Riccardo de Fra was very interested in music from a young age. He first chose the guitar and then switched to an electric bass, before eventually settling on the double bass at age 17. While he studied sociology and anthropology at the University of Rome, he continued his musical studies at Frosinone’s Music Conservatory of Frosinone, where he was instructed by Franco Petracchi as well as Franco Noto. He began performing in jazz concerts and recording with the RAI Orchestra (Italian Radio and Television). He was also able to record a variety of movie scores including Federico Fellini’s City of Women (music from Louis Bacalov); Liliana’s The Skin (music of Lalo Schifrin), and others by Ennio Muricone, Piero Umiliani, Gianni Ferio, etc. He performed with a number of Italian musicians, including the pianist Enrico Pieranunzi and the drummer Roberto Gatto. He was increasingly in demand and began to accompany a lot of jazz soloists (Art Farmer. Dizzy Gillespie. Art Blakey. Sonny Stitt. James Moody. Lee Konitz. Tommy Flanagan. Clifford Jordan. Joe Diorio. Kenny Wheeler. Paul Motian. Dave Liebman. He was also the bassist in various bands, including Bob Brookmeyer (Barney Wilen), Johnny Griffin, Toots Thielemans Michel Herr, Charles Loos, etc. The decisive meeting with Chet Baker*, a trumpet player, took place in Rome at the end of 1979. Riccardo dil Fra was a partner in Chet’s nine-year-long tour of Europe and Japan for radio and television. This collaboration led to twelve albums, videos, and the film Chet’s Romance, directed by Bertrand Fevre. Riccardo del Fra says that Chet Baker had a profound influence on his playing and writing. He was a constant observer of silence and respiration, and he searched for long musical runs. from http://www.beejazz.com
