41 – Roundabout
41 Roundabout
Giulio Scaramella
Released by nusica.org, Roundabout is the new album by pianist Giulio Scaramella: a project that brings classical training into dialogue with the language of jazz, weaving together composition and improvisation within a quartet capable of moving between formal rigor and expressive freedom.
The album will be available on all digital platforms from March 18, preceded by the single Può Succedere, released on March 13.
Press kit:
https://press.giuseppebettiol.it/roundabout-scaramella
Giulio Scaramella – piano
Jure Pukl – soprano sax, tenor sax
Alessio Zoratto – double bass
Luca Colussi – drums
Some melodies wait a long time: written, set aside, revisited, rewritten. The album Roundabout was born in this way, as a return to pieces composed over different years and kept suspended until they found their definitive form. It is the second album as leader by the pianist and composer from Gorizia Giulio Scaramella (born 1987), who has so far established himself mainly in shared projects as a sideman and co-leader, within a dense network of collaborations that have shaped his artistic profile, including those with Fabrizio Bosso, Mauro Ottolini, Vanessa Tagliabue Yorke, and Francesco Bearzatti. In Roundabout, this trajectory brings together a decade of ideas into a single, recognizable narrative.
The pianist’s roots lie in classical music. Scaramella studied at the “Giuseppe Tartini” Conservatory of Trieste under the guidance of Prof. Igor Cognolato. He later refined his studies at the Trio di Parma’s two-year chamber music academy and obtained a Master’s degree in jazz performance. At the same time, he has built an extensive recording career through albums and collaborations in various contexts and ensembles, developing a musical language capable of combining classical rigor with improvisational openness.
Scaramella’s writing reflects this approach: focusing on an idea and then leaving real space for the musicians who play it. In ensemble pieces, the music is conceived to be immediately inhabitable, preserving spontaneity and openness; some more concentrated pages are instead entrusted to solo piano, as a territory for personal research and formal control.
The collaboration with Jure Pukl on soprano and tenor saxophone is one of the expressive axes of the album: a voice that intertwines steadily with the piano, shifting the perspective of the compositions and expanding their timbral range. Pukl recognized the component that comes from the classical world and responded with his own sensibility, creating a dialogue that brings together different approaches in sound care and interpretive freedom. Alongside them, Alessio Zoratto on double bass and Luca Colussi on drums — a rhythm section with whom Scaramella has collaborated for years — build a foundation that never becomes heavy: they support without stiffening, react without intruding, and accompany the narrative with a discreet yet decisive presence.
Giulio Scaramella says:
“I’ve collaborated extensively on other people’s projects: it’s a dimension I recognize myself in, because it forces you to listen and interpret. That’s why the word ‘leader’ in music has always sounded a bit narrow to me: if you write pieces, it’s inevitable to have a vision, but for me the point is to leave space for the vision of those who play them with you. I choose musicians I trust and, if their contribution shifts the starting point, I’m willing to change what I wrote. In Roundabout I gathered pieces written in different years, many of them left in a drawer for a long time. In the solo piano pieces I kept the more ‘studio-like’ and complex aspects; for the ensemble, on the other hand, I wanted writing that could be immediately interpreted, able to enter the music right away without losing spontaneity. Even the tributes come from real affinities: Deep River comes from ten years spent playing with different gospel and spiritual choirs; The Mozdok’s Train is a melody I heard during my Conservatory years that has never left me; and Brahms is a composer I naturally return to. In the end, this album is exactly that: distant materials that recognize each other and, thanks to mutual listening, find a common sound.”
The album privileges melody, timbre, and dynamics, moving across a wide palette — from pianissimo to fortissimo — that recalls an almost orchestral sensibility. It is a record that chooses coherence over effect: the ideas remain articulated but are contained within a clarity that allows the music to breathe and the ensemble to move naturally.
The title evokes a simple yet powerful idea: circularity. A movement that returns, but never identical to itself; a form that wraps and transforms; a gesture that resumes, shifts, rewrites. This impression subtly runs through the album: linear themes resting on ostinatos capable of shifting their axis, central sections that change perspective without breaking continuity, codas that open and leave the pieces suspended. Harmonic returns and internal variations hold the path together, creating continuity without ever becoming repetition.
The album’s structure also follows this logic of movement. Roundabout alternates solo piano, duo, trio, and quartet, as if continually changing the listener’s distance from the music. The solo pieces are more intimate and concentrated pages: the piano becomes an inner space of precision and suspension. Ensemble formations, on the contrary, open the space: the music moves through relationships, and interplay completes the design.
The original compositions of Roundabout create a series of micro-stories, autonomous yet connected by an idea of inner transformation, shifts, and returns.
The title track Roundabout is a study for solo piano built on an irregular ostinato: a sonic vortex that grows through accumulation and suddenly extinguishes just as it seems to reveal its geometry. A Short Story, also for solo piano, intertwines three recognizable elements — rhythmic impulse, a motif in the low register, and a high counter-melody — in a deliberately precarious balance that at a certain point suddenly thins out before closing with a more rarefied coda.
Among the ensemble pieces, Fotografia arises from a concrete image: a lyrical theme that passes from piano to saxophone and opens into a “coloristic” interplay with the rhythm section, where the pulse emerges and then fades again. L’Autobus Che Non Ho Preso, the only piano trio track, stems from a reflection on determinism and free will: lyrical and harmonically refined writing that proceeds through small deviations, like a path of alternative possibilities. In Può Succedere, the tension is mainly rhythmic: beneath an apparently linear melody lies an irregular design that constantly shifts its axis, allowing the improvisations to expand the play of perspectives. Bedtime, finally, begins as a quiet contrapuntal dialogue between soprano sax and piano, then changes direction and opens into a long improvised coda involving the entire ensemble, leading the piece toward suspension.
Alongside the original compositions, Roundabout includes three pieces that engage with the pianist’s musical history and illuminate three different strands of it. They do not interrupt the discourse: they expand it and make it more personal.
Deep River, the African-American spiritual, stems from a direct connection with that tradition: for years Scaramella has regularly played with several gospel and spiritual choirs. Here the piece becomes an essential version for solo piano, focused on the theme and on the care of harmonization and timbre — a gesture of memory more than virtuosity.
With The Mozdok’s Train by Anouar Brahem (from Astrakan Café, ECM, 2000), the album includes a melody that has accompanied Scaramella since his Conservatory years. Revisited for solo piano, it maintains the linear and suspended character of the original, built on an ostinato pedal: more than a cover, it is a piece internalized and brought home.
Finally, Meine Lieder (op. 106 no. 4) by Johannes Brahms: the soprano sax replaces the voice and the central section opens to free improvisation. It is a sign of belonging: the classical root not as an “elsewhere,” but as an organic part of the album’s language, naturally coexisting with the improvisational dimension.
The album will be available on all digital platforms from March 18, preceded by the single Può Succedere, released on March 13.
Giulio Scaramella
Roundabout
Tracklist
Può Succedere
The Mozdok’s Train
Fotografia
Bedtime
A Short Story
L’Autobus Che Non Ho Preso
Roundabout
Meine Lieder
Deep River
Production
Mix and mastering: Stefano Amerio (Artesuono)
Cover photo: Romano Ferlan
Published by nusica.org, 2026
Information
www.nusica.org – info@nusica.org
Press Office and Communication
Giuseppe Bettiol – comunicati@giuseppebettiol.it – +39 349 1734262
Profiles
Giulio Scaramella (Gorizia, 1987) is a pianist and composer. He graduated with highest honors in piano from the “Giuseppe Tartini” Conservatory of Trieste under Prof. Igor Cognolato, refined his studies at the Trio di Parma’s chamber music academy, and obtained a Master’s degree in jazz performance. He further pursued jazz and classical studies through masterclasses with international musicians including Danilo Perez, Gwilym Simcock, and Nik Bärtsch. He has won prizes in national and international competitions and in 2015 received the Franco Russo Award as an emerging young talent; with Oirquartett (Abeat Records) he won the prize for best debut album at the national “Chicco Bettinardi” competition. He has performed at festivals such as Umbria Jazz, Mittelfest, and Bologna Jazz Festival, appearing in numerous European countries. He has released over 20 recordings and collaborated with artists including Fabrizio Bosso, Mauro Ottolini, Francesco Bearzatti, Jure Pukl, and Klaus Gesing.
Jure Pukl is among the most prolific and creative saxophonists of the new Slovenian jazz generation. In 2015 he received the Prešeren Fund Award, Slovenia’s highest national recognition for artistic achievement. He pursued his academic training abroad, studying classical and jazz saxophone at the University of Vienna and the Royal Conservatory of The Hague; he later received a scholarship at Berklee College of Music, studying with masters such as Joe Lovano and George Garzone, and obtained a Master’s degree in music from the University of Music and Performing Arts Graz. Throughout his career he has collaborated with numerous internationally renowned musicians including Dave Liebman, Branford Marsalis, Esperanza Spalding, Vijay Iyer, and Jeff “Tain” Watts, as well as orchestral ensembles such as the RTV Slovenia Big Band. He has toured in the United States, Asia, and Europe, performing at major clubs and festivals including Blue Note, Ronnie Scott’s, Winter Jazz Festival, Moers Jazz Festival, Berlin Jazz Festival, and Jazz à Vienne. He has released twelve albums as a leader and participated as a sideman in over 50 projects, receiving attention from international publications including DownBeat, The New York Times, Jazzwise, and All About Jazz.
Alessio Zoratto is a jazz double bassist. He studied at the “J. Tomadini” Conservatory of Udine, studying jazz double bass with Glauco Venier and Alfonso Deidda, graduating with highest honors and special mention; he also obtained, with honors, a diploma in jazz ensemble performance at the same conservatory. At the same time he studied classical double bass with Franco Feruglio and Fabio Serafini. In 2025 he was listed by the magazine Musica Jazz in the Top Jazz poll among the new “Italian Talents.” He has performed in numerous festivals and series in Italy and abroad, including Umbria Jazz and Umbria Jazz Winter, as well as institutional venues such as Teatro La Fenice and RAI broadcasts. He has collaborated with national and international artists and ensembles and regularly participates in several projects, including groups led by Glauco Venier and Luca Colussi, as well as projects with Giulio Scaramella.
Luca Colussi (1978) is a drummer and educator active in the Italian jazz scene. His artistic activity includes collaborations with prominent musicians from the European and American circuits, with concerts in Europe and the United States. Over the course of his career he has worked, among others, with Randy Brecker, Kurt Elling, David Liebman, Steve Grossman, Oliver Lake, Don Menza, Fabrizio Bosso, Flavio Boltro, Francesco Bearzatti, Glauco Venier, Mauro Ottolini, and Jure Pukl. He has received numerous awards and recognitions: from 2004 (winning the “Premio Nazionale delle Arti” with the group Namòs) to several Italian jazz competitions; in 2017 he was mentioned in the Top Jazz poll with the XY Quartet. His discography includes more than 130 recordings, with three albums released under his own name. He is a professor of Jazz Drums at the “A. Steffani” Conservatory of Castelfranco Veneto.
Roundabout
Può succedere
Composed in 2016, this piece is based on a polyrhythm: beneath a melody written mainly in 4/4, a pattern in 5/8 unfolds. The left hand of the piano outlines an ostinato that at times stands out, interacting melodically with the main motif.
The theme is first presented as a solo piano, then taken up by the soprano saxophone; the section dedicated to improvisation develops in 3/4.
Roundabout
The album’s title track represents a kind of “study” for solo piano and is characterized by a pounding ostinato in 15/4, built through an interlocking pattern between the left hand and the first three fingers of the right hand. The melody, simple and minimal, is mainly entrusted to the fourth and fifth fingers.
The idea the composer wishes to convey with this short composition (2’38”) is that of a chaotic and fragmented sonic vortex that suddenly fades out just as the listener begins to grasp its nature.
Fotografi
The first quartet piece on the album features a theme with a strong lyrical character, first presented by the piano and then by the saxophone, with free coloristic interaction from the rhythm section. The metronomic pulse becomes clear in the improvisation section, only to dissolve again in the final restatement of the melody.
Bedtime
Written in 2015, Bedtime represents an experiment in simple two-voice contrapuntal composition with an ancient flavor. Soprano saxophone and piano converse softly in a delicate, sometimes fragile sonic environment.
The second section changes direction completely: a hypnotic loop of four two-note chords played in the lower register of the piano forms the foundation of a long, freely improvised coda involving the entire band.
A short story
A short tale for solo piano. Three clearly distinguishable subjects are introduced one at a time: first the obsessive rhythmic element in 5/8, then the main motif in the bass, and finally a counter-melody with more extended values in the upper register.
The three characters chase one another throughout the narrative, weaving their parts together and telling their stories—sometimes alone, sometimes overlapping—in a balance that may appear precarious.
About two-thirds into the piece, after a long crescendo that seems about to erupt into chaos, there is a sudden collapse in dynamics. One character is left alone on stage and resumes its story, leading us to the conclusion in a subtly melancholic coda.
L’autobus che non ho preso
The only track on the album recorded in a piano trio format. The piece is marked by strong lyricism and a fairly sophisticated harmonic exploration.
L’autobus che non ho preso is inspired by a reflection on determinism and free will, and on the infinite possible paths that open before us at every single moment of our lives.
Meine Lieder
Meine Lieder is part of a cycle of Lieder written by Johannes Brahms between 1886 and 1889; the original text was written by the Swiss poet Adolf Frey.
If my heart begins to resonate
and spreads its wings in sound,
faded, forgotten delights
rise again into the air around me,
and the shadows of cypress trees.
Gloomy sound my songs!
In this version, the soprano saxophone replaces the voice, and the central section is devoted to free improvisation.
Deep River
An African American spiritual of anonymous origin, Deep River became famous in 1917 following the piano-and-voice arrangement by Henry T. Burleigh.
Among the many versions, we recall Paul Robeson’s 1927 interpretation and the more modern one by Mahalia Jackson on the 1964 album Let’s Pray Together.
In Roundabout, a brief solo piano version is presented: an essential, “stolen” exposition of the theme, with particular care given to harmonization and timbral and expressive research.
The Mozdok’s Train
Astrakan Café (2000, ECM) is one of the most famous albums by Tunisian oud player Anouar Brahem, recorded with clarinetist Barbaros Erkose and percussionist Lassad Hosni.
In Roundabout, a solo piano version of The Mozdok’s Train is presented, characterized by a hypnotic E-flat pedal over which flows a simple melody built on the Mixolydian mode.
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