Zappalot – A Homage Full of Madness and Virtuosity!
A show like a roller coaster ride: wild musicians, unleashed rhythms, boundless joy in playing – all without a safety net! This is what a true Zappa tribute feels like.
On this musical expedition through Zappa's multifaceted universe, the audience will experience the artists who influenced him and the themes that shaped him. With an explosive blend of rock, jazz, avant-garde, and pure anarchy, Zappa shattered the rules of the music business and thrilled generations of fans.
In a unique project by musician and producer Sandro Giampietro and John Cage Award winner Antonio Jiménez Marín, his unforgettable music has been reinterpreted for the KlangART Vision 2024 festival – and will be performed live again in 2025 exclusively at the Zappanale. Joining the band are Lukas Strobel (aka Alligatoah), Jost Nickel (Jan Delay Band), Natalio Sued on saxophone, Andi Pique on keyboards, and Tom Nendza on bass.
From experimental rock to avant-garde jazz to unbridled improvisations – this concert is a feast for the senses!
Zappalot – Are you ready for a musical edge experience?
Lineup:
Sandro Giampietro – electric guitar & vocals
Antonio Jiménez Marín – trombone
Lukas Strobel – guitar & electronics
Natalio Sued – saxophone
Andi Pique – keyboards Tom Nendza – bass
Jost Nickel – drums & bicycle
Sandro Giampietro
Sandro Giampietro covers a wide range of musical fields. He is, among other things, a singer, guitarist, composer, and film and music producer. The son of a jazz singer and a drummer, he has been singing and playing guitar since the age of 5. He achieved his first successes as a singer and guitarist with the band Allegro, which combined strong classical influences from Bach and Vivaldi with rock music.
In the early 1990s, Sandro founded the band Atalya, which performed a rock opera. In 1991, Sandro graduated from the Hamburg University of Music and Performing Arts with a degree in popular music. In 1995, Sandro was discovered by German jazz musician Helge Schneider and played in his band until 1997 and again from 2006 to the present. From 1998, he was engaged at the Thalia Theater Hamburg, among other venues, where he performed on stage and also composed theater music. In 1997, he released several albums with his eponymous band, Sandro, and one album on Frontiers Records with the band Zillion (b: Jens Becker, dr: Mike Terrana). He also plays guitar and composes with Michael Kiske in Supared (2003) and plays guitar on his solo albums Kiske (2006) and Past In Different Ways (2008). In 2012, he founded the band Starchild.
He is currently producing a solo album with Michael Kiske and is a co-songwriter for Unisonic. Sandro has made commercial appearances for Apple, Yamaha, Fender, Gibson, Marshall, and Engl Amps.
He has appeared on several television shows, including Harald Schmidt, Hape Kerkeling's Birthday Show, Sascha the Show, The German Comedy Award, ZDF Fernsehgarten, and many others.
Antonio Jiménez-Marín
Antonio Jiménez-Marín, winner of the 2023 John Cage Competition in Germany, has been praised for his "captivating" and "versatile" performances (NMZ - Neue Musikzeitung). He has built a diverse career as a soloist and chamber musician, which has taken him to Africa, Asia, North America, and many European countries. His concert activities as a trombonist are complemented by his work in theater music, improvisation, composition, and collaborations in various ensembles and multidisciplinary projects. Antonio's recent works include a solo concert entitled "Antonio Tromboncino" (2023) for a young audience and "Ich packe in meinen Koffer..." (2024), a concert version of his book for trombonists, which premiered at the Vera Oeri Music Library in Basel.
As a solo trombonist and orchestral musician, Antonio performs at new music festivals and in concert halls throughout Europe, including with Ensemble Modern Frankfurt, Ensemble Phoenix Basel, Collegium Novum Zurich, the Dresden Symphony Orchestra, Klangforum Wien, the Remix Ensemble Casa da Música in Porto, the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, the Filarmónica de Gran Canaria, and the Orquesta Ciudad de Granada.
Previously, Antonio studied at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, where he won the most performance awards and graduated with the John Wallace CBE Principal Prize for Excellence in July 2013. In 2014, he was accepted into the International Ensemble Modern Academy in Frankfurt. In June 2017, he completed his Master's specialization in contemporary music at the Basel Music Academy with distinction. His education is rounded out by a pedagogy program at the University of Applied Sciences and Arts (FHNW) in 2023 with Michel Büttler. In Basel, he studied with Mike Svoboda, Marcus Weiss, and Jürg Henneberger.
Since 2023, he has been a lecturer at the Basel Music Academy / Basel Music School (substitute).
