Mauro Negri clar, ten. sax www.mauronegri.it Born in Mantova in 1966 where he attended to classical studies, and he got his diploma in clarinet with the maestro Giovanni Bertolini. In this period of academical studies, he carried on a busy concert activity, performing in duo or in other chamber groups with the piano player Marino Nicolini. It is necessary to underline that it was with the saxofone, played in all his band and with the clarinet, that he began to have a great consent both in Italy and abroad. Actually the study of the jazz repertoire, most of all with the clarinet, gave to Mauro Negri a lot of awards and reviews: in 1984 (just 18 years old) he was ranked the second best first sax in the competition by RAI in Milan, and with the RAI orchestra he collaborated for several years; in 1985 he was considered "the best absolute musician" at the national competion "VIVA I GIOVANI". In the same year, he won the first prize at the national competition for saxophonists of Agliani d'Asti. Then he was considered the best talent by "FARE MUSICA" magazine. In 1989 he was called to give a seminar about John Coltrane at the Teatro Nuovo in Verona. In 1991 with his group "TRAPEZOMANTILO" he was awarded at the national competition "JAZZ CONTEST". In 1992 he won the prize "TOP JAZZ" as the best Italian talent. As regard to his concert activity we have to remember that he played with some of the most representative jazz musicians all over the world: Aldo Romano, with whom he has been playing since '98 in the French group "Corners", Kenny Wheeler, Billy Cobham, Albert Mangelsdorf, Lee Konitz, Sal Nistico, Tony Scott, Steve Lacy, Paul Jeffrey, Tommy Turrentine, Manfred Schoof, Kim Lark, Marc Abrams, Nataline Cole, Enrico Rava, Paolo Fresu, Furio Di Castri, Franco D'Andrea, Giovanni Tommaso, Enrico Intra, Tullio De Piscopo, Ares Tavolazzi, Franco Cerri, Gato Barbieri, Jimmy Cobb. In 1990 he was in the finals at the European competition in Leverkusen. In 1987 he took part at a tour in Russia with the jazz orchestra of Florence. In 1989 he recorded his first CD for the Splasc(h) Records called "Patarau". In 1991 he recorded a record for the "DIRE". In the same year he won the "Jazz Contest" with his quartet "TRAPEZOMANTILO" with which he recorded other three Cds. He played in the quartet of the French drums player Aldo Romano, with whom he gave some concerts in Paris, Monaco, Hong Kong, Guadalupe, Amiens. With this group he recorded a CD for the "Label Bleu" called "CORNERS". On October 1998 he was a member of the Academic Orchestra of the Scala Theatre for two concerts with Enrico Rava, Giovanni Tommaso, Gato Barbieri and Jimmy Cobb. With Enrico Rava he recorded a CD which was published with " MUSICA JAZZ" ,October 1998 called "CERTI ANGOLI SEGRETI" and on April 1999 he recorded an other CD of Enrico Rava's for "Label Bleu" together with Roberto Gatto, Giovanni Tommaso, Stefano Bollani and Barbara Casini. From 1996 he has been making up the "Mauro Negri S.F. Group" with which he recorded a CD for the Splasc(h) Records with title "SO FUNKY". In the record we find Enrico Rava as special guest. The quartet is made up by Bebo Ferra at the guitar, Christian Meyer at the drums and Fiorenzo Delegà at the electric bass and Mauro Negri at the clarinet. With this quartet he performed in several Italian festivals like Iseo Jazz, Jazz Italia, Merano Jazz, Mantova Jazz, S.Severo, Sussara Jazz, Ovaro Jazz. From March 2005 till 2007 has been the first alto-clarinet of the “Vienna Art Orchestra”.