One of Italy's top bass players, Marco Cocconi has performed in a diverse range of formats. A member of a variety of Italian rock and pop bands as a teenager, Cocconi has gone on to play with a lengthy list of Italian artists, including Enrico Rava, Kyle Gregory, Alfred Kramer, Sandro Gibellini, and Simone Guiducci. Recording demo tapes from the age of 14, Cocconi recorded his first album, Patarau, with saxophonist Mauro Negri in 1988. Cocconi and Negri resumed their partnership nine years later, forming the jazz fusion band Pentagono and recording an album, Scale Mobili, released in 1998. Cocconi and Negri continued to collaborate on Cocconi's debut solo album, Chiaroscuri, released in 2000. Cocconi leads his own group, which features Kyle Gregory on flügelhorn and trumpet, Roberto Soggetti on piano, Luca Boscagin on guitar, and Riccardo Biancoli on drums. He also performs with the Mantua Jazz Trio, which features pianist Stefano Caniato and drummer Riccardo Biancoli. ~ Craig Harris, All Music Guide