Colla Parte

“Colla Parte…bridges beautifully the territory between jazz and contemporary art music, a sort of free jazz improvisation taking the form of chamber music. “ Ettore Garzia, Percorsi Musicali

Daniel Barbiero - double bass
Perry Conticchio - woodwinds, percussion
Rich O’Meara - vibes, marimba, percussion

Colla Parte – loosely translated, “with the lead voice” — is an instruction for accompanists to follow the lead of a solo performer. Colla Parte the ensemble brings together three musicians with deep backgrounds in jazz, classical and contemporary art music to create a unique form of improvised chamber music combining elements of contemporary art music and jazz.

Drawing on a broad palette of instrumental color, the ensemble’s winds, double bass and mallet percussion interweave in a free counterpoint of constantly changing lead and counter-lead voices— a braiding of melodies around each other in improvised polyphony moving from expressionistic intensity to reflective introversion and back again. The result is a stimulating sound environment as lyrical as it is challenging.

Recorded on Dec. 7, 2024

Streaming Cost: $15
Link will remain active for one week

Donations welcome

About the Musicians

Perry Conticchio has been playing professionally for over 50 years in every genre. In the mid-seventies, Perry moved to Washington, DC and became an established figure in the “NEW” music scene, with masters of the art Don Cherry, Anthony Braxton, Sam Rivers and many others. In the 90’s Perry led the successful jazz quartet, Clarity. Since then he has been writing, performing under his own name in multiple ensembles. Perry’s most recent solo release, Speak Your Truth, a straight ahead jazz album consisting of primarily original compositions, was broadcast and well received throughout the world. http://www.perryconticchio.com

Rich O’Meara is most known for his compositions for marimba and percussion that are performed throughout the world. His work has been featured on the NPR program “New Sounds”, the PBS documentary “The Music Instinct, Science and Song” and can be heard on the Audite, SubGeranium, Cybele, Animato, Codamusic, and Koch Discover International record labels. He gave a master class and concert of his works at the Eighth International Festival of Percussion in Argentina and has received four ASCAP Plus awards. His solo album, Red Chard, features music for solo marimba, chamber percussion works, electronic music, and improvisation. richomarimba.com

Double bassist Daniel Barbiero has been active in experimental and improvised music in the Baltimore-Washington area for several years as a performer, composer and bandleader. His music reflects his long-standing engagement with scalar and free improvisation, aleatory and graphic composition and contemporary extended string technique. He is the author of As Within, So Without, a collection of essays on modern and contemporary art, music, and literature published by the Arteidolia Press. https://danielbarbiero.wordpress.com