Mario Biondi & The High Five Quintet - Handful Of Soul

Listening to Mario Biondi’s deep, warm and soulful voice it evokes a reminiscence of legends like Billy Paul, Luther Vandross, Isaac Hayes and Lou Rawls. Handful of Soul, his first international release is an album ranging between Jazz and Soul. The result is in this very enticing music release, whose sound swings from smooth vocal melodies to rhythmic tracks to dance to. Adding new facet’s and his own style to these compositions, Biondi definitely is a major artist to watch in 2007.

Mario Biondi hails from Sicily, where he was born thirty-seven years ago on January, 28th. He grew up in a very musical family. His Grandmother was an Opera singer and his father is an author of important Sicilian traditional/folk songs. Therefore he approached music at a very young age, debuting at 12 singing around Sicily. Growing up he discovered his passion for Black Music in the albums of James Brown; Aretha Franklyn; Earth Wind and Fire; Lou Rawls and Al Jarreau.

Although he also featured in a Vincenzo Bellini staged opera as a supporting role, he pursued his passion refining his style of singing in bars and clubs around Sicily. In one of these spots, he also had the privilege to duet with the late, great Ray Charles one night. Albeit he scored 7 Dance singles on several labels, the last of which for Warner Bros., his passion for Gospel brought him to sing at a Festival that had the excellent Cheryl Porter in the line-up. As a natural outcome, the debut album testifies his absolute love for Soul, Rhythm ’n’ Blues and Jazz. In “Handful of Soul” Mario sings accompanied by a band of phenomenal musicians, The High Five Quintet. Together they recorded original pieces in addition to re-interpretations of classics in jazz, such as “On A Clear Day” from the homonymous American musical or “Slow Hot Wind” by Henry Mancini. In Soul they covered “I’m Her daddy” by Bill Withers, as well as in blues-rock they did “I Can’t Keep From Cryin’ Sometimes” by Al Kooper. The voice of Mario Biondi resembles the great names in Soul and Rhythm ’n’ Blues.

Sensual grooves combined to the incredible feeling of his unique voice make one imagine of an International production. Quite opposite, the album comes from the Italian label Schema Records. Following a long list of successful artists launched by the label in Milan (among which feature artists like Nicola Conte, Gerardo Frisina, Rosalia De Souza, The Dining Rooms, S-Tone Inc.) Mario Biondi is the last name to leave its mark, up with a bullet in the charts and already a certified Gold-Award in Italy and now ready to take on internationally.

Mario Biondi & the High Five Quintet will play live in European cities in late spring.

www.myspace.com/mariobiondi