Alessandro Bertozzi was born in Busseto, Italy, and currently lives in Roncole Verdi, near Parma. He became interested in music at a very early age and was pushed by a local musical director to develop his love of it. He began by studying the clarinet and saxophone and then enrolled in the Scuola di Liuteria in Cremona (famous for its Stradivarius violins), where he learned to construct stringed instruments.
In the meantime, Bertozzi started playing in local bands and orchestras, showing more and more interest in performance and composition. This led to various collaborations with local studios, recording his music and that of others, finding his own distinct and unique voice. He also gained valuable experience on the road, touring internationally.
Playing in various groups and gigging around Europe convinced him to abandon his interest in making musical instruments. He decided once and for all to make music instead, focusing on the study of different instruments and melodic composition in particular. To this day, besides playing the alto sax (as well as the soprano and tenor), he also manages the arrangements of his musical projects and their production.
Bertozzi’s first CD as solo artist and composer was Big City Dreamer, recorded in Italy in 1998 with the collaboration of exceptional Italian talent, including Alberto Tafuri. A mixture of Jazz, Fusion and catchy melodies, it attracted the attention of critics and listeners.
In his quest for finding new sounds and gaining more experience, Bertozzi decided to study Latin-American music, taking lessons from Paquito D’Rivera.
He left for New York in 2003 to work on his second solo CD project, Talkin’ Back. It involved collaboration with some very important American musicians, including Bob James and Hiram Bullock. The CD offered two songs sung by Paola Folli and another produced in Los Angeles with Joe Vanelli (Eyes). Talkin’ Back carried on from where Big City Dreamer had left off, creating an aggressive Funky-Fusion rhythm section accentuated by inspired melodies and evoking sensuous atmospheres.
The collaboration with Hiram Bullock led to the “Talkin’ Back Tour”, a series of live concerts performed from 2004 to 2007 that eventually took Bertozzi and Bullock to the Blue Note in New York City.
During an interview, Bertozzi declared to a journalist, “We are always looking for something new, working openly somewhere between Jazz and Funky. For my next CD, I’d like to give a more defined sound to my compositions, collaborating at the same time with great artists so that each brings his or her contribution to the project.”
In 2009, Bertozzi frinished recording his next CD, Crystals, a culmination of experience and musical talent that went in this direction. Produced by Bertozzi’s good friend and bass player, Lorenzo Poli, so that he could focus more on writing, Bertozzi got together with artists of international acclaim, including John Patitucci, Randy Brecker and Hiram Bullock (who lent his deep, resinous voice to the only sung tune on the CD before dying tragically on 28 July, 2008), in an effort to give his compositions a new and exciting feel. The project includes a horn section and string orchestra, creating a sound that is rich and varied.
A live concert was held in Berlin to announce the release of Crystals during JazzKomm 2010.
Bertozzi is also Artistic Director for his record label, Level49. He plays a Yamaha Custom YAS-855, bothwhile gigging and recording.
Alessandro Bertozzi has collaborated creatively with, among others:
John Patitucci, Randy Brecker, Hiram Bullock, Joe Vannelli, Bob James, Paquito D’Rivera, Lorenzo Poli, Andrea Braido, Beppe Cantarelli, Gianni Bella, Marcella, Paola Folli, Fiordaliso, Enrico Ruggeri, Andrea Mingardi, Beppe Grillo, Drupi, Ivana Spagna, Marco Masini, Alessandro Errico and Etnorchestra.
He has performed with:
Lorenzo Poli, Alberto Tafuri, Marco”Nano”Orsi, Alfredo Golino, Francesco “Pancho” Ragonese, Eric Marienthal, Pino di Pietro, Lorenzo de Finti, Nicolò Fragile, Mario Zara, Enzo Zirilli, Claudio Borrelli, Franco Cristaldi, Giovanni Guerretti, Alberto Rocchetti, Erminio Cella, Giovanni Giorgi, Giorgio Di Tullio, Francesco Corvino, Matteo Frigerio, Adriano Pedini, Riccardo Fioravanti, Luca Scansani, Andrea Carpena, Chicco Gussoni, Cristiano Maramotti, Mario Chiesa, Michele Bianchi, Alberto Venturini, Daniele Moretto, Alessio Nava, Gianni Azzali, Mattia Cigalini, Davide Ghidoni, Sandro Comini, Beppe di Benedetto and Donald Castagnetti, not to mention numerous jam sessions both in Italy and abroad.