Jazz will not be told what to do. Jazz just simply is. And you can immediately tell when it's right. Like when Carlo Nardozza sets his lips to his trumpet. That's when everything seems to become blatantly obvious. This young born talent from Limburg studied at the conservatory of Maastricht, during which time he started his own quintet. Together with such like-minded souls as Daniël Daemen on saxophone, Melle Weijters on guitar, Tom Van Acker on double bass and Steffen Thormählen on drums, he took the jazz scene in the Benelux, Germany, France, Swizerland and Italy by storm. At the end of last year they received the Jerry Van Rooyen-Jazzaward for ‘Trendsetting Jazzband of 2006’ at the Jazztival in Maastricht. A few months prior they won the prize for the Best Composition at the Tremplin Jazz Competition, in Avignon. The winning piece, the Dozzy Suite, where Nardozza manages to blend all his musical influences, ranging from Dave Douglas through to Italian folk music, led him to win the Young Jazztalent Competition in Ghent as part of the Blue Note Records Festival. This 50-minute long piece will quite likely feature on the next album. In the meantime, their first CD, 'Makin' Choices' was showered with exuberant reviews. The CNQ plays music from all corners of the globe. Flamenco, samba, hard bop, with a few smithereens of free impro…
(c) Bart Cornand 2007