Stefano Pastor

Photo by Peter Gannushkin - Downtown Music Gallery - NYC (USA) 2009
Second placement at "Top Jazz 2009"
Stefano Pastor placed second as best instrumentalist ("Miscellanea" category) at "Top Jazz 2009", the Italian critics' referendum by the "Musica Jazz" magazine; also he was voted first as best string player (including bass and guitar) and twelveth as jazz musician of the year. This represents an important confirmation after the excellent placement at "Top Jazz" 2008 and 2007.


"Best of 2009" by All About Jazz - New York
"Live at Tortona" by Borah Bergman and Stefano Pastor (MUTABLE 17534-2) was voted as one of the "Best New Releases of 2009 - Honorable Mention" by All About Jazz - New York. Stefano Pastor is one of the very few Italian musicians to get this important acknowledgement from the New Yorker Magazine.


"Best of 2009" by the critic Roberto Dell'Ava - Tellusfolio.it
Roberto Dell'Ava selected "Live at Tortona" by Borah Bergman and Stefano Pastor (MUTABLE 17534-2) as one of the 11 + 11 best new releases of 2009.


Chants - SLAMCD 519
Reviewed with the highest aknowledgement ("Immenso", "Immense") by Guido Festinese - Il Manifesto - Alias n. 45, November 14, 2009
Read the review

Photo by Peter Gannushkin - Downtown Music Gallery - NYC (USA) 2009
Stefano Pastor on tour in NYC and Connecticut (USA) - Autumn 2009
Stefano Pastor played in NYC from 9/29 to 10/4 at the Downtown Music Gallery (withSatoshi Takeishi and Giacomo Merega); LES Gallery Cafè - Clemente Soto Velez Cultural and Educational Center (with Jason Mears, Chris Welcome, Reuben Radding, Harris Heisenstadt); The Stone (solo violin) - Artistic Director John Zorn ; Zebulon (a quartet with Brent Arnold); Neighborhood Church of Greenwich Village (with Jason Mears, Kevin Farrell, Mike Pride); Shrine - World Music Venue (with Adam Caine, Ratzo Harris and John Wagner); Marjorie Eliot's - Harlem (with Marjorie Eliot, Pedro G. Libert and others).
Stefano also recorded a duo with the tremendous guitarist Joe Morris and the live performance at the Stone. Both the recording to be issued.
See the pictures gallery from the Downtown Music Gallery by Peter Gannushkin

Video by Helen Petts - London 2009
Forgiving July at the Mopomoso - Vortex - London 2009
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nvfDdttn9zw

Cover of 'The Big Sax CD', photo by Roberta Pietropaolo
Stefano Pastor was appears as special guest on the baritone sax players compilation titled 'The Big Sax CD'. He recorded a duo with George Haslam titled 'Thinking Allowed'. The other sax player involved in the compilation are: Carlo Actis Dato (Italy), Charles Evans (USA), George Haslam (UK), Mikko Innanen (Finland), Sergey Letov (Russia ) and Javier Zalba (Cuba). 18 original tracks of amazingly different artistic approaches to creation on the big sax. SLAMCD 406 - 2009

Photo by Steve Lowe, Pinewood Studios - London 2009
Freetime Quartet with special guest Stefano Pastor' English tour 2009
Freetime is a Prague based quartet which plays a strong free-fusion with a deep energy and world music nuances. The group toured in England with Stefano Pastor between March and April 2009, playing in London, Oxford, Abingdon (two times in the Abingdon Arts Festival). The quintet also made a recording session for the third channel of the BBC radio (Jazz on Three - April 20 2009) at the prestigious Pinewood Studios - London. George Haslam (England): baritone sax, tarogato; Swetja (Slovakia): electric guitar, pedal steel guitar, harmonic saw, fujara, electronics; Joseph Laska (Slovakia): bass, electric bass; Petr Zimak (Czeck Republic): drums; special guest Stefano Pastor (Italy): violin. Here two mp3 from the BBC Session. mp3 mp3


New article by Stefano Pastor on Quaderni d'Altri Tempi
"Denver" di Stefano Pastor Quaderni d'Altri Tempi - Speciale n. 21 - Luglio/Agosto 2009
Photo by Elda Papa, Pavia 2008
Forgiving July Trio tour 2008/2009
Starting at Novara Jazz Festival Forgiving July toured in Milano (Italy, two times), Bologna (Italy), Denver (USA, University of Denver), Berlin (Germany, two gigs), Pavia (Italy), Margarita (Italy), Liege (Belguim), Bruxelles (Belgium), Vittorio Veneto (Italy), Roma (Italy), London (UK, at the Vortex - Mopomoso series - Artistic Director John Russel). The Novara concert is now on CD by Amirani records (please see the CDs page). Stefano Pastor: violin; Angelo Contini: trombone; Gianni Mimmo: soprano sax. Here an mp3 from the CD. mp3

Photo by Claudio Casanova - AAJ Italia, Forlì 2008
Ground Plane Antenna - Andrea Rossi Andrea and Stefano Pastor at the Area Sismica
Photo Gallery by Claudio Casanova on AAJ Italia
http://italia.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=3517

Video by Luca Morocutti, Prato Carnico 2008
New recording by Adel Salameh and Naziha Azzouz featuring Stefano Pastor
Arabian oud virtuoso Adel Salameh and French-Algerian singer Naziha Azzouz recorded a new releaze on November 2008 at the B&G Studio in Prato Carnico - Italy. Musicians involved were Stefano Pastor on violin, Giovanni Amighetti on keyboards, Guido Ponzini on Bass and Stick bass and Fulvio Maras on percussion. Recording Engeneer Bruno Cimenti.
Here is a video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sAg8z0i9jRU
And some pictures by Nives Agostinis: http://www.arvmusic.org/Recording%20with%20Adel%20Salameh%20and%20Naziha%20Azzouz.html

Photo by Claudio Casanova - AAJ Italia, Bologna 2008
Forgiving July in Bologna - Photo Gallery by Claudio Casanova on AAJ Italia
http://italia.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=3379

Photo by Paola Galbiati, Aosta 2008
George Haslam - Stefano Pastor Quintet in Aosta
Here a video from the concert we did in Aosta, Espace Populare, on August 4. Musicians involved were George Haslam baritone sax and tarogato, Stefano Pastor violin, Beppe Barbera piano, Giorgio Dini bass, Ferdinando Faraò drums.
http://it.youtube.com/watch?v=RmfV23qrcAg

Photo by Stefno Pastor, self-portrait 2004
Top Jazz 2008
Stefano Pastor was placed eighth, as best instrumentalist at the Italian critic's referendum "Top Jazz" 2008. This acknowledgement follows the previous year one in which Pastor was placed seventh as best new talent.


New article by Stefano Pastor on SuonoSonda n. 7
Here the article and the editorial by the director of the review Francesco Denini

Photo by Simon Murison-Bowie, Oxford 2009
Mr. Eddie Fowler placed Stefano Pastor on the violin page of "Jazzeddie" web site
http://www.jazzeddie.f2s.com/Violin.htm

Photo by Claudio Casanova - AAJ Italia, Forlì 2008
Baudrillard est Mort
New release by the bass player and visual artist Andrea Rossi Andrea titled "Baudrillard est Mort" Splasc(h) Records (CDH 2519.2). The musicians who play with Andrea in this recording are Stefano Pastor, Luca Bonvini, Tiziano Tononi, Stefano Deagatone. The duo Andrea Rossi Andrea - Stefano Pastor played in Forlì (Area Sismica) on December 20 2008 and in Laveno (Critical Book&wine Festival) on June 27 2009.

Photo by Diego Petrella, Genova 2008
Claudio Lugo - Andrea Lanza - Stefano Pastor
An impressive group founded on the amazing playing of Claudio Lugo on soprano saxophone; Andrea Lanza on electric guitar; Stefano Pastor on violin
Genova, Galleria d'Arte Moderna, May 17 2008 mp3
Photo by Susan Pearlstine, Genova 2007
Kash Killion - Stefano Pastor Duo
The excellent afro-american cello player Kash Killion and the violin of Stefano Pastor. Nothing else. Recorded on November 24, 2007 this session is an interesting document about a new way to think string instruments in jazz. Kash is one of the most talented cello player in the world and he performed and recorded with Cecil Taylor, Sun Ra Arkestra, Paul Murphy, Marco Eneidi, Joel Futterman and many others. Between vanguard, a tribute to Thelonious Monk and some indian taste performances (Kash also plays the sarangi), this recording represent the meeting between two musical and human universes.




Photo by Roberta Pietropaolo, Tortona 2007
Borah Bergman - Stefano Pastor Duo's tour 2007