Francesco Fratini, Giuseppe Romagnoli & Matteo Bultrini - Queen Size (2023) [Official Digital Download 24/48]

“Rome has something to say.” This is the message trumpeter Francesco Fratini delivers on his sensual, cool-as-can-be debut EP Homemade that dropped on March 11, 2022. The Italian native cut his teeth during a years-long residency in New York, returning to his hometown Rome with a deep love for Black American music, and a desire to lead the way in building up his city’s jazz scene. Working as a collective with longtime friends Giuseppe Romagnoli (bass) and Matteo Bultrini (drums), Fratini has created a set of originals that melds elements of cool jazz, bebop, and hip hop, mixing in a few timeless classics for good measure. It is a debut that puts the rest of the world, New York included, on notice.