Saxophonist, composer, touring musician, modern music educator, best characterized as a versatile and reliable sideman, co-leading several original projects marked by a blend of influences that range from jazz, rock to funk, hip-hop, American roots, electronic and pop.
« I choose BG because variety and persistence must be at the top of any player's gear choice »
During his career, Emi is credited on more than fifty recordings and toured the USA, Asia and Europe dozens of times, performing at hundreds of prestigious venues in London, NewYork, Philadelphia, New Orleans, Chicago, Paris, Berlin, Prague, Budapest, including eminent festivals as JIM Festival (China), Gateshead (New Castle, UK), Summer Fest (San Francisco, USA) and Umbria Jazz (IT).
He has collaborated with the Civica Jazz Band (fest. Eddie Daniels, David Raksin, Dave Liebman, Max Roach, Bobby Watson, David Murray, Evan Parker) and Bobby Durham, Anthony Wellington, Tommy Campbell, Fabrizio Bosso, Enrico Rava, Gianni Cazzola to name a few.
Emi is also a founding member of the multi-award-winning crossover-jazz project Pericopes, active with decades-long international tours and listed by TopJazz charts and press magazines on both sides of the Atlantic (DownBeat, Jazzthetik, Jazz ‘n’ More, MusicaJazz).
During his years in New York he began collaborating with the American band of guitarist Izzy Zaidman, recording four albums and touring in almost every state of the United States and throughout Europe for the next eight years.
He still stays busy as a freelance sideman, from jazz, to theater performances (American poet Jack Hirschman), to pop and entertainment productions such as his collaboration with the international Italian rockstar, Ligabue, who set a 150,000 person audience attendance record on one of Emi’s tours with the band.
He balances touring with presenting his solo sax-electronic project; masterclasses (Royal Conservatoire of Scotland in Glasgow-UK, RNCM of Manchester, University of Aberdeen-UK); and teaching roles as Professor of Jazz Saxophone at both music Conservatories in Parma and Cesena (Italy).
His composing and production commissions/credits include soundtracks for short movies (Civica Cinema, Milan), commercial television (Pagani Zonda for Motor&Life magazine and Japanese Rosso), and radio programs (RaiTrade, Rai Radio Uno).
