BIO
Gianluca Occhipinti is a Toronto-based pianist and composer whose work reflects a foundation in both classical and jazz traditions. Immersed in music from an early age, he has developed a distinctive voice shaped by a wide range of influences, mentors, and experiences. Gianluca's music education includes Etobicoke School of the Arts, the Royal Conservatory of Music, Humber Polytechnic under the great Hilario Duran, and years of lessons with JUNO Award-winning pianist Jeremy Ledbetter, who has passed along musical traditions from around the world. Gianluca has also picked up a great deal from Michael and Roberto Occhipinti, both highly regarded in Canadian music. Already, Gianluca has gathered an impressive list of experiences. Gianluca has performed alongside veterans such as Felix Pastorius, Don Byron, Alex Dean, Mark Kelso, and more. This past summer, Gianluca served as the touring pianist for Toronto’s Breakthrough Jazz Artist of the Year Agneya Chikte. Gianluca has also grown as a part of Toronto’s Davie Studios community, touching on the RnB/hiphop side of Gianluca's interests. For the past year, Gianluca's focus has been on presenting his original compositions to the world. This has taken shape in his debut album "Dissolution"; a genre-breaking exploration of improvised music across beautiful melodies and powerful grooves. The record features Grammy Award-winning drummer Larnell Lewis, as well as the highly sought after Jinu Isac and young virtuoso Jordan Pelunsky. Dissolution has received high attention both locally and online, and Gianluca continues to pursue its live performance around the globe.
DISSOLUTION
'The culmination of my work thus far, and the presentation of my musical identity as an artist, emerged this past spring as the album I titled “Dissolution”. This project self-describes; the breaking down of the countless experiences and interactions that make up this uniform artwork that I present to the audience. Dissolution, though maybe hard to categorize, is indeed a jazz album, rooted in improvisation and interaction. Our inspirations, however, do not end there. To name a few names, Stevie Wonder, Debussy, Hermeto Pascoal, and J Dilla all exist within Dissolution. Ultimately, my goal is to create something accessible, where listeners can follow our grooves, sing back our melodies, and join us through human connection. Dissolution is best heard in a live setting, where this connection self-informs its creation. On stage I am joined by proven young bassist Jordan Pelunsky, as well as virtuosic drummer Jinu Isac, coming off his world tour with Daniel Caesar. Between the three of us, we each offer unique skills and creativity that brings this music to life. Dissolution’s live journey began with a packed house at Toronto’s Lula Lounge, and has since been performed at The Rex, The Jazz Room, The Kensington Market Jazz Festival, and more local rooms of enthusiastic audiences.' - Gianluca
