history

The low down on Funk Off

The band came onto the scene 1998, brought together by saxophonist and 'main man', Dario Cecchini. And since then have played over 350 street, piazzas, festivals and on some great stages, "Poretta Soul festival", "Grey Cat Jazz Festival" and "Camaiore Jazz" "Toscana Music Pool" e "Umbria Jazz", "Montreux Jazz Festival", "Istanbul Jazz Festival", "Treviso Rockin Blues".

In the Jazz world they have worked live and in the studio with, Gegè Telesforo, Rudy Migliardi, Marco Tamburini, Gianluca Petrella, Antonello Salis, Maurizio Giammarco

Funk Off were the featured band at the 'Monnalisa Overdrive' in Piazza della Repubblica, Florence for the Millennium celebrations in front of 40,000 people.
They played with Zucchero on stage at "Sugar Night 2000" in Forte dei Marmi and were given best group at the Viareggio Carnival 2000 and 2001.

In and around Europe they played at the Patrasso carnival (Greece) 2002 and 2003, in August of the same year they were in France at the Street Festival in Aurillac, in September at the festival "Sete Sois Sete Luas" in Castro Verde e Santa Maria da Feira (Portugal),  in November 2003 in Salzburg (Austria), July 2004 the Jazz festival of Montreux (Switzerland) and then Istanbul (Turkey).

On the 9th of February 2001 they released their first CD "UH YEAH" and then on 19th December 2003 came the release of their second CD "LITTLE BEAT"

Funk Off were support band to Jovanotti on tour in 2002 : 19 April at thePalasport  Firenze,  29 April at the Palasport Perugia, 7 May at the Fila Forum Milano, 1 June at the Flaminio Stadium Roma and 22 September 2002 at the Festa Nazionale dell'Unità Modena.
6 June 2002 they were guest group on the TV transmission "viv.it"

In 2003 they participated at the 30th edition of "Umbria Jazz" where on Saturday 19 July they opened for the Godfather of Soul himself….. James Brown!!!

Funk Off were selected as the official marchin' band at the 11th. edition of the Umbria Jazz Winter in Orvieto from 27 Dicember 2003 to 1st January.
Then again representing Umbria Jazz, at the International Association for Jazz Education  they played in NYC 23/25 January 2004.

In 2005 they have appeared various times on TV with Renzo Arbore in the transmission Stasera and then in February backing Alexia on their arrangement of her song for the San Remo festival.