Our search for roman artists inevitably leads us to meet Francesca Romana Fabris, a genuine songwriter who lives between Rome and London, she writes all, music and words. Her songs, mostly in English, are written in a style that contaminates folk, pop and jazz with extensive use of improvisation.
Francesca Fabris has a strong folk and jazz background , she studied music in Italy at the St. Louis and the Testaccio School of Music (Scuola di Musica Popolare di Testaccio) ,and in London at Goldsmiths College.Up to now she has released five albums, two Irish and Balkan traditional music and three albums of original songs, including the latest So Close to You presented in Rome and London at the end of 2014.
She’s an independent artist, songwriter, guitarist, writer.
Her songs are folk-pop, influenced by latin rhythms, with large use of impro and some jazz arrangements.
She recorded his third album called So Close to You , ten original songs written, played and arranged by herself, and she presented it in Rome and London in october-november 2014, ten new tracks form folk to jazz.
Songs from this new album have been also included in these UK and US compilations: “You Won’t Put Me Down” , “Rainy DAy” and “Falling Down” in 2015 Factory Fast Record productions (New York); “Fly again” in “the best of Acoustic Cafè Show” 2014 (UK); “Everlasting Dream” in “Irish & Celtic Music” Alabhama 2014 (US)
for the song Fly Again she shot a music video in SIcily (april 2015) directed by Salvo Agria:
So Close to You is a very enjoyable album that truly brings the singer’s emotions to us and us closer to the singer, thanks to her original vibe, a mutual genuine feeling that vibrates between the notes.This album mixes jazz with other genres such as blues, folk, funk and a pinch of latin sound or even Balkan music.This release has already received rave reviews in Italy and UK, and the song Fly Again came into independent ranking MEI (for six weeks between 200 indie “like” in Italy), while some songs have been included in some American and British compilation: You Will not Put Me Down; Falling Down and Rainy Day in 2015 Factory Fast Record Productions (New York); Fly again in The Best of Acoustic Cafe Show 2014 (UK); “Everlasting Dream” in “Irish & Celtic Music” Alabhama 2014 (US)
The voice and the nylon strings guitar of Francesca are accompanied by different musicians: Mauro Gavini on bass, Osvaldo Costabile on violin, Mattia di Cretico on percussion, Gabriele Buonasorte sax, Mario Monterosso to the electric guitar, the trumpet Antonello Sorrentino. She wrote and arranged all the somgs also with the great ideas of all the musicians involved and in “You won’t put me down” the co-writing of Roger Cawckwell for the horns parts.
We conclude with the questions:
You have lived (or live?) In Rome but have traveled a lot: what is your relationship with the “eternal” city? I lived in Rome for many years, I studied, played and lived fully the eternal city.I love Rome, but I also hated it for its indolence and because, unfortunately, on the artistic point of view it doesn’t work very well, the exchange between artists-promoters or independent projects are not supported … the Roman public wants to be “addressed”to the artists to follow, abroad it is better from this point of view … Rome is a bit “crony” so you have to “get into the laps” … a historical problem – cultural … but every time I‘m far away from Rome for a long time, I have to come back, and fill my eyes with its beauty, and breathe it.My relationship with Rome, therefore, is fluctuating, but always passionate … like with a lover: although sometimes her indolence and its dynamics annoy me I always go back;) From the artistic point of view, what does it mean to you to be Roman? I think I said something in the previous answer … musically I grew up with traditional music, I love folk music, either Italian, Irish, Balkan … I played it for years and recorded albums of trad music with various band.I played in so many venues in Rome and also met great musicians. An important moment for my artistic and human growing were the years I spent at the Popular School of Music of Testaccio … years of study, then for a while teaching guitar to children-boys classes and later on a 5 years collaboration for a traditional Irish music festival which I designed, produced and directed from 2004 to 2008, bringing to Rome some of the best artists on the international scene, the Rome Irish Fleadh (Festival for lovers of Irish music including session, ceili, workshops and concerts, with the patronage of the Embassy of Ireland in Italy, Culture Ireland and the Municipality of Rome.).From an artistic point of view, so I can say I knew Rome quite well, both as a performer and as an organizer of musical events … and again I can say that I do not like patronage dynamics and this being a bit provincial of Rome, of the venues-promoters and even of the musicians themselves. Not everyone of course …. but it is for this reason that I left and wanted to to some experience abroad where there are other problems, but from an artistic point of view there is more openness, and freedom of judgment and more musical culture.In short, musically the public is more accustomed to the independent market. But now I’m back because basically I love my city and I see a little ‘artistic ferment has taken foot … so I throw myself back in the Roman nights and I go back to breathe the poetry of the eternal city.
Scuola Popolare di Musica di Testaccio
is a historic Popular Music School working in Rome, in the Testaccio area.è una storica scuola popolare di musica operante a Roma, nel quartiere Testaccio.
Piazza Orazio Giustiniani, 4, 00153 Roma
www.scuolamusicatestaccio.it
Tel: +39 06 575 9846
Other Projects?
I am also currently involved in traditional-folk music, mostly irish and balkan, and I have been performing for years all over Italy, in France, Luxemburg, Ireland and Portugal, mainly with two bands: Aòe brider and FIMM, with this last banbd I played in some of the most important folk festivals in Italy and abroad (Paleariza 3 editions, Irlanda in festa , 2 editions, FIMU belfrot-France 2 editions, Brintaal Celtic Festival, etc) and I composed and arranged tunes for the band’s album “Rooibos e Disappunti”
I am also a writer , always wrote poems and tales, published tales and a Novel in 2012: “Chiamalo Amore” , now available on AMAZON (only in italian at the moment..)
Other abstracts from her new album: :
RAINY DAY (pop-jazz):
EVERLASTING DREAM (celtic):
FALLING DOWN (live in London) (folk):
YOU WON’T PUT ME DOWN (funky):
Francesca Fabris You tube channel:
https://www.youtube.com/user/chiccafabris4
Website:
http://francesca-fabris.wix.com/francesca-romana
Facebook pages:
https://www.facebook.com/Francesca-Romana-Fabris-948669148534782/
https://www.facebook.com/Francesca-Romana-227845140563242
Igor W. Schiaroli is specialized in new media and technology. He has expertise in publishing and media sector. He is an independent journalist and a writer but primary a technologist and an economist too. He has passion and curiousity about science and travel.
He had major roles for Italian and International Media and Telecommunications companies.