An espresso with…
Nicola Fasano
August 6, 2018
An italian photographer in Copenhagen between Bill Evans and Frank Zappa
Nicola Fasano boasts many and important collaborations in jazz photography. We talked about his passion for music and his vision of photography.
Who’s Nicola Fasano?
I was born in Rome in March 1957. I quit studying political sciences at Rome’s Sapienza University and moved to Copenhagen in 1978 where I presently live and work.
I was born in Rome in March 1957. I quit studying political sciences at Rome’s Sapienza University and moved to Copenhagen in 1978 where I presently live and work.
Why taking pictures of jazz music?
After being interested in photography for many years, during which I bought a lot of magazines and visited many photo exhibitions, I started to take pictures and I dedicated myself to jazz music as a natural development, as for some years I had also played, and I still do (after a couple of glasses of wine…) jazz guitar and a little of Brazilian bossa nova. But I have to say that, in these last years, my interest moved also towards classical music and I presently listen a lot to composers such as Bach, Mozart, Cesar Frank, Sibelius, Stravinsky and so on. Hence, a kind of return to classical European roots.
After being interested in photography for many years, during which I bought a lot of magazines and visited many photo exhibitions, I started to take pictures and I dedicated myself to jazz music as a natural development, as for some years I had also played, and I still do (after a couple of glasses of wine…) jazz guitar and a little of Brazilian bossa nova. But I have to say that, in these last years, my interest moved also towards classical music and I presently listen a lot to composers such as Bach, Mozart, Cesar Frank, Sibelius, Stravinsky and so on. Hence, a kind of return to classical European roots.
Would you like to share with us an anecdote about your relationships with jazz musicians?
One of my favourite jazz pianists is Bill Evans, that I listen to a lot, and he’s for me a great source of inspiration. Unfortunately, I never had the chance of meeting him, due to his premature death but, on the other hand, many years after the pianist passed away, I had a dinner with Eddy Gomez in a restaurant in Copenhagen. Naturally, I expressed to him my love for Bill Evans and especially for a tune called “You Must Believe in Spring”, where Eddy Gomez actually plays a fantastic double bass solo I know by heart due to the many and many times I have listened to it. He didn’t remember, but he was surprised when I mentioned it to him by singing it and, naturally, he congratulated with me for my good memory.
One of my favourite jazz pianists is Bill Evans, that I listen to a lot, and he’s for me a great source of inspiration. Unfortunately, I never had the chance of meeting him, due to his premature death but, on the other hand, many years after the pianist passed away, I had a dinner with Eddy Gomez in a restaurant in Copenhagen. Naturally, I expressed to him my love for Bill Evans and especially for a tune called “You Must Believe in Spring”, where Eddy Gomez actually plays a fantastic double bass solo I know by heart due to the many and many times I have listened to it. He didn’t remember, but he was surprised when I mentioned it to him by singing it and, naturally, he congratulated with me for my good memory.
What are your recommendations for a person wanting to begin to take photos?
Being a photographer is a lifestyle. Opening your own mind, eyes and heart, as Henry Cartier Bresson would say, is fundamental. Read a lot, listen to music, travel whenever you can. Visit exhibitions by painters, sculptors, go to the movies, etc. All of this is a part of one’s own cultural development and everything is useful to enrich and grow up as persons and photographers.
Being a photographer is a lifestyle. Opening your own mind, eyes and heart, as Henry Cartier Bresson would say, is fundamental. Read a lot, listen to music, travel whenever you can. Visit exhibitions by painters, sculptors, go to the movies, etc. All of this is a part of one’s own cultural development and everything is useful to enrich and grow up as persons and photographers.
Which is your favourite gear?
I have always used Nikon cameras and, as a habit and also because I’m a bit lazy, I have never changed. In the last period, especially when I travel, I use Fuji cameras because they’re very light and lenses are fantastic. But the camera is not important. It’s the photographer who catches the picture, not the camera.
I have always used Nikon cameras and, as a habit and also because I’m a bit lazy, I have never changed. In the last period, especially when I travel, I use Fuji cameras because they’re very light and lenses are fantastic. But the camera is not important. It’s the photographer who catches the picture, not the camera.
The pic you’d wish to have taken?
More than pictures, there are people I would have liked to meet, but unfortunately it wasn’t possible. As I told you before, I would have given my right arm to have the possibility of meeting and speaking to Bill Evans. Another person I would have liked to meet and photograph is Frank Zappa because I believe that, besides being one of the greatest modern musicians, he was also a man with an extraordinary culture.
More than pictures, there are people I would have liked to meet, but unfortunately it wasn’t possible. As I told you before, I would have given my right arm to have the possibility of meeting and speaking to Bill Evans. Another person I would have liked to meet and photograph is Frank Zappa because I believe that, besides being one of the greatest modern musicians, he was also a man with an extraordinary culture.
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Images © Nicola Fasano
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Nicola Fasano Interview 2018 Leonardo Schiavone Jazzespresso Jazz Magazine – copyright 2018
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Nicola Fasano
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