Paolo Achenza, in love with the Fender Rhodes, can be defined the first artist of the Italian Acid Jazz and the first of the many musicians, such as Alberto Parmegiani, Gianluca Petrella, Gaetano Partipilo that Fez Scene from Bari, led by Nicola Conte produced during the 90’s.
His first recording dates back to 1994, an EP entitled “Introducing the Paolo Achenza Trio” a release with a Afro American Jazz funk sound and it is the manifesto of a new and unique current of the Italian Jazz. This debut recording will quickly become a cult on the international new jazz scene.
The first Album “Do It, was released in the fall of 1994, over 8.000 thousand copies sold all over the world. The album features the Afro-American Saxophonist Greg Osby who played in almost all the tracks.
Paolo Achenza Trio started touring in all over most important Italian cities and in Europe, Paris, London Geneva.
In 1997, his second Album “Ombre” was released, This recording includes a larger combo and experiments with new drum and bass rhythms blended with the jazz funk style, typical of Paolo’s music, creating classics such as “Samba Royale”, “Semplicissimo” and “Ombre”.
After “Ombre”, Paolo has been away from the musical scene for almost 15 years, with the exception of few partecipations in other musicians recordings.
However, he was not away from from music that continued to be the lifeblood of his spirit and when his longlasting friend Antonio Martino started running a new label A.MA Records he decided it was the time to go back to record new material. . In december 2014, the new born label released a vinyl 45 that included a cover of the excting song “ A Vida Em Seus Metodos Diz Calma” of the brazilian singer Di Melo revisited in a modern vein plus an original entitled “One for Little P” all produced under the careful and elegant direction of DJ/producer Gerardo Frisina.
This record was the prelude to his new album “Branches” released in June 2016 by A.MA Records that together with the same hellmarks of spontaneity and freshness shown in his past music offers a more conscious and mature sound and is enhanced the presence of Richard Sinclair (Caravan, Heathfield and the North, Camel) on the title track “Branches.
