Gianni Gnesutta

Poco conosciuto al di fuori del nord-est d'Italia, "THE GIANNI FOUR"questo quartetto della provincia di Udine ebbe una buona attività concertistica, lasciando però solo due rari e bei singoli. I Gianni Four avevano un'ottima presenza live, basata prevalentemente su covers di brani stranieri, di gruppi come Deep Purple, Jethro Tull, Led Zeppelin. Il leader era il tastierista Gianni Gnesutta, il cui precedente gruppo si chiamava Gianni Quattro ed aveva realizzato un singolo nel 1965, Shany shake/Si può ancora per la Melody. Il nuovo gruppo fu attivo negli anni tra il 1968 e il 1973, ed entrambi i singoli uscirono per la piccola etichetta Unifunk che aveva realizzato nel 1971 I brani dei singoli dimostrano un ottimo livello tecnico, con l'organo Hammond, ed una buona voce sul resto, come nel brano in inglese I can' t satisfy you, ed il gruppo era anche in contatto con il produttore Carlo Alberto Rossi per realizzare qualcosa sulla sua etichetta Car Juke Box, ma non successe nulla. Dopo lo scioglimento Gnesutta Gianni e Luigi Tessarin (chitarrista cantante)hanno formato il gruppo jazz "Macedonia", che ha fatto molti concerti nel nord-est suonando anche con Billy Cobham. Gianni Gnesutta ha continuato a suonare nei piano-bar, pubblicando nel 2001 un CD intitolato "Flying with the piano" comprendente arrangiamenti per solo piano di celebri brani degli anni '60 e 70. Il bassista Albionte Tessarin è un insegnante di musica, mentre il batterista Bruno Perosa collaborò con il Banco del Mutuo Soccorso su Io sono nato libero trasferendosi poi in Germania dove ha suonato con i gruppi Bullfrog, Tritonus e Propaganda. (Gianni Gnesutta story) www.myspaceeditor.it Interview with Messaggero Veneto From the Gianni Four to the magic of piano (from Messaggero Veneto) Flying with the piano. Twelve pieces for the new millennium, with the revisiting of classical pieces such as Little wing by Hendrix, the Innocent Evasions by Battisti, Just the Way You Are by Billy Joel or Il Nostro Concerto by Umberto Bindi. Signed by Gianni Gnesutta, in other words one of the protagonists (not a survivor) of the Friulian Sixties and Seventies with the Gianni Four Group, a reference band for the ones who loved the rock music played by the Zeppelin and the Deep Purple. Today, Gianni is a quiet gentleman who loves quiet music and who denies nothing (the opposite…!), and who loves to play, constantly. - Gianni, why this record? - “The role of a quiet piano player is a role I’ve always liked. A music Pino Calvi’s style, of great class, which does not disturb and it is pleasant to listen to. Why this choice? Because these are the light music authors I prefer. Hendrix was a rock musician, but I enjoyed making an arrangement from one of his pieces to see how it would come out. I also put together some more recent things, such as Renato Zero’s, who, I believe, is a very good author. And then Gino Paoli’s: Il Cielo in una Stanza is an unrepeatable song. My arrangements are modern. There is not only the piano: in these years I have followed some music related computer courses achieving a master’s degree from home. - At this point of my career, I have thought that time had come to leave something good, especially to my sons, who didn’t follow my career, as they say that I was constantly away and too often far away from home. But, at the end, they understood my passion. And there is their presence in the record: actually, on the cover; the image was created by my friend, the artist Renato Glerean, my son Cristiano took care of the graphic part. I enjoyed making this record”. - Shall we recall your musical experiences? - “I have a rock music background, too! The rock performed in those days was the progressive one (Ian Anderson has been a teacher for me). Then, in the years of maturity—I wonder why?—you become more calm and reflexive.” - You have gone a long way. What’s left? - “With the Gianni Four Group, in 1973 and in 1975 we cut two records: they had a fairly good success. After that, as you know, with music you are constantly looking for something new. For a certain period of time, after the breaking-up and the arrival of the ballroom dance, which destroyed all rock groups. It was towards the first half of the Seventies: it was a hecatomb. I wondered what to do. I enrolled at the School of Music of Gorizia, even though I had already studied for eight years in Portogruaro. I took jazz courses, I met Glauco Venier, who impressed me. For four or five years with Luigi Tessarin I have played jazz music (with the Macedonia), with concerts around. I remember that Billy Cobham, who was in the area for some courses, liked our performance very much”. - What was Friuli, how were the young people, to make music, the places in those years Sixties and Seventies? How do you recall them? - “I’ve got beautiful memories, as young people were really open to new experiences. With the Gianni Four Group we cut two underground records, playing our pieces. Listen to Brano Triste. We were not composing many pieces. Young people were very careful and also rebel towards boring music, towards the Italian classic. Those were the years 1967 and ’68, after the Beat music.” - Who were the reference groups? - “The Deep Purple were our idols. The repertory of the Gianni Four Group was based, for a good part, on the music composed by its members. But also by Jethro Tull and Led Zeppelin”. - Difficult stuff to play, even because certain instruments were needed… - “We were the first ones in Italy to have the Marshall equipment, the “Rolls Royce” of amplifiers. I used to play on a Hammond B3 with the Leslie: it was a dream. And we were playing a lot in this Region.” - Who were the other musicians of the group? - “Luigi Tessarin, at the guitar, his brother Albionte at the bass (also music teacher); percussion players come and go: the first one was Diego Flaiban, who now teaches jazz music in Geneva; then Bruno Perosa who, after the breaking-up, became percussion player in two records cut by the Banco del Mutuo Soccorso”. - Relationships with other groups? - “Le Tigri of Gorizia, I Pitoni of Udine and Gli Upupa of Enrico Olivo: a great person. A lively and stimulating atmosphere difficult to find. Our records were going very well. The mythical Carlo Alberto Rossi had listened to them and he told us: ok guys, I’m going to produce you. Then, nothing happened.” - Would you go back? - “We were dreamers, but I would go back immediately”. ------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------

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