Mimmo Cafiero
drummer composer educator producer art director
- Italian Biography
- English Biography
- Discography
- Festivals & Collaborations
- Wikipedia
- Open Jazz School
Da quasi mezzo secolo Mimmo Cafiero attraversa la scena jazz siciliana come batterista, percussionista, compositore, didatta e direttore artistico. Un percorso nel quale l’attività musicale si intreccia con la formazione, la progettualità e la creazione di nuove occasioni d’incontro.
La sua storia musicale comincia a Palermo negli anni Settanta. Negli anni Ottanta entra nella scena professionale con la Brass Group Big Band e la Reinhardt Jazz Studio Orchestra. Seguono registrazioni, tournée e collaborazioni con numerosi musicisti italiani e internazionali, tra cui Danilo Rea, Enrico Rava, Paul Jeffrey, Paolo Fresu e Kurt Rosenwinkel.
Parallelamente sviluppa una propria ricerca compositiva, nella quale il jazz incontra la memoria mediterranea e le melodie siciliane. Nascono così lavori discografici come Triangles, Plays Sicilian Songs e Vitti ’na Strada.
Alla carriera di musicista affianca da sempre la formazione e la direzione artistica. Con Loredana Spata fonda l’Open Jazz School e, come presidente dell’Open Jazz Club, realizza festival, rassegne, laboratori e progetti dedicati anche alle nuove generazioni.
Al centro rimane la batteria e un’idea precisa della musica: ascolto, dialogo e condivisione. Un percorso nel quale l’esperienza individuale diventa occasione d’incontro tra musicisti, giovani e pubblico.
For nearly half a century, Mimmo Cafiero has been part of the Sicilian jazz scene as a drummer, percussionist, composer, educator and artistic director. His musical journey brings together performance, education, creative projects and the creation of new opportunities for musicians to meet and collaborate.
His musical story began in Palermo in the 1970s. During the 1980s he entered the professional jazz scene with the Brass Group Big Band and the Reinhardt Jazz Studio Orchestra. Recordings, tours and collaborations followed, bringing him together with numerous Italian and international musicians, including Danilo Rea, Enrico Rava, Paul Jeffrey, Paolo Fresu and Kurt Rosenwinkel.
Alongside his performing career, Cafiero developed his own compositional language, bringing jazz into dialogue with Mediterranean traditions and Sicilian melodies. This research led to recordings such as Triangles, Plays Sicilian Songs and Vitti ’na Strada.
Throughout his career, he has combined performing with education and artistic direction. Together with Loredana Spata, he founded the Open Jazz School and, as president of the Open Jazz Club, has created festivals, concert series, workshops and projects with a strong focus on new generations of musicians.
At the heart of everything remains the drums and a clear idea of music: listening, dialogue and sharing. A journey in which individual experience becomes an opportunity for musicians, young people and audiences to meet.