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Kategorie: Biography

Biography

„Not just one of the best German drummers – that’s bull****. Simply a worldclass drummer…“
(Richie Beirach)

Patrick Manzecchi has worked and toured with Sheila Jordan, Paolo Fresu, Richie Beirach/Gregor Huebner Trio feat. George Mraz, Barry Harris Trio, François Lindemann International Trio feat. Robin Eubanks, Teddy Edwards Quartet, Scott Hamilton, Harry Allen, Pee Wee Ellis & Fred Wesley (the original „J.B.Horns“) feat. Rose Ann Dimalanda (aka RAD), Harald Haerter’s „CatScan“ feat. Arthur Blythe, Cornelius Claudio Kreusch Trio feat. Bobby Watson, Lothar Kraft Project feat. Joe Magnarelli, Dick Oatts & Gary Smulyan, Mark Soskin, David Friedman, Gregoire Maret, Jimmy Woode, Reggie Johnson, Gregor Huebner Quintet feat. Tim Hagans & Harvie Swartz, Gary Barone Quartet, Vince Benedetti, Peter Madsen, Pierre Favre, Allan Praskin, Dusko Goykovich, Gianni Basso, Tom Banholzer Quintet feat. Joe Gallardo, Dan Barrett, Marian Petrescu Trio, Moncef Genoud Trio, Arkady Shilkloper, Sebastian Studnitzky, Sandy Patton, Lisa Bassenge Band, Anke Helfrich, Torsten de Winkel, Joo Kraus, Steffen Schorn, Olivia Trummer Quartet, Bernd Konrad (duo and band), Thomas Siffling feat. Lyambiko & Torsten Goods, Luluk Purwanto & René van Helsdingen alongside many more renowned German, Swiss, French, Italian, Austrian, British and Czech musicians in clubs and at festivals, and he’s recorded more than 50 CDs besides countless radio- and TV broadcasts as well as music for dance productions, theatre and film music. He has produced 6 CDs under his own name between 2000 and 2024, three of them nominated for the German Record Critics‘ Award: ‚Rectilinear‘ in 2017, ‚Talking To Myself‘ in 2022 and ‚Tenderly‘ in 2024 (he is also nominated with Alex Behning’s ‚Streunen Ohne Schnur‘ in 2020 and even won the Award with Dorothée Kreusch-Jacob’s ‚Sonne, Mond Und Abendstern‘ in 2017). Patrick runs his own concert series “Jazz im Kulturzentrum” succesfully in Konstanz since 2007. Besides that he teaches in Konstanz and in Kreuzlingen (Switzerland). „Jazz is my musical home“, he says in one of his interviews, „and I take my profession very seriously.“

„You really listen and do swing. Not that common anymore!“
(Sheila Jordan)

Patrick was born in Paris (F) in 1969. He is the son of Franco Manzecchi who was one of Europe’s most in-demand drummers of his generation (Chet Baker, Bud Powell, Eric Dolphy, Clark Terry, Dexter Gordon to name a few). The father tragically dies in 1979 after moving from Paris to Konstanz (D) in 1977 with his family. „The loss of my beloved daddy drove me to Jazz. Strangely enough, I immediately was attracted to the music and not necessarily to the drums at first“, says Patrick, and „Jazz was and is my solace, my sanctuary“. Nevertheless, the 10 years old son Patrick starts to play daddy’s drums, rather by coincidence, just for fun, and soon tries to copy what the drummers do he listens to. His love, his motivation indeed are not so much the drummers but the musical universe itself: Duke Ellington, Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie are his early heroes – a bit later, at age thirteen, John Coltrane, Thelonious Monk, Charles Mingus, Horace Silver, Miles Davis, Carlos Santana and many more join in. Patrick, at age fifteen and in the next years to come, discovers the world of Funk and Fusion like James Brown, Herbie Hancock & The Headhunters, Weather Report, Mahavishnu, Pat Metheny, Gino Vanelli etc. through the influence of best friend Laurent Galeazzi (1969 – 2016) who will become a sublime drummer himself. Same age, Ornette Coleman, Don Cherry, Eric Dolphy expand his musical perception he is more and more attracted to Controlled Freedom, Contemporary Jazz, Free Jazz and step by step to classical Music. Indeed, there’s no great music without great drummers. So, until now Elvin Jones, Tony Williams, Max Roach, Art Blakey, Kenny Clarke, Roy Haynes, Philly Joe Jones, Shelly Manne, Stan Levey, his father Franco Manzecchi, his buddy Laurent Galeazzi, Jimmy Cobb, Albert ‚Tootie‘ Heath, Vernell Fournier, Frankie Dunlop, Ben Riley, Alan Dawson, Sam Woodyard, Joe Harris, Billy Higgins, ‚Jabali‘ Billy Hart, Joe Chambers, Jack deJohnette, Al Foster, Peter Erskine, Ed Blackwell, Bill Stewart, Victor Lewis, Kenny Washington and Jeff ‚Tain‘ Watts remain under his favorite influences on the instrument. Other drummers from the Soul and Fusion era are Clide Stubblefield, Bernard ‚Pretty‘ Purdie, Nudgu Chancler, Steve Jordan, Narada Michael Walden, Billy Cobham, Graham Lear, Mike Clark, Kenwood Dennard, Dennis Davis, Alex Acuna, Vince Wilburn, Dennis Chambers, Simon Phillips, Steve Gadd and Jojo Mayer amongst others while some of the european Avantgarde drummers also have a deep impact on him like Daniel Humair, Tony Oxley, Han Bennink, Jon Christensen (who endows Patrick with his famous Gretsch drum set) and Pierre Favre (with whom he gives a couple of concerts). In his teens, he even manages to watch most of them in live which calls Patrick to be very decisive for him. He notes about his idols while interviewed: „It’s about personality!“

„Un batterista fantastico.“
(Paolo Fresu)

After graduating school Patrick begins his studies of languages (italian/french) but quits and finally opts entirely for Music after all those years. He’s freelancing quite a time and soon former Duke Ellington-bassist Jimmy Woode recognizes his undeniable talent and announces him funnily as „King of Schlagzeugwerk“ at concerts while worldwide renowned pianist Barry Harris (Dexter Gordon, Cannonball Adderley) adds the confirmation „You really know the stuff.“ after a remarkable one week stint together in 1999 – and it is exactly that year too that Patrick works for the first time with another mentor of him, the unmatched legend Richie Beirach (Stan Getz, Dave Liebman, Chet Baker) who calls him to be „the most talented drummer in Germany“ back then, what heavily motivates Patrick to go ahead and finally become a complete and professional drummer: he decides to visit the drum school „Drummer’s Focus“ in Stuttgart to learn how to read music although being completely self-taught. Patrick Manzecchi never stopped to grow musically ever since and has always appreciated to encounter new challenges – from all traditional Jazz forms over Free to Rock and Funk.

„You’ve got Funk!“
(Fred Wesley)

 

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