I Compani

The Dutch jazz outfit I Compani -- Bo Van De Graaf (soprano and tenor saxophone), Frank Nielander (alto sax), Wouter Van Bemmel (trumpet, tuba), Jeroen Doomernik (trumpet), Jeroen Goldsteen (piano), Carel Van Rijn (bass), and Fred Van Duynhoven (drums) -- received initial recognition in 1985, when they put together a critically acclaimed program called Fellini/Rota which combined scenes from Fellini movies (such as La Strada, La Dolce Vita, 8 1/2, Amarcord, Roma, and others) with live music from Fellini composer Nino Rota. The same year, bandleader Van De Graaf paid a personal visit to Fellini at his Rome studio to present him with I Compani's debut recording, Music To The Films Of Fellini. The band continued to focus on compositions by Rota, but have also included their own songs in their programs (mainly written by Van De Graaf), combining elements of jazz, funk, and classical.