas: Davide Pannozzo is one of them. From the first listen you know something special is happening…” (Will Lee, GUITARlab Blog, 2018-12-04)
Etienne Stadwijk | Piano, keyboards, synth bass
Pianist and keyboardist with Surinamese roots, Berklee training, and a New York base. His signature is the balance between European voicings, world colors, and an R&B-born sense of pocket. In this project he is also the harmonic bass, shaping synth-bass lines that give body and direction to the groove.
“The band was very tight, with really successful solos… (including Stadwijk’s).” (Maciek Pysz, London Jazz News, 2013-10-08)
Steve Ferrone | Drums
A benchmark for solidity and musicality: heavy hits when needed, but above all control of dynamics. His drumming connects rock, funk, and pop through a precise idea of space, letting the song breathe. In trio, he is the engine that makes every density shift feel inevitable, from raw blues to wide-open fusion.
“Over the past four decades, Ferrone’s taste, timing and impeccable groove have served him extremely well…” (Joe Bosso, MusicRadar, 2010-08-26)
Biography
Davide Pannozzo is an Italian guitarist, singer-songwriter, producer, and educator whose work connects blues roots, soul dynamics, and jazz-informed phrasing. Based between Europe and the United States, he has collaborated with players such as Steve Ferrone, Will Lee, Oz Noy, and David Garfield, building a profile that combines songwriter instinct, groove awareness, and a modern electric guitar voice designed for both records and the stage.
Discography
Davide Pannozzo
Albums/EPs: Born Electric; A Portrait of Jimi Hendrix; Unconditional Love; Room for Joy. Singles: Be Blessed; Keep On Loving You; Love Is a Simple Thing; Without You, Once Again; St. Louis Blues; Imagine; Plug It In; Leroy’s Blues; The Thrill Is Gone; Christmas In New York.
Etienne Stadwijk
Albums/EPs: Lagos Pepper Soup; To Love Again -…; Olatuja; Waltz for Eli. Singles: Then Why?!; Wig Glue.
Steve Ferrone
Albums/EPs: It Up: Steve Ferrone and Friends Live at La Ve Lee; More Head (Steve Ferrone’s Farm Fur); Steve Ferrone & Friends Live; Steve Ferrone & Friends Mo’Live.
Quotes
“Today there are very few artists who can inspire and be full of ideas: Davide Pannozzo is one of them. From the first listen you know something special is happening…” Will Lee, GUITARlab Blog, 2018-12-04
“If you like Eric Johnson, Robben Ford, Carl Verheyen, Jeff Beck and Eric Clapton, then this album and this cool cat are definitely for you.” Simon Redley, Music Republic Magazine, 2017-10-19
“Over the past four decades, Ferrone’s taste, timing and impeccable groove have served him extremely well…” Joe Bosso, MusicRadar, 2010-08-26
“The band was very tight, with really successful solos… (including Stadwijk’s).” Maciek Pysz, London Jazz News, 2013-10-08
“Keyboardist and producer Etienne Stadwijk has released a powerful and moving track…” A.A. Cristi, BroadwayWorld, 2020-06-22
“An outstanding album, Steve Ferrone & Friends Live…” Planet Drum, 2014-09-16
Reviews
Davide Pannozzo & Loud Stuff – Born Electric – Bman’s Blues Report – 2012-04-18 – https://bmansbluesreport.com/2012/04/18/davide-pannozzo-loud-stuff-born-electric-new-release-review/
Davide Pannozzo – Unconditional Love – Music Republic Magazine | Simon Redley – 2017-10-19 – https://musicrepublicmagazine.com/2017/10/davide-pannozzo-unconditional-love-unconditional-love-global-publishing-19th-october-2017/
Celebrated guitarist Davide Pannozzo releases new single Be Blessed – Rock and Blues Muse – 2022-07-07 – https://www.rockandbluesmuse.com/2022/07/07/celebrated-guitarist-davide-pannozzo-releases-new-single-be-blessed/
Review: Richard Bona at Pizza Express – London Jazz News | Maciek Pysz – 2013-10-08 – https://londonjazznews.com/2013/10/08/review-richard-bona-at-pizza-expres/
Multi-Instrumentalist and Producer Etienne Stadwijk Releases a Powerful Response to the Current Social Climate – BroadwayWorld | A.A. Cristi – 2020-06-22 – https://www.broadwayworld.com/article/Multi-Instrumentalist-and-Producer-Etienne-Stadwijk-Releases-a-Powerful-Response-to-the-Current-Social-Climate-20200622
Tom Petty drummer Steve Ferrone talks groove, Charlie Watts and more – MusicRadar | Joe Bosso – 2010-08-26 – https://www.musicradar.com/news/drums/tom-petty-drummer-steve-ferrone-talks-groove-charlie-watts-and-more-289800
Steve Ferrone and Friends Live with Tracktion 5 – Planet Drum – 2014-09-16 – https://www.planet-drum.com/steve-ferrone-and-friends-live-with-tracktion-5/
AVAILABILITY FOR EUROPE 2026 | OCTOBER 27th TO NOVEMBER 15th
2027 | MAY ITALIAN EXCLUSIVE
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Bobby Sparks II | Jazz-Funk / Fusion | USA
Line-up
Bobby Sparks II | keys Snarky Puppy, Prince, Herbie Hancock, Ray Charles, Nelly Furtado, Marcus Miller, Kirk Franklin, St. Vincent, Tower of Power, Lizz Wright
Jay McK / Justin “Jay Mack” McKinney | bass Ghost-Note, Erykah Badu, Kirk Franklin, MonoNeon, Chaka Khan, Fred Hammond, Bobby Brown, Liv Warfield, Bobby Sparks II, GLOW
Keith Anderson | sax Roy Hargrove, Marcus Miller, Les McCann, Erykah Badu, Kirk Franklin, Kanye West, Prince, Paul Jackson Jr., Bobby Sparks II, The RH Factor
Cam Lee | guitar Nile Rodgers, Musiq Soulchild, Bobby Sparks II
DeAnthony McGee | EWI Bobby Sparks II, Kirk Franklin, Michael McDonald, Joe Sample, Snarky Puppy
Adarian Roberts | drums Bobby Sparks II, Tye Tribbett, Kirk Franklin, Anita Baker, The Crusaders, D’Angelo
Style
Vintage-key funk, gospel harmony and Texas jazz-fusion pressure, led from a fortress of organs, synths, Rhodes and Clavinet.
A rhythm section built for deep pocket, elastic backbeat and sudden gear-shifts, with bass and drums pushing the band toward body-level impact.
Sax, guitar and EWI expand the music into a high-voltage Black American continuum: blues, church, fusion, soul, hip-hop, funk opera.
Profile
Bobby Sparks II’s live project is not a keyboard showcase with accompaniment: it is a pressure system of groove, church harmony, jazz freedom and analog electricity. Sparks leads from the center, shaping Hammond, Rhodes, Clavinet, synths and sound-design into a dense orchestral field, while Jay McK and Adarian Roberts keep the music physical, flexible and dangerous. Keith Anderson brings the Roy Hargrove/RH Factor lineage into the front line, Cam Lee adds clipped funk guitar and R&B color, and DeAnthony McGee’s EWI opens a synthetic horn register that suits Sparks’ futuristic vocabulary. The result is a band that treats funk as architecture: heavy in the pocket, open in form, saturated in timbre, and built for improvisation without losing the body.
Details
Bobby Sparks II | keys. Leader, composer and producer, Sparks is the project’s harmonic and timbral engine. His language connects gospel voicings, Texas blues, jazz-funk, Prince-derived funk, analog synthesis and orchestral sound design. Verified work includes Snarky Puppy, Kirk Franklin, Roy Hargrove’s RH Factor, Marcus Miller, Herbie Hancock, Ray Charles, St. Vincent and Lizz Wright. In interview, he has described gospel as the source of his harmonic ear and Prince as a decisive inspiration.
Jay McK / Justin “Jay Mack” McKinney | bass. Low-end anchor and groove stabilizer, Jay McK gives the band the rounded, syncopated floor needed for Sparks’ dense keyboard architecture. Public sources identify him with Ghost-Note and list collaborations or credits connected to Erykah Badu, Kirk Franklin, MonoNeon, Chaka Khan, Fred Hammond, Bobby Brown and Liv Warfield. His role in this project is to keep the pocket wide while leaving space for Sparks’ rhythmic displacements and left-hand synth-bass gestures.
Keith Anderson | sax. Front-line saxophonist with a Dallas/RH Factor profile, Anderson brings a vocal, blues-rooted horn voice into Sparks’ high-density funk. Verified associations include Roy Hargrove, Marcus Miller, Les McCann, Erykah Badu, Kirk Franklin, Kanye West and Prince-related contexts, with credits on RH Factor recordings. In the band, he works as a melodic counterweight: gritty tenor/alto phrasing, call-and-response energy and direct links to the neo-soul/jazz-funk language Sparks helped shape.
Cam Lee | guitar. The current French ticketing material identifies the guitarist as Cam Lee, while management material lists “Cam” with Nile Rodgers and Musiq Soulchild. In this ensemble, the guitar chair is functional and coloristic: rhythmic chanks, R&B glue, blues-rock bite and tight comping around Sparks’ organ and Clavinet. Because public documentation is limited, no additional collaborations are added beyond those verified in current project materials.
DeAnthony McGee | EWI. McGee supplies the band’s most explicitly electronic wind color. Sources list him as EWI player in Bobby Sparks II’s live band and connect him with Kirk Franklin, Michael McDonald, Joe Sample and Snarky Puppy-related contexts. His role is not decorative: the EWI extends the horn section into synth-like bends, vocal phrasing, pitch manipulation and futuristic solo textures that match Sparks’ analog-electronic vocabulary.
Adarian Roberts | drums. Roberts is the live band’s young rhythmic engine, documented in Bobby Sparks II line-ups and reviewed live as a strikingly focused drummer. Management and venue materials connect him with Tye Tribbett, Kirk Franklin, Anita Baker, The Crusaders and D’Angelo. His function is to make the band move: deep pocket, gospel chops, responsive accents and enough propulsion to hold long-form funk-fusion structures together.
Discography
Bobby Sparks II: as leader, Schizophrenia: The Yang Project (2019) and Paranoia (2022). Verified associated recordings include Roy Hargrove/The RH Factor’s Hard Groove (2003), Strength (2004) and Distractions (2006), plus Snarky Puppy-related credits including Culcha Vulcha and Immigrance as reported in artist/booking biographies.
Jay McK / Justin “Jay Mack” McKinney: verified public credits include bass on Bobby Sparks II’s Paranoia material and Liv Warfield’s “Edge” (2023). Touring/live documentation also places him with Ghost-Note and Bobby Sparks II. No leader discography was verified from accessible public sources.
Keith Anderson: verified discographic credits include Les McCann’s Listen Up! (1995), The RH Factor’s Hard Groove (2003) and Distractions (2006), plus Bobby Sparks II’s Schizophrenia: The Yang Project and Paranoia contexts. Public artist biographies also list his own releases Diversity and Let’s Roll.
Cam Lee: no principal leader discography was verified from accessible public sources. Current live documentation verifies his guitar chair in Bobby Sparks II’s band and management material lists collaborations with Nile Rodgers and Musiq Soulchild.
DeAnthony McGee: no principal leader discography was verified from accessible public sources. Current live and ticketing documentation verifies him as EWI player in Bobby Sparks II’s band, with listed associations including Kirk Franklin, Michael McDonald, Joe Sample and Snarky Puppy.
Adarian Roberts: no principal leader discography was verified from accessible public sources. Current live documentation verifies him as drummer in Bobby Sparks II’s band, with public listings connecting him to Tye Tribbett, Kirk Franklin, Anita Baker, The Crusaders and D’Angelo.
CD REVIEW: Bobby Sparks II – Schizophrenia: The Yang Project — London Jazz News; Rob Mallows; 2019-03-04; https://londonjazznews.com/2019/03/04/cd-review-bobby-sparks-ii-schizophrenia-the-yang-project/ The review frames Sparks’ debut as a powerful double album of funk, jazz and fusion, praising the quality of the playing and collaborators while noting that a tighter edit would have made the work stronger.
Bobby Sparks II ‘Paranoia’ 3LP/2CD (Leopard) 4/5 — UK Vibe; Imran Mirza; 2022-06-17; https://ukvibe.org/album_reviews/bobby-sparks-ii/ The review treats Paranoia as a grand, all-encompassing funk-opera project, connecting it to Sparks’ Snarky Puppy and RH Factor background and highlighting its broad palette across soul, funk, jazz, gospel, blues, hip-hop and orchestral writing.
Bobby Sparks II – Paranoia — Jazz Views; George Cole; 2022-10-12; https://jazzviews.net/bobby-sparks-ii-paranoia/ Cole describes Paranoia as an ambitious, wide-ranging album with superb musicianship, noting Sparks’ affinity for 1970s synth technology, high-energy jazz-fusion workouts and a huge cast of leading players.
WAYNE KRANTZ SUGAR TRIO ft. Evan Marien & Josh Dion
AVAILABLE IN EUROPE 2025 | MARCH
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Line up
Wayne Krantz | Guitar
Steely Dan, Michael Brecker, Donald Fagen, Billy Cobham, Chris Potter, David Binney, Carla Bley, Keith Carlock, Tim Lefebvre, Pino Palladino, Vinnie Colaiuta, John Patitucci, Tal Wilkenfeld, Anton Fig, Jeremy Stacey, Paul Stacey, Gabriela Anders, Kenny Wollesen, Nate Wood, Henry Hey, Owen Biddle
Josh Dion | Drums
John Scofield, Wayne Krantz, Bill Evans, Chuck Loeb, Esperanza Spalding, Lucius, Chris Thile
Evan Marien | Bass
Tigran Hamasyan, Tim Miller, Virgil Donati, Elliot Moss, Justin Brown, Allan Holdsworth, Dana Hawkins, Fredrik Thordendal, Plini, Aaron Marshall, J3PO, Cory Wong, Zac Zinger, Button Masher, Miguel Atwood-Ferguson
WAYNE KRANTZ
Wayne Krantz was born in Corvallis, Oregon. He released his first album, Signals, in 1990, sporting an array of recognized jazz musicians such as Dennis Chambers, Don Alias, Anthony Jackson, and others. In 1992, he formed a trio with bassist Lincoln Goines and drummer Zach Danziger and recorded two albums with them, Long To Be Loose (1993) and 2 Drink Minimum (1995), a live album, and began playing regularly at the 55 Bar, a jazz club in New York City. In 1996, Krantz released an acoustic album with Leni Stern, dubbed Separate Cages. After playing with Steely Dan for several years, Krantz formed a new trio in 1997 with Tim Lefebvre on bass and Keith Carlock on drums; on June 28, 2007, he played his final regular Thursday night gig at New York’s 55 Bar. As of October and November 2018, he is playing regularly at 55 Bar again with a rotating cast of sidemen.
Wayne Krantz’s first three solo albums were released on the jazz label Enja Records. His next three albums, 1999’s Greenwich Mean, 2003’s Your Basic Live, and 2007’s Your Basic Live ’06 were all released from Wayne’s private website. Like 2 Drink Minimum, these albums are excerpts of various sets at the 55 Bar. These albums also include more use of effects pedals, and are more unscripted and improvised than the previous three. He contributed to Donald Fagen’s release Morph the Cat, and toured with Fagen’s band in early 2006. He was featured on tenor saxophonist Chris Potter’s 2006 release, Underground.
Wayne Krantz signed with record label Abstract Logix to release his first studio record in over fifteen years. Krantz Carlock Lefebvre (2009) features the core trio of Krantz, Carlock on drums and Lefebvre on bass. In 2012, Krantz released Howie 61 (a reference to Bob Dylan’s Highway 61 Revisited), which includes performances by Keith Carlock, James Genus, John Patitucci, Charley Drayton, Tal Wilkenfeld, Vinnie Colaiuta, Anton Fig, Yasushi Miura, Jeremy Stacey, Paul Stacey, Pino Palladino, Gabriela Anders, Kenny Wollesen, Nate Wood, Henry Hey and Owen Biddle. In 2014, Krantz released “Good Piranha/Bad Piranha,” a live-in-the-studio album featuring his two dominant trio combinations at the time: Nate Wood/Keith Carlock and Tim Lefebvre/Nate Wood. The bands each recorded the same four cover songs with radically different improvisational results.
Evan Marien is an award-winning bassist, composer, producer, author, educator, and 3D artist, born and raised in the cornfields of Decatur, Illinois. He graduated from Berklee College of Music in 2009 and has lived in the NYC area since 2010.
Known for his collaborations with drummer Dana Hawkins, he has also performed in the bands of Tigran Hamasyan, Wayne Krantz, Tim Miller, Virgil Donati, Elliot Moss, Justin Brown’s NYEUSI, and was the last bassist to perform in guitar legend Allan Holdsworth’s band.
His latest release, ‘Elysian’ features Dana Hawkins, Tigran Hamasyan, Fredrik Thordendal, Plini, Intervals, J3PO, Tim Miller, Cory Wong, Zac Zinger, Button Masher, and Miguel Atwood-Ferguson.
You can hear his bass playing on numerous albums such as Tigran Hamasyan’s “The Call Within,” Virgil Donati’s “In This Life,” and “Ruination”, and Steve Hunt’s “Connections”.
His playing can also be heard on the Mitski song ‘Nobody,’ for which he received a gold record for participating on the album ‘Be The Cowboy,’ as well as on the songs ‘Should’ve Been Me’ and ‘That’s Our Lamp’ from her most recent album, ‘Laurel Hell’.
In partnership with MadeMusicStudio, Evan has composed music for renowned brands such as AT&T, Lexus, and NPR. Most recently, he won a 2022 CLIO award for composing the sonic logo and anthem for Turner Classic Movies (TCM).
As an author, he has written numerous books about his distinctive Hexatonic method for the bass guitar, as well as created video courses describing his specialized right hand technique. His first book, ‘Transcriptions Vol. 1,’ was an Amazon Best Seller in its first week of release.
Evan is also a part-time faculty member at The New School in New York City, where he specializes in providing private lessons to the next generation of contemporary musicians.
Josh Dion was born at the tail end of the disco funk era, when popular radio bore the sounds of Quincy Jones, Michael Jackson, and ‘four on the floor’ drum beats! Raised in Storrs, CT, Josh started playing his father’s drums before he even started kindergarten. He grew up playing drums to the simple and beat driven sounds of Nick Mason and Ringo Starr. He also lived across the hall from his older brother, who not only followed the Grateful Dead, but introduced him to Cream at the tender age of seven. Rightfully so, Cream, Zeppelin and the Stones led Dion to Willie Dixon, Robert Johnson and beyond.
A prodigious talent, Josh started playing professionally at age eight and was invited to shed with the UConn Jazz Studies program by the time he was twelve. While he was impressing people with his percussion skills, he was playing piano and singing in his local church, developing talents which would eventually help him stand out even among the world class drummers in whose company he has now found himself.
After a stint in the music program at New Jersey’s William Paterson University, he has made New York City his home. Josh’s college days were greeted by an immersion in the Jam band scene with NYC funk band ulu, who toured the Eastern half of the US. Josh was soon noticed by jazz guitarist Chuck Loeb, who offered Josh an opportunity to be seen and heard by a whole new level of the music audience. From that platform, he has gone on to work with some of the major brand names of the music world: Candy Dulfer, Spyro Gyra, Will Lee, Pat Martino, Jeff Kashiwa, Jason Miles, Anthony Jackson, Edgar Winter, Randy Brecker, Bob James, Eric Marienthal, Til Bronner, Jim Beard, Ivan Lins and on and on.
Meanwhile, Josh Dion has been developing his solo career with the CD releases of the Josh Dion Band (www.joshdionband.net), their debut “Give Love” and the imminent “Josh Dion Band Live.” The Josh Dion Band has another studio release planned for early 2007.
“Give Love” was greeted with effusive praise by the UK’s Drummer magazine, who described it as “Brian Wilson meets Hall and Oates, with possibly Bruce Springsteen looking in and drums that sound like they were recorded at Muscle Shoals Studios. This is a collection of epic songs that build and move as songs used to in the old days when songwriters were exactly that and labels like Motown and Stax were market leaders…Great voice, great drums and great, great tunes…Dion is a young player that is going to create a very big impression indeed. Not only can this fella lay down a super funky beat, but he sings with a soulful voice that totally melts your mind…You are going to be hearing more from this extremely talented young musician…If there is any justice in this world, Dion will be huge.” YEAH!
Josh also enjoys nature-walking, driving, and attending history lectures.
GEAR LIST Absolute Maple Nouveau ABD-1518JF 18″x14″ ATT-1512J 12″x8″ AFT-1516 16″x16″ ASD-0545 14″x5.5″ MNS-1470EJ Elvin Jones Signature
Rachid Berazougui | Electric guitar, vocals Playing For Change (Live Outside); international festival circuits (EU/UK/NA)
Mustapha Aqermim | Rhythm guitar, backing vocals Collective songwriting; linguistic/organizational bridge in international collaborations
Abdelkebir Saadi | Bass, backing vocals Grounding rhythm section between Regaga and desert‑blues groove; full‑band live set
Abdelhafid “Hafid” Ami | Percussion (cajón/krakebs), backing vocals Polyrhythms and ritual patterns (Lkaaba) integrated into an electric set
Mohamed Sabir | Drums Drummer in the band’s amplified live configuration; adds a more driving full-kit pulse to the groove
Balkhir Razgui | Vocals, percussion (founder, in memoriam) Founding voice of the project (2014–2024)
Style
Tribal Fusion and Saharan Blues from the palm groves of Tagounite: desert‑guitar riffs, trance percussion and call‑and‑response that turn the stage into a shared rite.
Profile
Daraa Tribes formed in 2014 in Tagounite, an oasis town in Morocco’s Draa Valley: a group of friends from different tribes translating their home’s coexistence into sound. Their “blues of the desert” intertwines Gnawa, Sahraoui, Amazigh and Regaga idioms into a contemporary language—dry, hypnotic electric guitars, a pulsing bass, polyrhythmic percussion and multilingual chorus lines (Darija, Tamazight, Hassani). On stage the band builds by accumulation: circular grooves, minimal variation and tight interplay that draws the audience into a collective dance. After consolidating an international trajectory across festivals and clubs, Daraa Tribes have just wrapped up a UK mini‑tour (Bristol–London–Manchester), reaffirming the project’s high‑intensity live dimension.
Details
• Rachid Berazougui writes and sings part of the repertoire with a desert‑tone electric guitar that leads the set’s hypnosis. (“Immerse yourself in the rich tapestry of sound that is the heartbeat of Daraa Tribes.” Playing For Change, 2025-04-01)
• Mustapha Aqermim is a rhythmic and narrative engine: the band’s identity grew “in a circle,” without hierarchy, from sharing traditions. (“We didn’t plan to start a band. We just started playing together…” Matt Ross, Arab News, 2020-08-16)
• UK mini‑tour (just concluded): Jam Jar (Bristol, 2026-01-03), Hootananny (Brixton, 2026-01-07), Band on the Wall (Manchester, 2026-01-11).
• Sound imprint: desert‑guitar groove with a Gnawa edge—a writing approach that stays danceable even at its most ritual. (“…incorporate their Moroccan roots into a lilting groove… the edge of the North African Gnawa sounds.” Tony Benjamin, Bristol24/7, 2026-01-02)
Moroccan desert blues band Daraa Tribes releases their new EP Torat Vol. 1. It is the band’s third EP and third release with label Coral Riff Music.
‘Torat’ means ‘tradition’ in Moroccan Arabic and reflects the ancestral, traditional music that not only influenced this new release, but can be heard through traditional percussion and vocal styles in each song on the EP.
Songs like ‘Bshara’ and ‘Lghram’ come directly from traditional Hassania, Amazigh, and Daraoua ancestral customs found throughout southern Morocco and across North Africa.
This reflection and representation of traditional music is met with an eclectic modern blues/rock style apparent on each track. This is a continuation of Daraa Tribes efforts on each of the band’s previous releases to innovate upon ancestral cultural traditions, using them as a foundation for their creative process.
The band simultaneously released a lyric video for the song ‘Bshara’, translated into both Hassania Arabic and English. This song tells the story of the Aarib tribe, nomadic in origin, and their historical relationship with their surrounding environments. Major themes include a cultural, social, and economic importance placed upon camels, music customs performed by the tribal youth, and greeting other tribal members traveling from Afar. These themes are not just common among nomadic Hassania culture historically in North Africa, but are still very much part of modern cultural life in the Sahara desert of Morocco.
Joe Satriani, Steve Vai, Paul Gilbert, Guthrie Govan, Greg Howe, Eric Johnson, Zakk Wylde, Nuno Bettencourt, Richie Kotzen, Billy Sheehan
Nicolò Vese | Bass
Daniele Liverani, Federico Vese, Gabriele Bullita, Nico Di Battista, James Senese, Orchestra Sinfonica di Sanremo, Ne Obliviscaris, Caligula’s Horse
Giuseppe Risitano | Drums
Enrico Rava, Paolo Fresu, Stefano Di Battista, Fabrizio Bosso, Tullio De Piscopo, Maria Pia De Vito, Gianluca Petrella, Roberto Gatto, Danilo Rea, Rita Marcotulli
Style
Polyphonic jazz-rock where the electric guitar behaves like a full ensemble voice. Contrapuntal writing, modern harmony, odd-meter architecture and wide-screen dynamics. Virtuosity always serving form and narrative.
Profile
Daniele Gottardo Trio is built around a rare premise: the guitar is treated as orchestration. Gottardo’s writing layers melodic lead lines with inner voices, counterpoint and chamber-like voicings, then locks them into contemporary grooves where rock drive and jazz articulation coexist without compromise. The sound stays clear and composed even at high intensity—less a soloist with accompaniment, more three musicians sharing multiple roles at once.
That polyphonic idea extends to the rhythm section. Bassist Nicolò Vese expands the harmonic field through counterlines, register shifts and chordal color, moving between supportive foundation and melodic engine with a modern prog-fusion touch. Drummer Giuseppe Risitano completes the architecture with a contemporary-jazz approach to time and dynamics: a precise pocket when needed, open texture when the arrangement calls for air, and an instinct for shaping transitions as part of the form.
The band’s signature sits at the intersection of modern fusion and progressive attitude: intricate voicings, tight rhythmic design, and a cinematic sense of arc.
Recognition
Often cited as included by Steve Vai among the world’s “Top 10 Emerging Guitarists”, Daniele Gottardo has also been publicly singled out by Vai as a rare “blue-moon” discovery—and introduced as his “favorite new young guitar player.”
Details
Daniele Gottardo’s catalog is shaped by long-form composition for electric guitar, where orchestration, counterpoint, and modern harmony become structural elements. The writing favors clarity under pressure: layered voices and designed dynamics that keep dense material readable.
“Once in a blue moon… I come across a guitar talent that is truly stimulating to me… Daniele Gottardo is one of those people.” (Steve Vai, Vai.com, 2014-04-25)
Nicolò Vese approaches the bass as a shared-role instrument: opening harmonic space, doubling and counterlining with intent, shifting between foundation and thematic voice without breaking the groove.
Giuseppe Risitano balances precision and air: strong time feel when the architecture needs a spine, and elastic dynamics when the arrangement asks for depth and perspective.
Blue Salt Label: Daniele Gottardo Release date: 2022-05-27
The Little Match Girl (Orchestral Version) Label: Daniele Gottardo Release date: 2015-03-01
Quotes
“His technique is stunning… the harmonic/melodic atmospheres he creates have unique qualities.” — Steve Vai, Vai.com post, 2014-04-25 — https://www.vai.com/danielle-gottardo/
Danny Gottlieb, Pippo Matino, Nathan East, Verdine White, Andrew Gouche, Mel Brown, George Benson, David Garfield, Phil Palmer, Nicola Piovani, Steve Jordan, Will Lee, Oleta Adams, Oz Noy, Shawn Pelton
Etienne Stadwijk | Piano
Louis Sclavis, Michel Portal, Tigran Hamasyan, Manu Katché, Youn Sun Nah
Clint De Ganon | Drums
Michael Brecker, David Sanborn, Bob Mintzer, Paul Simon, Lizz Wright
A visionary, modern, and emotionally charged project, the Davide Pannozzo Trio blends the language of contemporary jazz with the deep roots of soul, blues, and Afro-American tradition, delivering a sound that is both authentic and strikingly relevant.
DAVIDE PANNOZZO – Guitar and voice A guitarist, composer, and producer based in New York City, Davide Pannozzo is widely recognized as one of the most influential voices in today’s guitar scene. His collaborations span a long list of music legends, including George Benson, David Garfield, Steve Jordan, Phil Palmer, Will Lee, Oz Noy, Nathan East, Verdine White, Mel Brown, and Oleta Adams. Pannozzo’s refined technique and soulful touch allow him to effortlessly bridge jazz, blues, fusion, and classical influences, forging a unique and immediately recognizable guitar language.
ETIENNE STADWIJK – Piano A Dutch pianist and keyboardist with Surinamese roots, Etienne Stadwijk is a prominent name on the international scene. Having performed and recorded with Michel Portal, Louis Sclavis, Tigran Hamasyan, Manu Katché, and Youn Sun Nah, he brings to the trio a lyrical, wide-ranging approach that draws from European jazz, world music, and electronic influences. His elegant phrasing and melodic sensitivity offer the perfect counterpoint to Pannozzo’s guitar, creating a musical dialogue rich in nuance.
CLINT DE GANON – Drums A world-class drummer, Clint De Ganon has worked with icons such as Michael Brecker, David Sanborn, Bob Mintzer, Paul Simon, and Lizz Wright. His mastery of groove and his ability to support with finesse or burst into virtuosic energy make him essential to the rhythmic balance of the trio. His playing is tight, inventive, and the beating heart of this project.
DISCOGRAPHY AND RELEASES Davide Pannozzo has released a number of critically acclaimed albums, earning praise from international media and radio airplay across Europe and the United States. Notable works include “Born Electric” (2017), recorded in New York with Will Lee, Steve Jordan, and David Garfield, and “Unconditional Love” (2019), an album that seamlessly blends jazz-blues tradition with modern textures, recorded between Italy and the USA. His EP “Blessed” (2021) further defined his artistic identity with standout tracks like “One Heart,” “Talk To Me,” and “Fallin’,” highlighting his talent as a songwriter who fuses technical brilliance with emotional depth. His releases are available on all major digital platforms, and many of his compositions have become staples for new-generation guitarists and instrumental music enthusiasts. With sophisticated arrangements, deep harmonic exploration, and lyrics that touch on universal themes, Pannozzo’s work is a powerful mix of authenticity and innovation.
A DISTINCTIVE ARTISTIC VISION The Davide Pannozzo Trio stands out for its original repertoire, drawing from the guitarist’s own compositions as well as reimagined classics from the Afro-American tradition. Each performance is a sonic journey combining jazz improvisation, musical storytelling, and refined interplay.
This project marks a new chapter in Pannozzo’s career—one that embraces mature and conscious writing while balancing accessibility and research, emotion and experimentation. The result is music that speaks to all audiences: profound, engaging, elegant, and alive.
ROOTED IN GREATNESS The trio’s sound is deeply informed by the personal and artistic history of its members. Pannozzo’s long-standing relationships with artists like Pippo Matino, Nathan East, Verdine White, Andrew Gouche, Steve Jordan, and George Benson, as well as his immersion in New York’s high-level music production scene, give the trio a signature touch shaped by direct exposure to some of the world’s most important musicians.
IMPROVISATION, RESEARCH, EMOTION Live performances are where the trio’s music truly comes to life. No concert is ever the same. Every show is a unique event shaped by real-time interaction among musicians, the acoustics of the venue, and the energy of the audience. The setlist evolves through original pieces, open improvisation, and moments of high emotional intensity.
Pannozzo’s playing merges seamlessly with that of his bandmates in a continuous flow that shifts between introspective ballads, tight grooves, meditative spaces, and collective virtuosity.
A TRIO FOR FESTIVALS, CLUBS, AND GLOBAL STAGES With its formal elegance, communicative strength, and emotional charge, the Davide Pannozzo Trio is ideally suited for leading stages in today’s international jazz and world music scenes. It’s a project designed for theatres, major festivals, sophisticated jazz clubs, and all venues seeking powerful, heartfelt, and authentic music.
Wayne Krantz was born in Corvallis, Oregon. He released his first album, Signals, in 1990, sporting an array of recognized jazz musicians such as Dennis Chambers, Don Alias, Anthony Jackson, and others.
Evan Marien is an award-winning bassist, composer, producer, author, educator, and 3D artist, born and raised in the cornfields of Decatur, Illinois. He graduated from Berklee College of Music in 2009 and has lived in the NYC area since 2010.
Josh Dion was born at the tail end of the disco funk era, when popular radio bore the sounds of Quincy Jones, Michael Jackson, and ‘four on the floor’ drum beats! Raised in Storrs, CT, Josh started playing his father’s drums before he even started kindergarten. He grew up playing drums to the simple and beat driven sounds of Nick Mason and Ringo Starr. He also lived across the hall from his older brother, who not only followed the Grateful Dead, but introduced him to Cream at the tender age of seven. Rightfully so, Cream, Zeppelin and the Stones led Dion to Willie Dixon, Robert Johnson and beyond.
