Raffaele Casarano

The Italian saxophonist Raffaele Casarano, one of the leading figures of Italy's new generation of jazz, performs on 9 November at Sala Villanos as part of the Villanos de Jazz series and the new edition of JAZZMADRID, EL Festival Internacional de Jazz de Madrid. In this concert he revisits the most representative compositions of his career and previews his next album, due in early 2027.

Born in Salento, in southern Italy, Raffaele Casarano is a saxophonist, composer and producer. His musical approach combines the roots of his native land with the influences of the African-American tradition and contemporary sounds, creating a personal language open to dialogue between different musical cultures.

Over the course of his career he has collaborated with international artists such as Richard Bona, Sting, Noa, Nguyen Le, Rhani Krija, Nicolas Vicaro and Paolo Fresu, who brought him onto his record label, Tuk Music. He has also toured extensively in Africa, Brazil, South Korea, Russia and Europe, taking part in projects such as the Sounds of Mirrors Tour, alongside Dhafer Youssef, and the Unstatic Tour, with Manu Katché.

His discography includes seven albums as leader and more than a hundred recordings in which he has taken part as co-leader or collaborator.

On this new European tour, Casarano revisits some of his most celebrated compositions and announces his next recording, which will be released in spring 2027 by ECM, the prestigious German label run by Manfred Eicher and a benchmark of international jazz.