Italian pianist, composer, arranger, and teacher Andrea Pellegrini has recorded with several jazz ensembles for the Symphonia Bluesmiles label, among others. His recorded debut as a leader, Middle Earth, was released in 2000. In addition to Ensemble Ainulindale, the group featured on this album, Pellegrini also leads and composes for the Ottetto Contemporalia, and the Orchestra Jazz Bonamici "Group-One," a group consisting of students at a music school in Pisa where he teaches. Pellegrini's compositions have been performed by a number of jazz orchestras and have been commissioned by others for a variety of settings, including film and dance. Coming from a background in classical music studies, he found his own way into the jazz world. He continues to play a variety of music and in addition to performing in a number of lineups ranging from jazz quartet to the project In A Simmenthal Mood with esteemed bassist Bruno Tommaso and dancer Nadia Scarpa, Pellegrini also appeared on some '90s pop recordings, including Malina's Gently Hard (1999, CIS Records). ~ Joslyn Layne, Rovi