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Alex Milella
guitar
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   Arranger Guitarist and musical Programmer, starts at the
age of 6 studying classical piano; at the age of 13 he moves on the guitar, in a
private school, to keep up later as a self-taught, with several "live"
experiences in the clubs of his home town. Around the age of 18 he perfected
himself in his musical studies with jazz and modern harmony, following the
specialization classes of Siena Jazz
with teachers such as Tomaso Lama, Amedeo Tommasi, Giancarlo
Schiaffini, Marcello Piras, and also with the great American
guitarist Mick Goodrick.
In July '95 he achieved the
technical diploma of Musical Composition, Arrangement and Programming at the
Department of New Technologies of the Higher Musical Specialization School of
Saluzzo, managed by Corrado Buffa, and assisted by teacher such as
Emanuele Ruffinengo, Marti Jane Robertson, Gianni Nocenzi,
Giancarlo Gazzani.
He worked together with several line-ups and with musicians such as:
Crystal White, Cheryl
Porter and Bobby Durham (along with the band
"Black & Blues" in the first edition of the "San Nicolas Gospel Festival");
Artur Miles – a relative of Wes Montgomery (with the band "Melting Pot");
Jurgen Seefelder (with the "Variabile Jazz Orchestra" of the Piccinni
Conservatoire of Bari); Jenny B. (with the Bari Province's Symphony
Orchestra" for the rock opera "Jesus Christ Superstar"); Luca Cacucciolo,
Claudio Colasazza, Nico Marziliano, Davide Santorsola, Pierluigi
Balducci, Giuseppe Bassi, Vito Di
Modugno, LeoPoldo
Sebastiani, Fabio Accardi, Giuseppe
Berlen, Mimmo
Campanale, Pippo D'Ambrosio, Michele Di Monte, Guido Di
Leone, Michele Carrabba, Felice Mezzina, Rocco
Ventrella.
He's been teaching for fifteen years as guitar teacher, jazz harmony,
dialectics in modern improvisation, history of Rock and computer music, and he
he's been cooperating for five years with "Il Pentagramma", one of the biggest
and well known Italian music schools.
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Alex you are a VERY talented and obviously a
super-guitarist!!! This, in and of itself, was a huge accomplishment!!!
Congratulations from me!!!
Steve Khan
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From NbM, we introduce you a young
italian fusion guitarist that plays like Allan Holdsworth and Scott Henderson,
and dedicates them two tracks played as their style. For who loves this kind of
music, a revelation not to miss. Alex Milella axe-man, an outstanding Italian
musician feat. Pierluigi
Balducci, Giuseppe Berlen, Luca Cacucciolo, Beppe Sequestro, Roberta
Carrieri, Michele Carrabba, Davide Santorsola.
IRD
News
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Blues on the night: "Alex Milella
Blues Quartet"
In a joint work with Jazzitalia and Dixieland Events
presents on Friday the 4th of March 2005 at
9:30 pm. the Alex Milella's Blues Quartet.
"Alex is VERY talented and
obviously a super-guitarist!!!" This is what Steve Khan cried out listening to
Alex's record. A night of blues with energy at top level thanks to music by
Robben Ford, Stevie Ray Vaughan and Jimi Hendrix.
The quartet, besides the
famous Alex Milella, acknowledged by the critics as one of
the best European guitarists, is made by Mino Lionetti (voice and
harmonica), Ernesto Losavio (electric bass) and Paolo Galante
(drums).
www.jazzitalia.net/viscomunicato.asp?ID=4155
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REVIEWS:
Light Shades: the great debut album of a
talented new italian guitarist
Alex Milella has faced this first
composition and execution performance with great competence and control of the
instruments of a musician. He is able to give warmth and enthusiasm, not a
simple thing to do in the realm of a musical genre where it's easy to fall in
technicalities for the sake of it.
From www.allaboutjazz.com
(USA)
http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/news.php?id=3918
One often has to wonder at an
artist's musical choices, where they might have gone had they taken a different
path.
Fusion guitarist Scott Henderson, following his landmark record,
Tribal Tech, turned his back on more complex composition, going instead
for a more improvised concept where tunes evolved out of lengthy jams. Likewise,
guitarist Allan Holdsworth, while as harmonically unique as always, has
in recent years eschewed the more overtly lyrical compositions of albums
including "Wardencliffe Tower" and "Secrets", going instead for the more
abstruse compositions and oblique solo style of "Sixteen Men of Tain" and the
live recording "All Night Wrong". Now Italian guitarist Alex Milella,
with Light Shades, tries to shed light on where these two artists would
be had they gone for more evolutionary development rather than revolutionary
change.
While Milella's playing style is unapologetically rooted in the work
of both Henderson and Holdsworth, with a smattering of Frank Gambale
thrown in for good measure, he's still his own man. Although the opening track,
"High Pressure" with its unison riff, synth pads and jazz harmonies, clearly
shows what might have happened had Scott Henderson continued with the
direction of Tribal Tech, Milella's approach is less orchestral, and less
overtly influenced by Joe Zawinul's synthesizer textures. And while
Milella clearly has chops to burn, he's less concerned with putting them on
display, going instead for solos which tell compelling stories. Likewise,
"Signal for Scott" is an unabashed homage to another Tribal Tech track, "Signal
Path" but Milella's writing and playing is more controlled than Henderson's,
which is sometimes the epitome of reckless abandon "Allan's Worth", with its
chorused chordal theme and legato solo phrasing, demonstrates Milella's debt to
Holdsworth. But, again, where Holdsworth sometimes leans to excess - but oh,
what beautiful excess! - Milella remains more in control. What is great to hear
is the combination of legato lines with tasteful whammy bar bends, something
Holdsworth hasn't done in years.
While Milella is unapologetic about his
musical influences, there are signs of an emerging voice. "Orient Express"
begins with a simple acoustic guitar, before developing into a nine-minute
tour-de-force that has, in its simplicity and air, a certain Mediterranean
flavour. Keyboardist Luca Cacucciolo, bassist Pierluigi
Balducci and drummer Giuseppe Berlen provide just the right support,
fervent at times, but never losing site of the groove.
Light Shades is, quite
simply, a remarkable pedal-to-the-metal first release from Alex
Milella, a fusion guitarist who may wear his influences on his
sleeve today but, given time, will surely evolve into a personal player with his
own distinct voice.
John Kelman for www.allaboutjazz.com (USA)
http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=14403
This Country is teeming with talents
that, with the passing of years, have shortened the distances with the "Saints"
of the other side of the Ocean. Alex Milella, a guitarist born in Bari,
doesn't keep away from this reality, making us a present with Light
Shades (NbM) a début CD of unquestionable class and maturity, rich
with Holdsworthian reminiscences, in a synthesis with a home-grown melodic vein
and the cold currents of the complex harmonic patterns. Alex' Steinberger GL,
switched off, introduces "High Pressure" that declares the aforementioned
intentions, pressing close to a style similar not to the inflated Holdsworth as
author of the masterpiece "Metal Fatigue", but to the more recent "Hard Hat
Area". The good old Milella keeps from the Allan the harmonic textures and the
improvisation fantasy thick with out notes and never ending legatos, but keeps
the distance from it for an inclination to the sanguineous wickedness of the
blues, and a marked melodic taste.
The acoustic guitar that introduces
"Orient Express (Chinese Way)" lets us foresee that Alex definitely doesn't
despise more aggressive solutions.
The singing of Roberta Carrieri in "Inside
You (Prelude)" further customizes Milella's production, and enriches the tune
with tasty voicings played with swell volume. "Allan's Worth" is clearly a
tribute to the artist, and Alex draws out all of his melodic-harmonic
preparation to go after a tune absolutely worthy of the master.
"Signal for
Scott" is the second "dedication" of the CD and declares the other great passion
of Milella: Scott Henderson. But regarding this musician, we can say that
in his way of playing emerge many tracks of very good guitar culture, from Duane
Allman to John McLaughlin to Bill Frisell, all processed and worked out
with refined style and technique, sparkling and definitely personal.
The
record keeps flowing until "Alti e Bassi", tribal and atonal, almost hypnotic;
"Before The" takes the streets sounds and then moves the focus with complex
harmonic drawings. "Light Shades", "Oversteppin" and "Inside You" seal a record
with sounds maybe a little dated, but for sure extremely well made and a must
for all the enthusiasts, that sheds a light on a very good composer and a new
great Italian guitarist.
Gianluca Russo for AXE Magazine
www.axwmagazine.it (Italy)
http://www.alexmilella.com/axe.pdf
A lot of musicians are quite
sensitive when it's about supposed influences, afraid as they are to be called a
clone or unoriginal. Apparently Alex Milella from Italy hasn't got any
troubles with that, since he placed with Allan's Worth and Signal For Scott a
tribute to Allan Holdsworth and Scott Henderson respectively on his
solo-debut Light Shades. Especially the work of the latter leaves its traces in
most of the other tracks too, which is being expressed by many virtuoso though
melodic joyous guitar-solos, full of syncopate attacks which are typical for
Tribal Tech records like Nomad and Illicit. But it would be going too far to
call Millela a clone. His compositions have an own character for sure, by which
the exciting structure, the accompaniment of bass and drums which are
substantiating the sphere and the refreshing keyboard-play produce an hour of
sparkling jazz-rock.
Two songs (the mentioned Signal For Scott and
Oversteppin') are being adorned by catchy saxophone-play which causes driving
impulses, comparable with Steps Ahead and Weather Report, while the heavy
themes in Overstepping, furiously played by guitar and saxophone, equal Mike
Stern collaborations with Bob Berg
and Bob Malach. For more modest moments Milella lets Roberta Carrieri sing the
floating melody of part one of the two-piece Inside You, while he himself lifts
this melody into great heights in the second part, which closes the album.
Another two-piece is being formed by Before The … and … Light Shades, in which
part 1 forms an introvert, partly acoustic introduction on the title-track. In
this track Milella produces a different tone, which has more similarities with
the unique sound of Shawn Lane. Bassist Pierluigi
Balducci and drummer Giuseppe Berlen also get the space to exhibit
themselves solo, while the climax is partly being shaped by a strong
guitar-loop. A crystal-clear production makes this catchy piece of work
complete.
René Yedema per iO Pages www.net4u.nl/io/index.html
(Olanda)
http://www.therealallanholdsworth.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1740&start=25
Bari Hi-End 2004
The evening concert is dedicated to the
presentation of the first work as a leader from Alex
Milella, talented guitarist from Bari, always in search of new
sonorities and new musical frontiers. His style takes from Allan Holdsworth and
Scott Henderson. But for goodness' sake he's not a clone neither of the
former nor of the latter. His improvisation ability can be found whole also in
the compositions and the arrangements, signed by the Barese guitarist. Milella
performed with the harmonic/rhythmic trio that supported him in the recording
studio, made by Pierluigi
Balducci at the electric bass, Giuseppe Berlen at the drums, and
Luca Cacucciolo at the Fender Rhodes. The topping of this rich quartet
were the wrapping licks of Michele Carrabba's sax. Milella's sound is
explosive, to say the least, his solos are never affected, but always
meaningful, and gifted with a unique brand. "Light Shades" (the title of his
first release, label NbM) is played fully. It's involving both in its most
soloist aspects that in the ensemble ones that put the focus on a good amalgam
formed mostly in the recording studio. The first live performance of the
quartet-quintet (Carrabba is a very welcome guest, also in the album) arouses
the enthusiasm of the large audience attending the show.
The program,
properly organized, also provided for a workshop by Outline, held on Sunday the
28th of November. The work of research, sorting and coordination by Fabio
Valenza's Pro.box, granted us to see and hear musical, technical and
programmatic paths at peak level. How too often it happens, and I apologize for
being repetitive, I hope that these initiatives could draw more and more the
attention of both the media and the local institutions.
Alceste Ayroldi
for jazzitalia.net (Italy)
http://www.jazzconvention.net/articoli/articolo122.html
Though Alex Milella is a relatively unknown musician, he is one of
many artists today that deserve more attention. Lightshades is Fusion at it's
best. The CD is filled with music that is complex yet not to "formulary" (as one
ProGGnosis member says in describing so many fusion albums these days).
Many
fusion releases end up sounding very similar to one another in the opinion of
this review and so I find it refreshing to hear something original and and
obligation to report to you on it. Lightshades is one such original album. The
influances are there of course - who can't hear them in almost any genre and
artist today? But the team of Pierluigi
Balducci on bass, Giuseppe Berlen on drums, Luca Cacucciolo
on keys and guests on various other tracks all do a great job of making this a
very synergistic album.
This is simply a fantastic CD. Alex where have you
been hiding? Ok, I'm not the best person to describe a CD intricately by pulling
it apart bit by bit. I just know what I like and this is definatly one of my
favorites for 2004. I hope to hear more very
soon.
Larry Marchiony per proggnosis.com (USA)
http://www.proggnosis.com/MUSIC_DBCDInfo.asp?txtCDID=13318
INTERVIEWS:
 Jazzitalia
Interview (by Alceste Ayroldi)
AXE Interview (by Gianluca
Russo)
Interview with
Scott Henderson by Alex Milella for Jazzitalia
OTHER LINKS:
http://www.apopsy.gr/t_147/music.htm
(Review by Vangelis Aragiannis)
http://stage.vitaminic.it/main/alex_milella
http://truthinshredding.blogspot.com/2005/05/alex-milella-distance-and-desire.html
http://www.jazzconvention.net/italianconvention/italianconvention4.html
http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/entity.php?id=5445
(American Web Radio)
http://members.home.nl/m.dam/
(Dutch Web Radio - go to Archive and choose February month 2005)
http://www.bitches-brew.com/Playlists/playlist041204.html
(Australian Web Radio)
Per contatti e informazioni:
Alex
Milella
email: management@alexmilella.com
web: www.alexmilella.com
This page has 6.162 hits
Publishing Date: 30/06/2005
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