B i o g r a p h y
Ada Montellanico is one of the most important and innovative authors and singers on the Italian jazz scene. He has collaborated with internationally renowned artists including Jimmy Cobb, Lee Konitz, Paul McCandless, Enrico Pieranunzi, Enrico Rava, Fabrizio Bosso, Danilo Rea, participating with critical and public success in numerous prestigious Italian and foreign festivals. An extraordinary performer with a warm and sandy voice, a great researcher of unusual and original repertoires, she has been able to find a magical fusion between the Italian language, jazz and improvisation like no other.
A fundamental stage in his career was 1996, when he recorded "L'altro Tenco" with Enrico Rava. The profound sensitivity with which he rereads the less frequented repertoire of the Piedmontese singer-songwriter in a new key reveals a particular ability to make his intimate emotional world adhere to the needs of the narrative.
The search to unite our most cultured songwriting tradition and the African-American language leads to other important recordings such as Ma l'amore no (1997) up to Danza di una ninfa, created for Egea in 2005 together with Enrico Pieranunzi, which represents a true and its own recording event for the particularity and novelty of containing four unpublished lyrics by Tenco, set to music for the first time by Montellanico and by Pieranunzi himself, courtesy of the Tenco family.
In 2006 he published the book Quasi sera for Stampa Alternativa. A story of Tenco, musical biography of the singer-songwriter. The originality, competence and sensitivity of the woman and singer with which she approaches the life of the man and the artist Tenco, makes this book a real sales success, followed by numerous appreciations also from specialized critics.
In 2008 two other important recordings were released: Il sole di un ufficio in which the Roman artist appears not only as an extraordinary interpreter, but also as an original and sensitive composer.
In the same year he was the protagonist of the prestigious "Jazz Italiano 2008" series released by the magazine L'Espresso, with an unprecedented "live" recording of his "Homage Billie Holiday". Both the concerts relating to this project and the CD, reprinted and distributed on newsstands again in August 2016, received strong approval from the public and critics. In 2012, the CD “Suono di donna” was released by Incipit/Egea, a transversal project in which homage is paid to women composers. On this occasion, Ada presents itself with a completely renewed ensemble, a sort of brass band with original sounds, which sees the participation and arrangements of the great trumpeter Giovanni Falzone. In January 2017, Abbey's Road was released again by Incipit Records, a passionate tribute to a legendary artist such as Abbey Lincoln. An album of great maturity in which Ada tackles songs that belong to Lincoln's most committed repertoire such as those linked to the fight for civil rights. Also on this occasion he chooses an atypical formation for a voice, that is, without harmonic instruments. The artistic partnership continues with Falzone who collaborates again in the double role of trumpeter and arranger. The talented young people Filippo Vignato on trombone, Matteo Bortone on double bass and Ermanno Baron on drums are added to the ensemble. The project had an extraordinary reception from the public and critics and was welcomed by numerous important Italian jazz festivals.
He currently has a teaching position for the jazz singing course at the L. Perosi Conservatory of Campobasso. He founded and held the prestigious role of President in MIDJ, the National Association of Jazz Musicians and in the Il Jazz Va a Scuola Association. She was Vice President of the Superior Council of Entertainment for three years.
He is currently President of the Italian Jazz Federation, an organization of great national importance previously chaired by Paolo Fresu.