Anna Nicotra

“So Danço Samba” is one of the masterpieces of Antônio Carlos Jobim, a key figure of bossa nova and 20th-century Brazilian music. With its harmonic elegance and unmistakable rhythm, it embodies all the lightness and depth of a genre that conquered the world.

In this version the trio pays tribute to the lively, dancing spirit of samba, weaving melody and improvisation together with ease and complicity. A finale full of light for this series of live recordings.

🎹 Anna Nicotra, piano · 🎶 Stefano Benini, flute · 🎸 Enrico Terragnoli, acoustic bass
📍 Recorded live at Ferrarin Pianoforti, Verona, 24 April 2025

“All Soul” is a composition by the great American flautist Hubert Laws, a central figure in jazz from the 1960s onwards. With his unmistakable sound and a technical mastery rooted in classical training, Laws blended different musical worlds and took the flute to a new level of expression in modern jazz.

The trio pays tribute to his elegant, fluid style, keeping the delicate balance between lyricism and improvisation that defines his music. A musical dialogue that breathes freedom, respect and deep sensitivity.

🎹 Anna Nicotra, piano · 🎶 Stefano Benini, flute · 🎸 Enrico Terragnoli, acoustic bass
📍 Recorded live at Ferrarin Pianoforti, Verona, 24 April 2025

A tune by the great flautist Sam Most: “Sagittarian Samba” blends the lightness and liveliness of samba with the freedom of jazz improvisation. A pioneer of jazz flute since the 1950s, Most is remembered for bringing the instrument to the heart of modern jazz, influencing generations of musicians.

The piece also has a special story for Stefano Benini, who recorded it in 1999 on the album Stefano Benini Quartet – Walking Flute. In this version the flute converses with piano and bass in an ever fresh and lively rhythmic and melodic exchange.

🎹 Anna Nicotra, piano · 🎶 Stefano Benini, flute · 🎸 Enrico Terragnoli, acoustic bass
📍 Recorded live at Ferrarin Pianoforti, Verona, 24 April 2025

An original piece by Anna Nicotra, written when she was just 17 and grown with her over the years. “City Road” has travelled through different sounds and line-ups, changing each time thanks to the musicians who played it.

There is even a version with lyrics, performed by Verona's Orchestra Mosaika, an ensemble Stefano Benini also belongs to: proof of its versatile nature, open to many styles and languages.

🎹 Anna Nicotra, piano · 🎶 Stefano Benini, flute · 🎸 Enrico Terragnoli, acoustic bass
📍 Recorded live at Ferrarin Pianoforti, Verona, 24 April 2025

“Serenade to a Cuckoo” is one of the best-known compositions by the brilliant multi-instrumentalist Rahsaan Roland Kirk, an eccentric and visionary figure of modern jazz. First released in 1964, it has become a small classic, reinterpreted over the years by artists of every background (even Jethro Tull recorded it on their debut album).

The trio brings out the playful, singable soul of the piece, with an interplay full of lightness, irony and a sense of freedom. A tribute to an artist who always challenged conventions, reminding us that music can be as deep as it is fun.

🎹 Anna Nicotra, piano · 🎶 Stefano Benini, flute · 🎸 Enrico Terragnoli, acoustic bass
📍 Recorded live at Ferrarin Pianoforti, Verona, 24 April 2025

A tune that made history: “Memphis Underground”, recorded in 1969 by the American flautist Herbie Mann, remains one of the most famous meetings of jazz, soul and groove.

At the start of the video Stefano Benini shares a personal memory: when he met Herbie Mann, Mann told him how, shortly after the LP came out, he ran into Miles Davis at the Newport Jazz Festival. From the window of his limousine Miles said: “Hey Herbie, I've been listening to some good music lately”, turning up the radio, which was playing Memphis Underground.

🎹 Anna Nicotra, piano · 🎶 Stefano Benini, flute · 🎸 Enrico Terragnoli, acoustic bass
📍 Recorded live at Ferrarin Pianoforti, Verona, 24 April 2025

An original piece by Stefano Benini, first released on the album Fortynine Forever (2008) and revisited with different line-ups over the years. “Desert” evokes suspended, rarefied atmospheres, a soundscape where improvisation intertwines with silence and mutual listening.

In this trio version the piece opens up to new nuances: a desert that becomes a shared space, essential and free, where every voice finds its resonance.

🎹 Anna Nicotra, piano · 🎶 Stefano Benini, flute · 🎸 Enrico Terragnoli, acoustic bass
📍 Recorded live at Ferrarin Pianoforti, Verona, 24 April 2025

Written by Dizzy Gillespie in the 1940s, “A Night in Tunisia” became one of the emblematic tunes of bebop. With its unique blend of Afro-Cuban rhythms and modern harmony, it is a bridge between tradition and innovation.

The trio gives it a personal reading, focusing on tension and release, space and rhythm, while keeping intact the energy that made it a timeless classic.

🎹 Anna Nicotra, piano · 🎶 Stefano Benini, flute · 🎸 Enrico Terragnoli, acoustic bass
📍 Recorded live at Ferrarin Pianoforti, Verona, 24 April 2025

A fascinating, lesser-known piece that evokes lyrical, reflective moods: “Sun Shower” belongs to those compositions that leave room for interpretive freedom.

In this version the trio works on delicate nuances, conjuring a musical idea of light rain and warm sunlight. A tiptoeing dialogue between three different but deeply attuned musical personalities.

🎹 Anna Nicotra, piano · 🎶 Stefano Benini, flute · 🎸 Enrico Terragnoli, acoustic bass
📍 Recorded live at Ferrarin Pianoforti, Verona, 24 April 2025

A tune by the great Benny Golson, first recorded with the Art Farmer Jazztet in 1960. “Killer Joe” is an urban, sophisticated blues, carved by a relaxed groove and precise phrasing.

The trio keeps its narrative spirit, working on subtraction, interplay and dynamic control. A sparse yet faithful version: essentiality and intention in the service of the story.

🎹 Anna Nicotra, piano · 🎶 Stefano Benini, flute · 🎸 Enrico Terragnoli, acoustic bass
📍 Recorded live at Ferrarin Pianoforti, Verona, 24 April 2025

A tune by the great Neal Hefti for the Count Basie Orchestra. “Cute” is a game of balance and nuance, played with that freedom typical of jazz that lives in the moment.

In this version the trio works on subtraction, mutual listening and a soft, never intrusive rhythmic interplay. An elegant conversation between three musicians with a deep understanding and a shared space that breathes.

🎹 Anna Nicotra, piano · 🎶 Stefano Benini, flute · 🎸 Enrico Terragnoli, acoustic bass
📍 Recorded live at Ferrarin Pianoforti, Verona, 24 April 2025

Blind concert, 29 August 2024.

A piece composed by Anna Nicotra, in the version for the concert in the dark held in Siena on Sunday 30 April, in the Sala San Pio of the Santa Maria della Scala Museum.

The video quality is limited because the frame rate was reduced.

An original piece by Anna Nicotra, played at an end-of-summer concert in Lazise (Verona).