Nicola Angelucci, born in Altino (Chieti) in 1979, is a drummer and composer.

He won numerous awards like for instance the prize of "Baronissi Jazz" in 2000 and 2004, the "Gran Prix du Public“ at Trampolin Jazz d’Avignon 2002 and the "26th Hoeilaart Jazz Contest" in Belgium in 2004. He received a scholarship in order to develop his jazz studies at the prestigious Columbia College in Chicago in 2000 and taught seminars at "Orsara Jazz" (FG) in 2005 and 2006 and at the Eddie Lang Jazz festival in 2012. His discography spans over 3 album releases as a leader, 4 as a co-leader and more than 70 albums as a sideman. 

 

Nicola Angelucci’s first album as a leader, playfully entitled "The First One", was recorded to the most part in New York, featuring Sam Yahel and Roberto Tarenzi on piano / organ, Jeremy Pelt on trumpet, Paolo Recchia on saxophone, and Kengo Nakamura, Johannes Weidenmüller and Francesco Puglisi on bass. It contains a mix of re-imagined jazz standards as well as his original music and was released in 2010 on the label Via Veneto Jazz. 

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Having subsequently formed a working band with Recchia, Tarenzi and Puglisi, he recorded his second album "Beyond the Drums" (2013) with that same quartet. Peter Bernstein contributes as a special guest, enriching several songs with his guitar sound and New York spirit. 

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His third album as a leader, „Changes“ (2021), marks his first release on a major label (Warner) and contains exclusively his original music. It was recorded together with Olivia Trummer on piano and voice who also contributed lyrics to several of the songs, Luca Bulgarelli on bass and Gabriele Mirabassi on clarinet. 

 

Since 2013, Nicola Angelucci is a constant member of the Fabrizio Bosso Quartet. He also appears in established collaborations with Bebo Ferra, Rosario Bonaccorso, Olivia Trummer, Dado Moroni and Paolo Recchia.

 

In the past years, he has worked as a sideman with some of the most interesting and acclaimed jazz bandleaders of our times like Benny Golson (with whom he toured from 2004 to 2011 in Italy and abroad), Wynton Marsalis, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Mike Stern, Bob James, Steve Grossman, Sonny Fortune, Wes Anderson, Jeremy Pelt, Joel Frahm, Eddie Gomez, Bob Mintzer, Andy Gravish, Jim Rotondi, Alex Sipiagin, Sam Yahel, Jerry Bergonzi, Aaron Goldberg, Larry Grenadier, Peter Bernstein, Dave Kikoski, John Hicks, George Garzone and Joey de Francesco. His most significant collaborations within the Italian jazz scene include performances and recordings with Enrico Pieranunzi, Paolo Fresu, Enrico Rava, Max Ionata, Francesco Cafiso, Rosario Giuliani, Mario Biondi, Rita Marcotulli, Fabrizio Bosso, Dado Moroni, Gegè Telesforo, Luca Mannutza, Nico Gori, Maurizio Rolli, Maurizio Giammarco, Stefania Tallini, Susanna Stivali and Javier Girotto, to name a few.