THE GO3
In 2024, entering first year at Humber Polytechnic, Gianluca found a friend in drummer and fellow freshman Jacob Lee. The pair instantly found themselves in a creative surge, composing to no end. Adding into the mix the experience and prowess of friend-in-common second year bassist Jordan Pelunsky, the trio hit off as nothing short of explosive. The curiosity and open-mindedness of these peers was an ultimate blessing, and has allowed Gianluca to workshop tune after tune, no matter how unfamiliar. Their technical skill along with their creativity has pushed Gianluca to his current level and beyond.
The GO3 continues to play around Toronto, and aims to release music and tour in the near future.
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SLOTH BROTH
In 2022, entering Grade 11 at Etobicoke School of the Arts, Gianluca made friends with Jamie Wells, a fellow musician also hailing from a musical family. A drummer, pianist, percussionist, and producer; Jamie introduced an entire new aspect to Gianluca's musical interests. Throughout high school the two pushed each other to pursue music like never before; through composition, classical repertoire, and eventually improvisation. Entering post secondary, the duo established Sloth Broth; a keys and drums project performing around the city.
Since, however, the project has evolved. Introducing the drumming prodigy Jonathan Scott, and Jordan Pelunsky on guitar, Sloth Broth could now focus on performing the electric compositions from the mastermind Jamie Wells, arranged for the instrumentation by Gianluca.
The Sloth Broth Brothers aim to record and perform these tunes, leaning into the brand and focusing on the production side of the jazz/hiphop crossover that this music is.
OCCHITRINITY
For the past five decades, the Occhipinti name has grown familiar within the Canadian jazz community. Michael, father to Gianluca, and Roberto, uncle to Gianluca, have both made significant contributions to contemporary music in the country and outward. With the amount of musical exposure in the household, it was inevitable that one of the new Occhipinti would join the party. Gianluca has taken on several opportunities to play with his family alongside legendary musicians such as Felix Pastorius, Don Byron, Alex Dean, and more.
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The trio of bass, guitar, and piano, accompanied by drummers such as Jinu Isac or Mark Kelso, have ignited their own performing group under the name OcchiTrinity. Gianluca has extended his own repertoire to complement this instrumentation, and plans on showing OcchiTrinity to the world.
FCTION
Too rare is it to find a contemporary composer in the jazz community, and even rarer is it to find a composer with an equal ambition to Gianluca's. This exists in Finn Chercover, a bassist of the same year at Humber, who, after gigging together throughout first year, has put together his own project in collaboration with Gianluca. Alongside fellow Etobicoke School of the Arts graduates; drummer Sam Heggum-Truscott and saxophonist Avshalom Ravitz-Heller, the group has coined the name FCTION, showcasing the original tunes of Finn.
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Gianluca has been lucky to play a significant role in this project, transforming loop-based compositions into improvisational groove-heavy journeys. FCTION is excited to be preparing for an upcoming recording, and will be sharing their music soon.
SOLO
Improvisation at the piano has been a life-long exploration for Gianluca, before the term "jazz" was even in his head. Composition has always been Gianluca's strongest passion; an opportunity to pour ideas and melodies from the mind. Inspired by the jazz greats of the piano, such as Oscar Peterson, Chick Corea, Robert Glasper, but also inspired by the minds of Debussy, Chopin, Ravel, and Grieg. The most significant inspiration came from a contemporary jazz pianist and virtuoso by the name of James Francies. His use of textures and odd meters introduced Gianluca's vocabulary to new universes. Gianluca's most successful solo series came as a result of this; odd meter compositions that collected millions of views online, and many of which have been fleshed out into Gianluca's strongest pieces today.
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No matter the attention, solo piano is always a personal challenge for Gianluca. An everlasting search for new sounds and new alleys to explore, Gianluca continues to push himself outside his comfort zone, while sharing his explorations with the world.
