Welcome to Studio5 HS French Connection

• 1 Welcome to Studio5 06:07
• 2 Kiss My Leg 04:56
• 3 Ritournelle 06:17
• 4 Memories of a Lime Tree 06:15
• 5 Simone 06:41
• 6 Romane's Boogaloo 08:05
• 7 Waltz for Ulrike 05:50
• 8 Ach, Paris... 05:03
• Total Runtime 49:14

Info for Welcome to Studio5

It's that time again: Patrick Manzecchi releases "Welcome to Studio5". Patrick Manzecchi has been one of Germany's most experienced sidemen for more than 25 years. Stars like Sheila Jordan, Pee Wee Ellis and Fred Wesley, Paolo Fresu, Arthur Blythe, Harry Allen, Scott Hamilton, Bobby Watson, Richie Beirach and George Mraz, but also German luminaries like Gregor Hübner, Steffen Schorn, Sebastian Studnitzky, Torsten Goods, Thomas Siffling, Lyambiko, Anke Helfrich and Lisa Bassenge are just a few names that should be mentioned when it comes to the drummer's musical qualities.

This band was founded 15 years ago by the German bassist Herbert Stengele as a musical connection from his centre of life and work in Metz (F) to his old home in Kißlegg (D). The result is an extremely exciting and varied production with contemporary but always swinging original compositions, which were recorded live during a concert in Studio 5 in Kißlegg in mid-March.

After 4 productions under his own name between 2000 and 2017 (including the CD "Rectilinear" with Richie Beirach, also produced on e113 and nominated for the German Record Critics' Best List 3/17), a pure solo work consisting of 24 drum and percussion solos has been created. What is interesting about it is that Manzecchi does not see himself so much as a technician, but rather as a sound painter. Musical gimmicks are alien to him anyway, and so a rather spontaneous work was created, without overdubs, without post-processing - pure, spontaneous and always authentic. The resulting diversity prompted the musician to create an overall arch that invites the listener to listen more closely instead of just being impressed. No one is picked up here, but rather taken on a journey that leads to the inner self - poetic and intimate, but thoroughly exciting and creative.

This complete work is dedicated to none other than Patrick's father Franco Manzecchi (1931-1979), who was one of the most active European drummers throughout his life and worked with greats such as Chet Baker, Dionne Warwick, Memphis Slim, Jean-Luc Ponty, Stéphane Grappelli, Clark Terry, Mezz Mezzrow, Woody Shaw, Donald Byrd, Eric Dolphy, Dexter Gordon, Joe Henderson, Don Byas, Hank Mobley, Bud Powell, Jan Hammer, Larry Young, Barney Kessel and many more. Many more - and who, according to his son, still inspires him.

HS French Connection:
Herbert Stengele, clarinet
Lothar Kraft, piano
Patrick Manzecchi, drums
Patrice Lerech, trumpet
Damien Prud'homme, saxophone

Patrick Manzecchi
was born in Paris (F) in 1969. He is the son of Franco Manzecchi who was one of Europe’s most in-demand drummers of his generation (Chet Baker, Bud Powell, Eric Dolphy, Clark Terry, Dexter Gordon to name a few). The father tragically dies in 1979 after moving from Paris to Konstanz (D) in 1977 with his family. „The loss of my beloved daddy drove me to Jazz. Strangely enough, I immediately was attracted to the music and not necessarily to the drums at first“, says Patrick, and „Jazz was and is my solace, my sanctuary“. Nevertheless, the 10 years old son Patrick starts to play daddy’s drums, rather by coincidence, just for fun, and soon tries to copy what the drummers do he listens to. His love, his motivation indeed are not so much the drummers but the musical universe itself: Duke Ellington, Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie are his early heroes – a bit later, at age thirteen, John Coltrane, Thelonious Monk, Charles Mingus, Miles Davis and many more join in. But there’s no great music without great drummers. So, until now Elvin Jones, Tony Williams, Max Roach, Art Blakey, Kenny Clarke, Roy Haynes, Philly Joe Jones, Shelly Manne, Stan Levey, his father Franco Manzecchi, Jimmy Cobb, Albert ‚Tootie‘ Heath, Vernell Fournier, Frankie Dunlop, Ben Riley, Alan Dawson, Sam Woodyard, Joe Harris, Billy Higgins, ‚Jabali‘ Billy Hart, Joe Chambers, Jack deJohnette, Al Foster, Daniel Humair, Jon Christensen (who endows Patrick with his famous Gretsch drum set), Peter Erskine, Bill Stewart, Victor Lewis, Kenny Washington and Jeff ‚Tain‘ Watts remain under his favorite influences on the instrument. Other drummers from the Soul and Fusion era are Clide Stubblefield, Bernard ‚Pretty‘ Purdie, Steve Jordan, Alex Acuna, Vince Wilburn, Dennis Chambers, Billy Cobham, Mike Clark, Steve Gadd. In his teens, he even manages to watch most of them in live which calls Patrick to be very decisive for him. He notes about his idols while interviewed: „It’s about personality!“

After graduating school Patrick begins his studies of languages (italian/french) but quits and finally opts entirely for Music after all those years. He’s freelancing quite a time and soon former Duke Ellington-bassist Jimmy Woode recognizes his undeniable talent and announces him funnily as „King of Schlagzeugwerk“ at concerts while worldwide renowned pianist Barry Harris (Dexter Gordon, Cannonball Adderley) adds the confirmation „You really know the stuff.“ after a remarkable one week stint together in 1999 – and it is exactly that year too that Patrick works for the first time with another mentor of him, the unmatched legend Richie Beirach (Stan Getz, Dave Liebman, Chet Baker) who calls him to be „the most talented drummer in Germany“ back then, what heavily motivates Patrick to go ahead and finally become a complete and professional drummer: he decides to visit the drum school „Drummer’s Focus“ in Stuttgart to learn how to read music although being completely self-taught. Patrick Manzecchi never stopped to grow musically ever since and has always appreciated to encounter new challenges – from all traditional Jazz forms over Free to Rock and Funk.

This album contains no booklet.