Ivan Valentini

Composer and saxophonist working primarily in the field of improvised music and its interaction with other expressive languages. Since 1992 he has released albums under his own name: Paz, Senza Famiglia, Slanting, Il Teatro Impossibile, Light and Darkness, Rust & Blue, Dripping Sound, and Camera Funky, all centred on original compositions.
With Luca Perciballi he created the project The Black Box Theory, dedicated to an in-depth exploration of free improvisation, documented in the albums The Black Box Theory, Room Music, and Un Lieu.
Significant also is his work on the relationship between music and poetry, documented in the records La casa azzurra, Viaggi, I giorni assenti, and Fumàna.
Among his most notable ongoing collaborations are those with pianist Franco D'Andrea, dancer Teri Weikel, poet Alberto Bertoni, and musicians Michele Francesconi, Roberto Dani, Giancarlo Bianchetti, Achille Succi, Paolo Botti, and the groups Orchestra Spaziale and Cantodiscanto. Occasional but significant collaborations include those with Henry Threadgill, Mathias Ruegg, Bruno Tommaso, Steve Bernstein, and Antonello Salis.
He currently leads his own quintet and co-directs the quartet Blankrooms with pianist Andrea Cappi, with whom he has released Look at Something Closely.