ENG
Blend 3 is a contemporary jazz trio led by Italian double bassist and composer Andrea Grossi, featuring Manuel Caliumi (alto saxophone, bass clarinet) and Michele Bonifati (electric guitar). Active since 2017, the group has established itself as one of the most distinctive ensembles of the new European creative music scene.
The trio combines strong compositional identity with high-impact live interaction. Their sound is dynamic, intense and accessible without being conventional — balancing written material, groove-based sections and open improvisation. Performances are immersive and energetic, with a clear narrative arc and a strong stage presence.
Blend 3 gained international recognition with AXES (WE INSIST! Records), recorded with drummer Jim Black and ranked among the best jazz albums of the year by Musica Jazz. The project significantly expanded the trio’s international visibility.
Blend 3 offers a modern European sound with strong identity, artistic depth and audience engagement.
ITA
Blend 3 è un trio di jazz contemporaneo guidato dal contrabbassista e compositore Andrea Grossi, con Manuel Caliumi al sax contralto e Michele Bonifati alla chitarra elettrica. Attivo dal 2017, il gruppo si è affermato come una delle realtà più riconoscibili della nuova scena creativa europea.
Il trio unisce una forte identità compositiva a un live coinvolgente ed energico. Il suono è dinamico, intenso e comunicativo, capace di alternare scrittura strutturata, sezioni ritmiche incisive e improvvisazione aperta. I concerti hanno un chiaro sviluppo narrativo e una forte presenza scenica.
Con l’album AXES (WE INSIST! Records), realizzato con Jim Black e inserito tra i migliori dischi dell’anno da Musica Jazz, il trio ha consolidato la propria visibilità internazionale.
Blend 3 propone un suono europeo contemporaneo, con forte identità artistica e capacità di dialogare con pubblici diversi.
Manuel Caliumi: alto sax, bass clarinet
Michele Bonifati: electric guitar, live electronics
Andrea Grossi: double bass, live electronics, concept and compositions
Andrea Grossi Blend 3 + Jim Black
AXES
WE INSIST! Records (2024)
"Axes is a varied, persuasive exploration of contrasting freedoms, from complex grooves to free jazz. Brilliantly conceived and compellingly executed."
— The Wire
“A creative process that finds a refined balance between strategic structure and improvisation. (...) Modern, border-crossing jazz with a clear conceptual direction."
— Jazz’n’more
“Questo disco deve essere assolutamente consigliato: capace di imporsi per freschezza inventiva e di assoluto respiro internazionale.”
— Sandro Cerini, Musica Jazz
Andrea Grossi Blend 3 + Betrice Arrigoni
Songs and Poems
WE INSIST! Records (2022)
"Sometimes a great athlete's performance is described as "poetry in motion." If we apply that phrase to this Andrea Grossi Blend 3 release, we might say it is poetry in emotion. (...) Obviously the poems were written before the music, but it is possible to think of Grossi's music as poetry itself. (...) Grossi's music animates the poetry, as the poetry animates the musicians."
— Mark Corroto, All About Jazz
“The most mature work by the ever-evolving Andrea Grossi.”
— Wolfgang Grazer, Jazzpodium Verlag
Si riconferma incline alla sperimentazione Andrea Grossi, senza dimenticarsi che occorre sempre trovare il modo di comunicare. (...) La musica non ne viene fuori didascalica, si misura con le parole in un dialogo serrato, ricevendone stimoli.
— Piercarlo Poggio, Blow Up Magazine
Andrea Grossi Blend 3
Lubok
WE INSIST! Records (2019)
“In Blend 3, there is a surprising art of fusing different modes, evoking and transforming them.”
— Roberto Masotti
“Their debut album (...) is simply magnificent: a mature and uncompromising work, showcasing musicians capable of engaging with the language of the giants without any reverential fear.”
— Nazim Comunale, The New Noise
"Il loro disco d’esordio (...) è semplicemente magnifico: un lavoro maturo e senza alcun compromesso, che mostra musicisti capaci di confrontarsi senza patire alcun timore reverenziale con il linguaggio dei giganti"
— Nazim Comunale, The New Noise
These latest videos (filmed in March 2026) showcase part of the band’s new exploration of expanding their sound through the use of live electronics. This is yet another aspect to explore in the band’s ongoing evolution.
All the music is performed live, with no overdubs or post-production of any kind.
Blend 3 + Jim Black - AXES: III. Riddle (A. Grossi)
Live at ParmaJazz Frontiere Festival 2025
Blend 3 + Jim Black - BadAxes (A. Grossi)
Live at ParmaJazz Frontiere Festival 2025
Blend 3 + Jim Black live in Milano - WE INSIST! Live Festival 2024
Dark Bloom is a composition by Andrea Grossi against fascism, it is written using Messiaen’s Limited Transposition Mode No. 6.
Andrea Grossi Blend 3 + Beatrice Arrigoni - Songs and Poems - 2022
Poems: Low at my problem bending; I should not dare to be so sad; Had we known the Ton she bore.
Blend 3 live in studio at CRS 2021
Blend 3 live at Ground Music Festival 2019
A bright encore at the end of a very intense concert