Biography

• Born in Geneva (Switzerland) in December 1948 from a franco-italian family
19551965 classical studies at the Geneva’s Conservatory of Music, including piano, harmony and    composition.
• Self-taught saxophonist.
1973 starts as a professional in Switzerland, then quickly moves unto the European main scene.
• Plays in 1981 at the Jazz Festival of Willisau in trio with Daniel Humair and Jean-François Jenny-Clarke.
• Lives in Paris since 1982 and plays at that time at the European Jazz Festival from Le Mans with Michel Portal Unit, then joins François Jeanneau in the first version of the French National Jazz Orchestra.
• In 1983 tours with Barre Philips, Pierre Favre, Enrico Rava, Marc Helias and Barry Altschul.
1984 tours again in Germany and in Switzerland with Urs Leimgruber and Barry Altschul.
• In 1985 presents in Paris and later in Brussels with a ten-piece orchestra, The State of Sounds.
1985 Magnoni is hired by Carla Bley and Steve Swallow to create a new international band.
1986 with Carla Bley again, this time in the midst of her Euro-American Band, composed partly by members of the Vienna Art Orchestra.
1986 withdraws from the French National Jazz Orchestra to write a contemporary opera in Geneva at the Comedy Theater, « the Song of the Muezzin above the World ».
• He tours  Italy, Switzerland, Germany and Austria with Carla Bley’s Euro-American Band.
• He creates in 1987 a new quintet Andata Senza Ritorno, with Palle Danielsson, Serge Lazarevitch, Enrico Rava and Joel Allouche.
1987 duo concert with Jack Dejohnette. Tours in Italy with his new founded Electric Jazz Quartet.
1988 signs with the main Swiss Record Company a three album contract.
1988 issue of the first of these albums « Andata Senza Ritorno » followed by a tour with the quintet (Grenoble, Torino, Amiens, Cully…)
1989 second issue, « The State of Sounds ». The CD is primed best Jazz Record in many international Jazz Reviews (Jazz Magazine, Jazz Hot, Le Monde de la Musique, Cadence Magazine).

• He plays as a guest artist during the year in many different bands, with Kenny Wheeler, Bobby Previte and Paolo Damiani, in Bolzano, Attina, Grosseto, Roccella Jonica and Zürich…
• In 1990 Magnoni writes a second suite for a twelve-piece orchestra: Many Faces to Folly, and plays with it in many Italian jazz festivals.
• Tours also with Claudio Pontiggia and Marc Johnson in Italy and Switzerland.
1990 is also the year of the last issue Baby Call with the Electric Quartet and of a great Swiss tour with the State of Sounds.
1991 is a world-wide year for Magnoni, as his Electric Quartet goes all over Europe.
1992 plays in the Montreux Jazz Festival, in Brussels and for the second time, with François Lindemann‘s Swiss Movements he goes to the USA Jazz Festivals (Detroit, Atlanta, Jacksonville, Washington, New York). He plays also at the Jazz Festival de Paris and signs for a tour in the USSR with both bands, The State of Sounds and the Electric Quartet.
1992 new quintet with Matthieu Michel and recording of a new CD with the band. Tours in Western Africa with the Electric Quartet, then in Russia Lithuania and Estonia with the State of Sounds, Palomar, Erik Truffaz Quintet. New CD from the State of Sounds, « New York Suite », and also a new live album with the Electric Quartet, « Lumière ».
1993 Magnoni tours again in Western Africa, Russia and appears at the Jazz Festival of Paris with his friend and student Erik Truffaz. A new CD is released the same year, « Duets ».
• « New York Suite » is primed best record in January 1994 (Le Monde de la Musique) and the rest of the year is spent while touring, Russia, Brazil, Italy, France.

199495 tours with the quintet he co-leads now with Erik Truffaz, and starts a new series of duets.
1996 concerts in duo, tour in the US, new recording session with Christy Doran, Claude Jordan, Hervé Provini. Come back of M.G.M. at the Jazz Festival of Geneva, with Beatrice Graf on drums and Olivier Magnenat at the bass. New band with the French guitarist Serge Lazarevitch, Michel Marre and Joel Allouche. Concerts in duo with Franco d’ Andrea at the Jazz Festival of Reggio Emilia.
1997 tours in Canada and U.S. with the saxophone quartet AL4AS, concerts in duets and release of of two new albums, « A Few Years Later » (Serge Lazarevitch) « Big Bang » (Live in Montreux Jazz Festival with the Big Band de Lausanne and Pascal Auberson).
1998 Numerous concerts in Europe, release of a new album in duet with Franco d’ Andrea, « No Smoking ». Tours in Switzerland and Germany with Dave Doran and Joseph Bowie.
1999 Two new CDs, « Sskies » (Christy Doran, Claude Jordan, Hervé Provini) and Duke Ellington’s « Sacred Concerts » with the Big Band de Lausanne. Tours in Western Africa, Switzerland and Germany with Rhythm and Voice, festivals in France with Serge Lazarevitch Quintet (feat.Matthieu Michel).
2000 Sskies is nominated best jazz record by Jazzman (Le Monde de la Musique)  » Magnoni’s approach is the most interesting in nowadays’ european jazz  » (A. Dunhill) …

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