Draft:Mamud Band
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Mamud Band is an Italian Afro-funk ensemble founded in Milan in the mid-1990s by percussionist and composer Lorenzo Gasperoni. Over more than thirty years of activity, the group has released seven studio albums and collaborated with internationally recognised artists including trumpeter Lester Bowie, drummer Tony Allen, and saxophonist Idris Ackamoor. The band's music draws on West African rhythmic traditions, funk, jazz, dance music, and electronic textures.
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History
Formation and early years (1994–1998)
Mamud Band was founded in Milan in the mid-1990s by percussionist Lorenzo Gasperoni. The group developed a sound rooted in Afrocentric rhythmic structures while incorporating elements of jazz and funk. In 1997, the band was selected to perform at the Biennale dei Giovani Artisti dell'Europa e del Mediterraneo (BJCEM) in Turin, an international festival held under the patronage of the Council of Europe and the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and awarded the Targa d'Argento of the President of the Italian Republic.[1]
In 1998, the band released Amore Pirata on il manifesto, featuring trumpeter Lester Bowie of the Art Ensemble of Chicago as a guest artist.[2] The album featured a large ensemble including several musicians who would go on to prominent careers in Italian jazz, among them trombonist Gianluca Petrella, saxophonist Guglielmo Pagnozzi, and pianist and composer Nicola Tescari. The collaboration with Bowie — one of the central figures of the AACM and of the broader free jazz and avant-garde tradition — marked a significant moment in the band's trajectory and contributed to its visibility in the Italian and European independent music scene.
Evolution and international collaborations (1999–2021)
In subsequent years, Mamud Band expanded its network of international collaborators. The group worked live with drummer Tony Allen, widely regarded as the co-creator of Afrobeat alongside Fela Kuti.[3] Further collaborations included Ivorian choreographer Jerald Dibi, Burkinabè percussionist Harouna Dembele, and Cuban drummer Rodney Barreto. Over the course of its career the band has involved more than forty musicians, among them trombonist Gianluca Petrella, saxophonist Guglielmo Pagnozzi, and pianist and composer Giovanni Venosta.[4][5]
In 2010, the band released Opposite People, a tribute album dedicated to the work of Fela Kuti, featuring a guest appearance by Bunna, frontman of the Italian reggae group Africa Unite.[6] In 2013, the band released Afro Future Funk, described by All About Jazz as a work in which the band's extensive percussive element is counterbalanced with equal force and energy by the brass section, while keyboards and guitar provide harmonically precise funk frameworks in the background.[7]
The Monkey Tapes and current lineup (2022–present)
In 2022, the band released its sixth studio album, The Monkey Tapes, on the Garrincha GoGo label. The album blends percussion-driven arrangements with electronic production and represents the consolidation of the current sextet lineup: Massimo Marcer (trumpet, flugelhorn, electronics), Niccolò Barozzi (synthesizer, sampler), Oscar Mapelli (guitar, electronics), Ivo Barbieri (bass, vocals), Nico Roccamo (drums), and Lorenzo Gasperoni (percussion, vocals). The album was described by the French music blog Hop Blog as a musical firework from a sextet whose reputation extends well beyond Italy, noting the band's collaborations with musicians of the stature of Lester Bowie and Tony Allen.[8]
Musical style
Mamud Band's output is typically classified within the Afro-funk and Afro-disco-funk genres. The group's approach combines West African and Afro-Cuban polyrhythmic structures with the harmonic language of jazz and the rhythmic drive of 1970s funk and disco. From the 2010s onward, electronic production elements have become an increasingly prominent component of the band's sound.
Members
Current lineup
- Lorenzo Gasperoni – percussion, vocals (founding member)
- Massimo Marcer – trumpet, flugelhorn, electronics
- Niccolò Barozzi – synthesizer, sampler
- Oscar Mapelli – guitar, electronics
- Ivo Barbieri – bass, vocals
- Nico Roccamo – drums
Notable guest collaborators
- Lester Bowie (USA) – trumpet (Amore Pirata, 1998)
- Gianluca Petrella – trombone (Amore Pirata, 1998)
- Guglielmo Pagnozzi – saxophone (Amore Pirata, 1998)
- Nicola Tescari – piano (Amore Pirata, 1998)
- Giovanni Venosta – piano, keyboards
- Tony Allen (Nigeria/France) – drums
- Idris Ackamoor (USA) – tenor saxophone
- Sandra Poindexter (USA) – violin, vocals
- Rodney Barreto (Cuba) – drums
- Harouna Dembele (Burkina Faso) – percussion
- Jerald Dibi (Côte d'Ivoire) – choreography/performance
Discography
| Year | Title | Label |
|---|---|---|
| 1996 | La Vendetta di Grog | CMC |
| 1998 | Amore Pirata | il manifesto |
| 2010 | Opposite People | Felmay |
| 2013 | Afro Future Funk | Felmay |
| 2016 | Dynamite On Stage! | Felmay |
| 2022 | The Monkey Tapes | Garrincha GoGo |