Meet Lorenzo Bellini | Pianist, Composer, Educator

We had the good fortune of connecting with Lorenzo Bellini and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Lorenzo, what role has risk played in your life or career?
The attitude of risk taking has been one of the key elements of my career. During my development as a musician, I found out that I grew the most when I’ve been able to overcome the fear of failure or of rejection, the fear of a bad mark and, in a way, the fear of being judged by others. This doesn’t mean that these feelings are not worthy of our attention, but they need to be “handled” with care. An example: If it’s the first time I’m writing a tune, it’s going to be really hard for it to be the best tune ever. But I need to have that step done to understand which elements of it can be improved, so that I can come up with an overall better composition. Also, I believe that the learning process shall not be imagined as a line that keeps going up “no matter what”. Even though overall contour of that line goes up, there are continue downfalls: those are the times in which we we don’t do our best, in which we don’t shine for any given reason. That doesn’t mean that we don’t continue learning, that we shouldn’t trust that growing process. Those moments are there to make us aware of what we can do better and fuel the growth. In other words, failure is necessary to succeed and needs to be embraced as such, not just feared as an obstacle.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I’m a pianist and a composer. I mostly compose music that I play with different bands, and can probably be put under the umbrella word “jazz”. As a composer, I try to understand which combination of harmony, melody and rhythm can deliver a feeling, a sensation I’m familiar with and I try to condense in a tune. This one can come out as a unitary product, that creates a clear, singular atmosphere or as an plural work in which different emotions are evoked at once. The challenge is always making it organic, so that each element lives in harmony with the others. That said, being the most of the music I compose played by improvisers, I allow it, on the bandstand, to be interpreted, even misunderstood and sometimes torn apart. I find this process very cathartic and healing: it teaches me how to not be precious about what I do and it reminds me that I don’t really “own” the music, but I “take part” in it. I consider composition and improvisation as two very closely related matters in a way that the two disciplines can feed each other: what I compose can come out in my playing and the other way around. I always look for inspiration: I listen to all sort of music and I try to understand what each single song tells of the human mind and soul. My biggest inspirations are Kenny Kirkland, Mulgrew Miller and Immanuel Wilkins, jazz icons that incorporate Gospel Music language in their playing and compositions. The small details are what excites me the most. Being music a language, the real challenge is being able to express myself in the most genuine and honest way.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
London is such an incredible, lively city, with as many different souls as the little towns that, expanding themselves during the course of time, have created its metropolitan tissue. If my best friend was visiting me in London I would start off from a walk in the Marylebone area, with its cozy cafés and the elegant urban architecture. I would visit the Royal Academy Of Music, the school where I studied, with its two stunning and contrasting performance venues, the Duke’s Hall and the Susie Sainsbury Theatre. I would enjoy a pleasant walk inside some of my favorites urban parks: Hyde Park, Regent’s Park, Hampstead Heath or Richmond Park. I’d definitely explore the city strolling by the Thames west to east: the Chelsea area, Bettersea park, the Big Ben; Covent Garden and some of its beautiful street art markets; the Borough market and the iconic cone shaped skyscraper, The Shard; Tower Bridge and the Tower of London; Canary Wharf and Greenwich Park. I would not miss the opportunity of visiting one of its many free-entry museums: The British Museum, Tate Britain with its breathtaking Turner’s paintings and the Imperial War Museum are among my favorites.
I would definitely enjoy a great fish and chips at Hobson’s, north of Hyde Park, followed by a pint a any of the thousands pubs of the city; Angie’s Bar, in Willesden Green, its great for an authentic London Pub experience. Of course, I’d book a ticket in some of my favoruite jazz venues in the city: Ronnie’s Scott, Vortex, Pizza Express, the Jazz Café, the 606, The Parakeet.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I owe a lot to my family and to my girlfriend Carina, who always supported me and my choices, even when those brought me far away from my home country, so this shoutout is dedicated to them. I’m also thankful for sharing the joy of riding this rollercoaster with some close musician friends, Francesco Staccioli, Andrea Dionisi and Ashley Bonfante from whom I learned how to enjoy the process rather than exclusively worrying about the results. I’m also truly appreciative of my peers, fellow musicians, from whose example of progress and consistency I’m everyday inspired.
Finally, I’m extremely grateful to my teachers and mentors in Neal Smith, Kevin Harris, Doug Johnson, Dennis Montgomery, Vaughn Brathwaite and Tiger Okoshi at Berklee College of Music (Boston) and Pete Churchill and Nick Smart at The Royal Academy Of Music (London), which are among the finest musicians and educator I know.

Website: https://www.lorenzobellinimusic.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lore_bellini/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lorenzo.bellini.50

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4BBCz0joNIT3c7hnXLyRYw

Other: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/6wHap7fCBO5dRBcqGEQbov?si=HzLDC4HpRIicp3wan1qsOQ