Studies

After musical studies, followed by the music master Tolmino Marianini at the school of music in Fiesole and then taking private lessons from Bill Campbell (the leading trumpeter at the municipial theatre of Florence, Franco Baggiani qualified as a trumpeter in 1988 at the officially-recognized institute “Franci” of Siena.
1983-1990 he studies composition and counterpoint with Kamrha Kashe at the school of music in Fiesole.
1988-1992 he was taught orchestra leadership by Stefano Riddi.
1989-1991 specialization in counterpoint taking lessons from Angelo Bianchi.
1984-1988 he studies jazz improvisation, firstly at the CAM in Florence and then at the CIM in Scandicci.
1984-1989 he studies harmony and arrangement jazz at the CAM of Florence and he attends courses of ensamble music at the CIM in Scandicci.
In 1989 and in 1990 he takes two-year course of arrangement and composition for jazz orchestra and for combo given by Bruno Tommaso at the CIM in Scandicci.
1988 Siena Jazz: harmony and composition courses for big band and courses of ensemble music given by Enrico Pierannunzi and Mauro Grossi.
1989 arrangement course for combo jazz with M. Grossi at the CIM in Scandicci.
1989 he attends the summer stage of Siena Jazz about the composition for jazz orchestra with G. Gazzini and about the study of styles in the jazz music history and he attends the advanced course of improvisation with Fresu, Rava and Castri.
1990 he was taught music by Otto Sauter (the leading trumpeter at the civic theatre of Brema) at the conservatory “Madri Orsoline” in Florence, course organized by the conservatory of Brema.
1991 summer specialization course for jazz solo player given by Sean Bergin at the music house in Birmingham.

Composition

Versatile musicien Franco Baggiani has written several sound tracks for Tv and theatre, and also theme songs , the last one opens a famous show on RAI SA. His discography, from pop to jazz to contemporary music, is formed by compositions for small groups and big bands. All his works are recorded by “Ricutino edizioni musicali”, available in the best music shops and played by a great number of musicians everywhere in Italy.

Direction

Conductor of big bands, like Michelangelo Paoli Big Band and the Florence art orchestra, chamber and philharmonic orchestras like philharmonic of Vicchio di Mugello, G. Puccini of Molino Del Piano and G.Paoli of Campi Bisenzio.
At present he’s the leader of the Sound Orchestra and the art director of the popolare Kreativa Band. With the Sound Orchestra he has conducted a great number of concerts in every part of Italy, a tour in Czechoslovakia in 1992 and a concert in Malta in august 2001for the opening of the Venice Casino.
In 2002 producer and leader of the “Benny live” big band for the “Pievi nella campagna” festival, a tribute to the afroamerican saxophonist Benny Carter. For the occasion he wrote a part of original arrangements.
He gives voice to the rock of seventies’ when in 2004 he creates and conducts the Soul Beat Orchestra a big band and chorus with his arrangements or arrangements of his collaborators.
Since 1989 he’s the art director of several music festivals like “Messidoro” (1999-2001) and “Pievi nella campagna” (1997-2004) for the Pontassieve municipal administration, “Marzo Classico”(2001) for the civic theatre of Vicchio di Mugello.
Member of the art direction “Florence Summer” he writes and plays new compositions at the “Rime Rampanti” and he organizes the national first performance of “Sonido Latino”, a salsa big band at the “Vie di Fuga”.
In 2004 with the music master Renzo Roselli he has reformed the philharmonic orchestra “G.Verdi” of Pontassieve and he’ the main Director.
Original productions composed for and performed at “Vie di Fuga” (Le Murate) in Florence, where he played in 2002 with salsa orchestra “Sonido Latino” for the first time nationally and with the Sound orchestra, and where in 2000 he was on stage together with actor Carlo Monni in three memorable concert-recital performances.

In 2004, together with Maestro Luigi Pelli, he reorganized the G Verdi Philarmonic of Pontassieve, which Baggiani directs as chief conductor. In September of 2009 he established, along with a number of musicians, the “AMR” – United Musicians Association – a new organization that intends to “fill the gap” in the world of national contemporary improvised music; in 2010 he is called to lead the association.
In 2013 he is the artistic director of the jazz festival “Jazz at Limonaia di Villa Strozzi” held in Florence in the marvelous setting of Villa Strozzi and showcasing some of the best Italian talents. During the festival, Baggiani presented his new album, “Dead city”.
From 2013 to date, he has directed several productions, composed the original score for the multimedia concert in celebration of the centenary of the Municipality of Rufina (Florence), and been the artistic director of the ‘Museo in Musica’ festival – a series of concerts held in the museums of Valdisieve and Mugello and dedicated to jazz and contemporary music.
Since 2016, he has organized several concerts each year in Pontassieve and Florence for the UNESCO International Jazz Day; starting in 2019, he is the artistic musical director for Cookstock.
In 2018, he established the music association Officine Sonore Fiorentine, which spawned the Escher Quintet and the ExFila Music School of Florence, which he directs.

School

In 1990 he creates the school “Sound” where he’s the director and the teacher of harmony, composition, improvisation and brass. At the present time Sound is the greatest music school in Tuscany with its many schools in the area of Prato and Florence. 1990 – 1991 founder and director of philarmonic society “Rossini”of Florence.
1990 – 1991 director of the music school of Greve in Chianti.
1995-2001 director of “Blue note” of Campi Bisenzio, organizer of music courses at the philarminic society “G. Paoli” (Campi Bisenzio) and summer jazz and rock stages for the Frassinoro comune Modena; 2002 jazz lessons and concerts for the music section of the Dorking college (England), supervisor of more than 20 stages during the Sound direction and 4 during the Pelago Pontassieve Rufina school direction.
Since 2001 director of the municipal school of Pelago, Pontassieve and Rufina.

Publishing

In 1998 he founds the Sound Records, a label linked with Afro-American and contemporary music.
At the same time he creates the Ricutino edizioni musicali publishing house of Sound Record.

Baggiani produced a great number of album, among which “Orchestra città di Firenze” (SR 2003) “Tutto Quadra” quadra quintet (SR2012) “Memories” DJ Labyrinth (SR 2012), “Groovin’up” The street (SR 2012) “Istrionico” The jash (SR 2013).

Artistic activity

1984-1987 Many concerts with the pop group “Fandango”. Performances in a lot of important festivals. In 1986 they win the first rock festival at Xenon (ex Studio 54) and in 1985 they are second at the Controradio rock contest at Tenax. They have recorded the single “The Eagle” included in the compilation “New rock Italy”. Music and arrangement written by Franco Baggiani.
1987-1991 he founds and leads the rithm’n blues group “Nova Hudba” with Stefano Bollani at the piano, many concerts in Italy and a short tour in the April of 1988 in Czechoslovakia.
1990-1991 he founds and leads the jazz-funk group “Milestones” (Bollani, Morelli, Coppini, Downie, Baini, Rosadini) and they win the jazz section of Chianciano rock festival in 1990.
Since 1990 founder and leader of the Sound Orchestra for which he writes a lot of original and interesting arrangements.
1992 he founds with Andrea Coppini the marching band “sound street band”, well-known in every part of Italy.
1993-2004 he founds the electric jazz group Urban Funk. Many tours in Italy and performances in the most important clubs and café of Italy (Leoncavallo, Le scimmie, MI; classico Village, Saxsophone Club RM; Taxi Driver CT; Vox VE, Made in bo BO, Full moon TP, Gilgamesh TO, Palasport di Firenze etc etc).
1990-2014 co-ordinator and director of a lot of combo jazz. Performances in Italy and Europe. Founder and director of the soul beat orchestra. First performances at Onda Mediterrranea Festival organized by the school of music of Pelago – Rufina – Pontassieve.
He took part in and produced several different original productions, such as the “Grande orchestra dell’altra volta” (contemporary jazz orchestra) and the Florentine chamber orchestra; he created and directs the Arcangelo Corelli chamber orchestra, constantly exploring the great classics (Mozart, Beethoven, Corelli, Ponchielli, Mascagni, Puccini). He produced the new Soundgospeltrain album and in 2008 he released a new outstanding album, “Think”, where he plays original works and works by Lester Bowie, Roscoe Mitchell and Joseph Jarman with his quintet formation, dedicating it to the days of free music. The album received rave reviews from Italian, European, North-American and Asian press. In 2009 he came out with “My way through the jungle”, a groovy and pulsating album in which he experiences his lifelong love for electric jazz and recreates Davis-like atmospheres from the ’70s. In 2010 he is the mind behind the original production for the Onda Mediterranea festival, which showcased his original music and arrangements and guest trumpeter Fabrizio Bosso. In 2011 he released his new album “Florentine session”, dedicated to total improvisation together with 15 different musicians.
IN 2013, always for Sound records, he publishes the album “Dead city” with the Florence Art orchestra: in some way, this work is the artist’s walk through his personal musical life experience and thought.
In 2009 he formed the “IFS” Ensemble, which he directed in an almost regular monthly concert at the Florence Jazz Club: the group still performs together and recently played at the Prato Jazz Summer festival in the summer of 2013.
From 2013 to 2016, together with his groups, he played in many music festivals, such as Sarteano jazz, Vicenza jazz, Pistoia blues, Castellón jazz festival, and Jazz a Castelló!
In 2017, he recorded the album Preciso, published by Spanish label Blaurecords, with guitarist Fernando Marco; in the same year, he came out with ‘Mechanical Vision’ for Soundrecords.
In 2017, he developed the “Società dei ritmi moderni” (Association of modern rhythms) project, a traditional sextet committed to reinterpreting New Orleans sounds and music, along with the Storyville project, which specifically provides a didactic interpretation of King Oliver and Louis Armstrong.
Since 2017, he has actively contributed to several music festivals in Spain, such as the Benicassim international Jazz Festival and the Auditori jazz club in Castellón de la Plana, to name a few.
In 2021, he recorded the album “Appunti sul ‘900”, dedicated to the historical, radical avant-gardes of the 1900s and created the Escher quintet for the performance of original, modern mainstream works.

Video clip

1996 Video produced by Multipromo and taken from the single “sporca dozzina” composed, arranged and played by F. Baggiani transmitted successfully by some national networks (Video Music, Odeon…).
1996 video of the new LP from Franco Baggiani and Dynamics, live concert at the Puccini Theatre.
Summer 2003 video of the Salsa Sonido Group produced by Baggiani with Sound Records at Vie di Fuga (ex prison in Florence).
2004 video and DVD of the Soul Beat Orchestra (Soundrecords production) for Onda Mediterrranea Festival. Many other videos of the artist can be found on the channel “Bluelight” on YouTube.

Tv and radio shows

1994 “Roxy bar” music programme: interviewed by Red Ronnie, he plays with Jovanotti and his band some songs taken from the Baggiani’s new LP “The Tree”.
1995 RAI 3 interview at the regional TG.
1996 “Jazz SI Live” concert with the Chorus Quintet.
1996 – 2005 various private TV and concerts on mediaset and RAI.
1986 – 2005 interviews on the Italian and European private radio.
Broadcast: RAI stereo notte, RAI 3, Sky, Swiss, German, Swedish Radio, Radio Montecarlo and Radio Italia (Canada).
His compositions are broadcasted on jazz radios worldwide and can be downloaded from ITunes, Amazon, Spotify, etc.

Quest’opera è distribuita con Licenza Creative Commons Attribuzione – Non commerciale 4.0 Internazionale.