JAZZPROFILES lives in the music 1,572 Jazz Artists fully Profiled! Ares Tavolazzi
Last updated October 1, 2026
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Ares Tavolazzi, Italian jazz and rock bassist (Area, Lucio Dalla's band). CC BY 2.0 — Wikimedia Commons — https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ares_Tavolazzi.jpg (photo by Roberto Scorta)
Ares Tavolazzi was born in Ferrara in July 1948 and studied cello and double bass at the city's music school. He started professionally backing singer Carmen Villani in a beat group alongside drummer Ellade Bandini, and in 1969 the two co-founded The Pleasure Machine with Vince Tempera, cutting five singles and playing on Francesco Guccini's L'isola non trovata.
In 1973 he joined Area, the avant-garde Italian band built around singer Demetrio Stratos, replacing bassist Patrick Djivas. He stayed until 1983, a decade at the center of one of Italian progressive music's most respected acts, playing bass and trombone alongside Stratos, Giulio Capiozzo, Patrizio Fariselli, and Paolo Tofani.
His jazz career has run at least as long. He has recorded with Paolo Fresu, Stefano Bollani, and Enrico Rava together on 2002's Flashback, with Roberto Gatto on A Day in Florence: Lee Konitz Meets Gatto (2003), with Rita Marcotulli in the trio TrioKàla, and with Daniele di Bonaventura, all already profiled on jazzprofiles.com. He frequented the New York jazz scene directly. Guitar Club magazine ranked him Italy's best bass guitarist from 1984 to 1986, and in 1987 he won the A. Willaert Award as Musician of the Year.
Tavolazzi's playing bridges avant-progressive rock, shaped by his decade in Area, and straight-ahead jazz, developed across an extensive session career alongside major figures in Italian jazz. That dual background gives his bass work a rhythmic flexibility uncommon among players who came up through jazz alone.
- Flashback (2002, Philology) - with Enrico Rava, Stefano Bollani, and Gianni Basso.
- TrioKàla (2016, Nicolosi Productions) - with Rita Marcotulli and Alfredo Golino.
Ares Tavolazzi: Full Discography
Scope note: Tavolazzi's catalog spans his 1973-1983 tenure in Area (not itemized here — see Area's own discography elsewhere) and an extensive jazz session career. This file covers a selection of jazz-era credits tied to notable/already-profiled collaborators.
Identity confirmed via Discogs artist ID 273696 ("Ares Tavolazzi"). Related entities (Trio, various co-billed group names) are his own collaborative projects, not collisions.
SELECTED JAZZ-ERA credits (Discogs-confirmed)
| Year | Release | Artist(s) | Label | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | Tic & Tac | Area, with Larry Nocella (tenor saxophone) | Ascolto | Tavolazzi on bass, guitar and voice; Discogs-confirmed. |
| 1994 | Mariposa | Giulio Stracciati, Ares Tavolazzi, Francesco Petreni feat. Paolo Fresu, Tino Tracanna | Penta Flowers | |
| 1999 | Mambo Italiano | Stefano Bollani, Ares Tavolazzi | Philology | |
| 1999 | Restituzioni | Timet, with Stefano Bollani and Mirio Cosottini | I Dischi Forma | Discogs-confirmed; Tavolazzi on contrabass. |
| 2002 | Flashback | Enrico Rava, Gianni Basso, Stefano Bollani, Ares Tavolazzi | Philology | |
| 2003 | A Day in Florence: Lee Konitz Meets Gatto | Lee Konitz, Roberto Gatto feat. Ares Tavolazzi | Philology | |
| 2016 | TrioKàla | Rita Marcotulli, Ares Tavolazzi, Alfredo Golino | Nicolosi Productions | |
| 2020 | Ghimel | Elias Nardi, Daniele Di Bonaventura, Ares Tavolazzi | Visage Music | |
| 2010 | Stand Up...One More Time | Ares Tavolazzi - Daniele Pozzovio Quintet: Ares Tavolazzi, Daniele Pozzovio, Leonardo Cesari, Federico Turreni, Gabriele Coen | Helikonia | Bass; Discogs-verified. |
| 2025 | Dialoghi A Corde | Domenico Caliri, Ares Tavolazzi | Onyx Dischi | Guitar-and-bass duo; Caliri already profiled on this project. |
| 2010-2020 | Unstandards (2010), Imaginerie (2010, duo), Cubicq (2010), Wheeler Variations (2017), For Haden's Sake (2020) | Alessandro Galati, Ares Tavolazzi and rotating sidemen | Via Veneto Jazz / Blue Gleam / Somethin' Cool / Jazzmud | Five albums across a decade; full personnel and years in Alessandro Galati's own discography-full.md |
| 2021 | Indaco Hanami | Trio Kàla (Rita Marcotulli, Ares Tavolazzi, Alfredo Golino) | Abeat Records | |
| 1989 | Italian Standards | Beppe Castellani Quartet: Beppe Castellani, Ares Tavolazzi, Riccardo Biancoli, Giorgio Signoretti | Il Posto Records | |
| 1990 | Italian Standards 2 | Beppe Castellani Quartet: same personnel | Il Posto Records | |
| 2001 | Italian Standards (compilation) | Beppe Castellani, Ares Tavolazzi, Riccardo Biancoli, Giorgio Signoretti | Azzurra Music | |
| 1987 | Tom Thumb In The Magic Castle | Sandro Cerino Action Quartet: Sandro Cerino, Claudio Angeleri, Ares Tavolazzi, Bernardino Penazzi | Splasc(h) Records | |
| 1989 | Che Fine Hanno Fatto I Personaggi Dei Sogni | Sandro Cerino Action Quartet: Sandro Cerino, Claudio Angeleri, Ares Tavolazzi, Bernardino Penazzi | Splasc(h) Records | |
| 1989 | Lunaria | Francesco D'Errico | Sunset Studio | Double bass; Discogs-confirmed. |
| 1992 | Tartana | Francesco D'Errico Quartet | YVP Music | Double bass; Discogs-confirmed. |
| 1997 | Riflessi E Ideati | Francesco D'Errico Quintet | Polosud Edizioni Musicali | Double bass; Discogs-confirmed. |
| 1997 | Maurizio Lauzi | Maurizio Lauzi | Epic | Double bass; Discogs-confirmed. Pop album; Gigi Cifarelli plays electric guitar on "Romantica Jazz." |
| 2024 | La Lanterna | Federico Gili | Encore Music | Accordionist Gili's second album; Tavolazzi plays double bass and wrote the liner notes. Discogs lists him on tracks including "Magma," "Novembre" and "I Remember Frank." |
| 2011-2012 | Living Coltrane - No Project, No Tribute Just The Music Of Coltrane (2011); Living Coltrane - Out Of This World (2012) | Stefano Cantini, with Francesco Maccianti and Piero Borri | Incipit / EGEA Music | Two Coltrane tribute albums; Tavolazzi on double bass; Discogs-confirmed on both. |
Full catalog (30+ jazz-era Discogs entries alone) at Discogs: Ares Tavolazzi. His 1973-1983 tenure in Area is documented separately under that band's own discography.
Paolo Fresu - recorded collaborator, Mariposa (1994).
Stefano Bollani - recorded collaborator, Mambo Italiano (1999) and Flashback (2002).
Enrico Rava - recorded collaborator, Flashback (2002).
Roberto Gatto - recorded collaborator, A Day in Florence (2003).
Rita Marcotulli - trio partner, TrioKàla.
Claudio Angeleri (piano) - recorded collaborator, Sandro Cerino Action Quartet's Tom Thumb in the Magic Castle (1987) and Che Fine Hanno Fatto I Personaggi Dei Sogni (1989), both Discogs-confirmed.
Sandro Cerino (reeds, composer, producer) - leader of the Action Quartet on the same two Discogs-confirmed releases (1987, 1989); the two also share a Discogs-confirmed credit on Dino Betti van der Noot's Ithaca/Ithaki (2005).
Daniele di Bonaventura - recorded collaborator, Ghimel (2020).
Alessandro Galati - his most frequent pianist partner across the 2010s: Unstandards (2010), Imaginerie (2010, duo), Cubicq (2010), Wheeler Variations (2017) and For Haden's Sake (2020).
Barbara Casini (vocals) - bass on Play Rava (2004, live at Umbria Jazz Festival 2003, alongside Lee Konitz, Phil Woods, Enrico Rava, Stefano Bollani, and Roberto Gatto) and on her Charles Trenet songbook Formidable! (2009, Philology). Already profiled separately on this project.
Beppe Castellani (tenor saxophone) - Tavolazzi plays bass on Castellani's Italian Standards (1989), Italian Standards 2 (1990), and the 2001 Italian Standards compilation, all Discogs-verified. Already profiled separately on this project.
Domenico Caliri (guitar) - co-billed duo partner on Dialoghi a Corde (2025, Onyx Dischi), a guitar-and-bass duo record. Already profiled separately on this project.
Dino Betti van der Noot (composer/conductor) - electric bass in his big band on Ithaca/Ithaki (2005), Discogs-verified. Already profiled separately on this project.
Fabio Zeppetella (guitar) - Tavolazzi plays double bass on Zeppetella's Moving Lines (1995, with Kenny Wheeler) and Jobim Variations (EmArcy, 2009), both Discogs-credited, and is a member of the quartet on Jazz Masters (Jando Music, 2023).
Fabrizio Sferra (drums) - drummer on Tavolazzi's trio album Kars (1989) and Tavolazzi's bass partner on Moving Lines (1995), Enrico Rava's Full of Life (2003), Michael Rosen's Unquiet Silences (2007) and Francesco D'Errico's Tartana (1992) and Riflessi e Ideati (1997); Discogs-confirmed. Profiled on JazzProfiles.com.
Federico Gili (accordion) - Tavolazzi plays double bass on Gili's La Lanterna (2024, Encore Music), on which Discogs lists him on tracks including "Magma," "Novembre" and "I Remember Frank"; he also wrote the album's liner notes, per press coverage. Discogs-confirmed.
Ramberto Ciammarughi (piano) - fellow sideman on Federico Gili's La Lanterna (2024, Encore Music), where Discogs credits both on the track "Magma"; Discogs-confirmed. Profiled on JazzProfiles.com.
Francesco D'Errico (piano) - Tavolazzi plays double bass on D'Errico's Lunaria (1989), Tartana (1992, Francesco D'Errico Quartet) and Riflessi E Ideati (1997, Francesco D'Errico Quintet), and is listed as a member of both bands; all three Discogs-confirmed.
Gabriele Coen (tenor and soprano saxophones) - fellow member of the Ares Tavolazzi - Daniele Pozzovio Quintet on Stand Up...One More Time (2010, Helikonia), with Tavolazzi on bass; Discogs-verified. Already profiled separately on this project.
Gianni Basso (tenor saxophone) - tenor saxophonist on Flashback (2002, Philology), with Enrico Rava, Stefano Bollani and Massimo Manzi, per Discogs; profiled separately on this site.
Giancarlo Schiaffini (trombone, tuba, euphonium) - credited together on Ithaca / Ithaki (2005). Discogs-confirmed.
Gigi Cifarelli (guitar) - Tavolazzi is credited on bass on Maurizio Lauzi's self-titled 1997 album (Epic), on which Cifarelli plays electric guitar on "Romantica Jazz"; Discogs-confirmed. Profiled on JazzProfiles.com.
Giuseppe Costa (double bass, electric bass) - credited on the Daniele Sala Trio's Introducing Series Vol. 1 (Philology, 2004) alongside Tavolazzi and drummer Massimo Manzi; Discogs credits three bass players for the record without splitting the tracks.
Larry Nocella (tenor saxophone) - tenor saxophonist on Area's Tic & Tac (Ascolto, 1980), on which Tavolazzi plays bass, guitar and voice. Discogs-confirmed.
Mauro Beggio (drums) - co-leader, with guitarist Sandro Gibellini, of the working trio Gibellini Tavolazzi Beggio since 1999, three albums: You, And The Night And The Music (1999), Let's Face The Music And Dance (2001) and Put On A Happy Face (2010); Discogs-verified. Profiled on JazzProfiles.com.
Mirio Cosottini (trumpet) - fellow member of the Timet collective on Restituzioni (1999), alongside Stefano Bollani; Discogs-confirmed. Profiled on JazzProfiles.com.
Paolo Birro (piano) - fellow co-billed personnel on Simone Guiducci's My Secret Love (2002, Abeat Records); Discogs-verified. Profiled on JazzProfiles.com.
Simone Guiducci (guitar) - co-billed leader of My Secret Love (2002), on which Tavolazzi plays bass, and credited on the founding Gramelot album, Gramelot (1995); Discogs-verified on both. Profiled on JazzProfiles.com.
Riccardo Biancoli (drums) - his most frequent recorded partner: fellow member of the Beppe Castellani Quartet on Italian Standards (1989), Italian Standards 2 (1990) and the 2001 Italian Standards compilation, co-billed personnel on My Secret Love (2002), and Tavolazzi's trio partner (with guitarist Antonio Cavicchi) on To Bill Evans (2008, Bill's Heaven Trio); Discogs-verified across all four. Profiled on JazzProfiles.com.
Robert Bonisolo (tenor saxophone) - fellow quartet member, Discogs-confirmed on Third Wave (2022, Gleam Records), led by drummer Fabio De Angelis. Profiled separately on this site.
Sandro Gibellini (guitar) - co-leader of the working trio Gibellini Tavolazzi Beggio since 1999, three albums; Discogs-verified. Profiled separately on this site.
Simone Graziano (piano) - fellow sideman on Lightwalls (2010, Dodicilune), Graziano's leader debut, with drummer Stefano Tamborrino; Discogs-confirmed.
Stefano Cantini (soprano saxophone) - fellow sideman on Cantini's own Living Coltrane tribute albums (2011, 2012, both with pianist Francesco Maccianti and drummer Piero Borri) and on Alessandro Galati's Wheeler Variations (2017); all three Discogs-confirmed.
