Federico Calcagno (1995) is a clarinet and bass clarinet player, creative jazz musician and composer from Milan, Italy, and currently active between Italy and The Netherlands.
<<The new bishop of the best Italian Jazz [A. Bazzurro, All About Jazz] >> has considered on of the most exciting clarinet players and creative musicians of the young generation.
As composer, Federico regularly writes music for his bands: Liquid Identities, Piranha, The Dolphians, Fade in Trio. His compositional style is a mixed between creative-expressive jazz and post modern classical music, with particular attention to the rhythmic aspect, influenced by classical Indian music from south of India (Carnatic Music) and African music.
As leader and co-leader, Federico has released six albums till now: From Another Planet (2019), Liquid Identities (2020), Urlo d’Ebano (2021), Piranha (2021), Live Fast, Die a Legend (2022), Confini Labili (2022).

In September 2022 his composition “Eternal Rhythm” was performed at Gaudeamus festival, in Utrecht, The Netherlands. The work was written for NEUE (New European Ensemble), featuring the great Indian percussionist B. C. Manjunath.
In 2023 Federico got commissioned a new piece, I Frammenti, il Verbo e il Bianco, for Vagues saxophone quartet.

Federico studied classical and jazz clarinet at Milan Conservatory, and in 2019 he graduated in Jazz Master in bass clarinet at Amsterdam Conservatory and attended the International Workshop in Jazz and Creative Music at Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity (Canada), directed by Vijay Iyer and Tyshawn Sorey.
Federico taught “Analysis and Application of Advanced Rhythm Techniques”, “Jazz Ensemble” at Conservatorio Vittadini, Pavia (Italy) and currently teaches “Jazz Ensemble Class” at Milan Conservatory.

Full List of Awards:

• Winner of “Keep an Eye Records 2023” with Federico Calcagno Octet (Amsterdam, 2023)
• Winner of “Tomorrow’s Jazz”with Fade In Trio (Venezia, 2021)
• Second Prize at Jazz Juniors Competition with The Dolphians (Krakow, 2021)
• MEI Super Stage Jazz with The Dolphians (Faenza, 2021)
• Premio Siae (Roma, 2021)
• Leiden Jazz Award with Jort Terwijn Önder (Leiden, 2021)
• Barga Jazz Contest with Francesca Remigi Archipelagos (Barga, 2021)
• Dutch Jazz Competition with Aviv Noam 4et (Amsterdam, 2021)
• Winner of “Concorso Nazionale Chicco Bettinardi” – Band Section, The Dolphians (Piacenza, 2021)
• Top Jazz 2020 by Musica Jazz Magazine: best new Italian talent 2020
• Premio Internazionale Giorgio Gaslini 2020
• “Nuova Generazione Jazz 2021” with Federico Calcagno & The Dolphians
• Second prize “Concorso Nazionale Bettinard”- Soloist Section (Piacenza, 2020)
• Best Tonal Improvisation – International Improvisation Contest René Arons, with Fade In Trio (Antwerp 2019)
• Second prize “International Keep an Eye Jazz Award” with Liquid Identities (Amsterdam, 2019)
• Critics prize and second prize “Concorso Internazionale Massimo Urbani” (Camerino, 2019)
• Premio del Conservatorio – Jazz Category with Tri(o)ttico (Milano, 2018)
• Second prize “Premio Nazionale delle Arti”- Jazz Category (Milano, 2017)
  
  

The clarinetist is co-funder of Habitable Records, an independent record label that features a host of idiosyncratic voices from the space beyond genre, unified by expansive curiosity about the world of sound and the societal good that can come from it.

Federico has been active between Amsterdam, Milan and Bruxelles. He’s the leader of the bands The Dolphians, Liquid Identities, and co-leader of Fade in Trio and Piranha.
He regularly plays as sideman in the bands Aviv Noam 4et, Tijn Wybenga & AM.OK, Adrian Moncada Sextet, Francesca Remigi’s Archipelagos, Önder, Coal Harbor, Marco Luparia Masna, Ferdinando Romano Invisible Painters, Paolo Damiani Unit, ONGTJ. In 2019, he developed interests in the rhythms of Carnatic music and in the world of the Conduction as instant composition: with Stab Freeze Collective Federico found and developed common elements between “Butch” Morris’ Conduction, Walter Thompson’s Soundpainting and Frank Zappa’s way, demonstrating how a limited dictionary of gestures can be applied on a small orchestra with success.