Discography
Saxofollia feat. Fabrizio Bosso
2026
An album celebrating ten years of a project born from the meeting between Fabrizio Bosso and the Saxofollia Quartet, united by a shared musical sensibility and a profound artistic connection that finds its fullest expression in music.
The versatility of the four saxophones engages in dialogue with the trumpet, alternating refined chamber-music sonorities with the swinging atmospheres of the jazz tradition. The repertoire moves across different languages and musical worlds, from Thelonious Monk, Quincy Jones, Dizzy Gillespie and Benny Golson to the Brazilian choro of Jacob do Bandolim and the European jazz of Richard Galliano.
It is a meeting of tradition and innovation, discipline and freedom—a musical partnership that, after ten years, continues to reveal the strength of an authentic complicity, always capable of moving and inspiring.
Caruso
2022
For years, we have loved interpreting songs from the world of Italian popular music.
Following “Estate” and “E se domani”, on the tenth anniversary of Lucio Dalla’s passing, we wanted to pay tribute to him with a unique version of “Caruso”—one of the most significant songs by the Bolognese singer-songwriter, as well as a true gem of the Italian singer-songwriter tradition. The arrangement is, of course, by Roberto Sansuini.
Today, “with a little makeup and some mime,” we disguise ourselves once again—not as a string ensemble or a jazz quartet, but as a popular music group, leaving behind sterile debates about genres or so-called “serious” music.
With that said, we wish you an enjoyable listening experience and, of course, ciao Lucio.
Portraits
2021
The ensemble’s ninth album, this recording brings together years of the quartet’s research into sounds, musical materials and arrangements, in an attempt to reconcile the classical, chamber-music nature of the saxophone quartet with the instrument’s jazz soul.
If it is true that jazz is, first and foremost, improvisation, it is equally true that it contains beautiful compositions which, beyond serving as vehicles for improvisation, stand as works in their own right. This is precisely where Saxofollia’s work begins.
The portraits featured here are tributes to four great musicians: Cole Porter, Charles Mingus, John Coltrane and Gordon Goodwin.
Incontri
2018
An ambitious project in which the Saxofollia Quartet meets some of the most important contemporary soloists. We believe that musical encounters represent an opportunity for both artistic and personal growth for musicians, while allowing audiences to grasp the essence of this art on a deeper level—an art that, beyond being an expression of oneself, is above all about communication, sharing and breaking down barriers. The opportunities for encounters and collaborations have been countless and very different from one another, yet each has marked an important milestone in the quartet’s journey of growth. Every piece, every encounter, has been a moment of growth for the Saxofollia Quartet: each soloist has brought their own life experience and unique musical identity into the group, leaving a little of themselves within each of us. The constant changes in genre, instrumentation and ensemble, the ever-changing recording locations, and the different characteristics of each soloist have all been challenges that have contributed to our growth. Our greatest thanks therefore go to each and every musician who has chosen to share part of the journey with us. Incontri is a double CD collecting the tracks featured on the albums released online, “On The Reed”, “Into The Trumpet” and “Voice On Air”, with a few little surprises added along the way. To get a copy, you can contact us privately or come and see us at one of our concerts!
Siegfried Idyll
2017
Siegfried Idyll (in German, Siegfried-Idyll, WWV 103) is a chamber orchestra composition written by Richard Wagner in 1870. It was conceived as a birthday gift for his second wife, Cosima, in the year of their marriage, following the birth of their son Siegfried. The first performance took place as a surprise at the Wagner family villa, as Cosima awoke on Christmas morning in 1870, when she was also celebrating her thirty-third birthday. The Saxofollia Quartet therefore wishes to pay tribute to Richard Wagner with this transcription for five saxophones, arranged by Maestro Emilio Ghezzi. The single, released in July 2017 once again in collaboration with Chicco Montisano’s Trifonica label, features Massimo Ferraguti on soprano saxophone.
Voice On Air
2016
The Saxofollia Quartet continues to prove itself a prolific source of new recordings, bringing its trilogy of collaborations to a close with “Voice On Air”, an album dedicated to the human voice. The trilogy began with “On The Reed” (2014) and “Into The Trumpet” (2015). The EP, released in December 2016 once again in collaboration with Chicco Montisano’s Trifonica label, features six tracks in which the quartet is joined by three outstanding singers. Stefania Rava delivers masterful interpretations of well-known standards from the jazz tradition: “When I Fall in Love”, “Just in Time” and “I’ll Remember April”. Cristina Renzetti takes on “Carioca”, a song by Victor Youmans featured in the 1933 film “Flying Down to Rio”, starring Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. An album devoted to voices could not fail to include a tribute to Frank Sinatra, “The Voice”. The song chosen to commemorate him is “I’ve Got the World on a String”, with Walter Ricci—recent winner of the prestigious international “New Wave 2016” competition—delivering a superb interpretation of the melody. Perhaps the track that best captures the energy and flair for which the quartet’s members are known is “Buonasera Signorina”, in which the four saxophonists not only play but also launch into a lively and passionate a cappella performance. All the arrangements are original and were specifically conceived for Saxofollia: “I’ll Remember April” was masterfully reworked by Stefano Caniato, while all the other arrangements are by Roberto Sansuini, who for years has lent his expert artistry to the quartet’s reinterpretations. An album that brings together years of experiences driven by curiosity and a desire to collaborate with other artists—something Saxofollia pursues not only in the recording studio, but also in live performances.
Estate
2015
Four saxophones, four composers, four pieces that blend Western classical music and African-American music, performed with mutual respect and in keeping with the quartet’s distinctive style. The album opens with the extended “ELLING-TONES”, a tribute to Duke Ellington, the most authoritative bandleader and composer for jazz orchestra. The album features, among others, ever-wonderful pieces such as “Caravan” and “In a Sentimental Mood”, alongside a fresh, funky take on “Perdido” and a fugue-style “Cotton Tail”. Next comes “ESTATE” by Bruno Martino, a tribute to Italy and to the only Italian composer to have written a song that went on to become a jazz standard. The album’s title track is presented in an original and exciting arrangement by Stefano Nanni. A tribute to George Gershwin could not be missing: a classical musician who was among the first to bring the new sounds of jazz into the world of classical music. “SELECTION FROM PORGY AND BESS” is an arrangement by Bill Holcombe, presented in the rarely performed original version that calls for double bass alongside the saxophones, played here by the outstanding Fabio Uliano Grasselli. The album closes with a suite dedicated to Bill Evans, an adventurous explorer of new musical territory who always kept a close eye on the roots of African-American music. The suite also includes “Nardis” by Miles Davis and the complex “Five”. The album concludes with “Peri’s Scope”, arranged for eight saxophones, in which Saxofollia is joined by the Alter Ego Saxophone Quartet. “Estate” marks the beginning of a collaboration with the Trifonica label, producer of all the group’s albums, and with Roberto Sansuini, composer and friend who has been lending his expert pen to Saxofollia’s arrangements for years. On this album, he arranged the Ellington and Evans pieces.
Into the Trumpet
2015
“Into the Trumpet”: an entire album dedicated to the trumpet and to trumpet players. Following the reed instruments, the saxophone quartet is now joined by the trumpets of Andrea Giuffredi, Flavio Boltro, Francesco Lento, Franco Capiluppi, Marco Pierobon, Matteo Beschi and Stjepko Gut. The repertoire is varied and specifically designed to highlight the distinctive qualities of each soloist. All the arrangements are by Roberto Sansuini, professor at the “A. Boito” Conservatory of Music in Parma.
Each piece, in its new form, becomes a world of its own, a defined musical space in which the sounds, virtuosity and harmonies of the solo trumpets can be appreciated, supported by the warm, cohesive sound of the saxophone quartet.
“Into the Trumpet” is therefore the second album in a broader project through which Saxofollia opens itself up to other musicians, starting from the belief that music can bring people together: bringing audiences and performers together so that they can enjoy and experience music side by side, having fun.
Because through enjoyment, it is possible to access the more sophisticated qualities of music and appreciate all its nuances, including its most refined and erudite aspects.
Vissi D'Arte
2014
Giacomo Puccini passed away on November 29, 1924. With this single, the Saxofollia Quartet wishes to pay tribute, on the 90th anniversary of his death, to the Tuscan composer, one of the most revolutionary figures of his time.
Among other things, Puccini was the first composer in Italy to include the saxophone in the instrumentation of an opera, “Turandot”, where it serves as a melodic tuning reference during the children’s chorus.
On the Reed
2014
“On The Reed”, literally “On the Reed”. The title itself already reveals much about this new project, which sees the quartet joined by five outstanding soloists, all playing reed instruments: Federico Mondelci and Mario Marzi on saxophones, Corrado Giuffredi on clarinet, Luca Vignali on oboe, and Stefano Franceschini on bass clarinet. With this project (2014), Saxofollia confirms itself as a first-rate ensemble capable of combining vitality with elegance, musicality with eclecticism. All five soloists are outstanding musicians who master their instruments without ever regarding technical skill or virtuosity for its own sake as an end in itself, but simply as a means of expressing music, art and life itself.
Like Strngs
2011
“Like Strings” is an original project in which the saxophone quartet ideally takes the place of a string quartet or string orchestra in three works from the repertoire of great composers of the classical tradition: Mozart, Mendelssohn and Cimarosa. Mozart’s Clarinet Quintet in A Major, K. 581 features Massimo Ferraguti, professor at the “A. Boito” Conservatory of Music in Parma. Luca Vignali, principal oboist of the Teatro dell’Opera di Roma orchestra, performs Domenico Cimarosa’s Concerto for Oboe and String Orchestra in C Major. Finally, to give the quartet itself the opportunity to take centre stage, the programme includes Mendelssohn’s Capriccio for String Quartet, Op. 81, divided into two contrasting sections: a melancholic Adagio and a driving fugue.
The arrangements were created with the utmost respect for the original writing. The transcriptions of the Mozart and Mendelssohn pieces were made directly by the quartet’s members, while for Cimarosa’s work they drew on the expertise of composer Roberto Sansuini, professor at the “A. Buzzolla” Conservatory of Music in Adria.
“Like Strings” is a project that aims to showcase the quartet’s experience of collaborating with outstanding soloists over the years, while rediscovering the versatility of the saxophone as an instrument with a powerful and distinctive solo voice, yet equally capable of accompanying other instruments, taking the place of a subtle but compelling string orchestra.
Omaggio a Jean Françaix
2000
The ensemble’s first studio album, featuring works by J. Françaix, D. Scarlatti, G. Gershwin, N. Rota and R. Sansuini.