ABOUT
Laura Klain was born in Toulouse, France. After a few weeks, she moved to Naples, Italy.
She began studying frame drums at the age of seven, influenced by her mother, an international World Music manager. At the age of eight she was noticed by Maestro Eugenio Bennato, a Neapolitan Italian singer-songwriter, who invited her on stage to perform the final pieces of his concerts.
At twelve, she was invited by Giorgio Armani to perform and walk with Bennato’s quintet at the Armani atelier in Milan.
At thirteen, she became the lead percussionist of Bennato’s group “Taranta Power,” embarking on a five-year world tour. Performances included prestigious venues such as the Cairo Opera House with the opera orchestra, the Pyramids of Egypt, the Auditorium Parco della Musica in Rome, and the National Theatre of Algiers for the first Euromed Concert for Dialogue Between Cultures, as well as tours across Wales, Spain, France, Ethiopia, Morocco, Tunisia, Greece, the Balkans, and Kosovo. She collaborated with artists including Trilok Gurtu, Hansa El Bechaira, Fathy Salama, Alfio Antico, Antonio Infantino, and many others.
At sixteen, she began studying jazz drums with Maestro Salvatore Tranchini, later continuing with Maestro Agostino Mennella and Maestro Sergio Di Natale.
She attended the Berklee College of Music summer courses in Boston during Umbria Jazz 2007. A few years later she moved to Tuscany, beginning a new course of study with Maestro Walter Paoli. She was then admitted to the jazz program at the G. Puccini Conservatory in La Spezia, where she studied her first two years with Maestro Davide Ragazzoni and Maestro Marco Volpe, and completed her studies in Rome with Maestro Roberto Gatto.
Through jazz manager Toti Canistraro, she participated for two consecutive years in masterclasses in Sicily featuring leading musicians such as Mark Turner, Nasheet Waits, Mark Guiliana, Jonathan Blake, Jorge Rossi, Joshua Redman, Avishai Cohen, Eddie Gomez, David Kikoski, Kurt Elling, Peter Bernstein, Jeff Ballard, Aaron Goldberg, Seamus Blake, and many others.
In 2014 she toured Canada with Pietra Montecorvino and several Southern Italian groups, performing at concerts attended by over 20,000 people. She later spent time in New York City, where she studied with prominent jazz drummers including Jeff “Tain” Watts, Antonio Sánchez, Jason Brown, and Greg Hutchinson.
That same year she was selected as a testimonial for the “Lucca Jazz Donna” festival and invited to open the annual edition with her own quintet. She has appeared on various broadcasts, including “L’Edicola” by Fiorello and “Webnotte,” live from Renzo Arbore’s home, where she performed in a trio with him.
She has performed at Empoli Jazz with Max Ionata and Leonardo Corradi, in a trio with Piero Angela and Marco Benedetti, and at La Spezia Jazz with Aldo Bassi and Valentina Scheldofen. In duo with Alberto Gurrisi, she toured for four years with the project “Two Late,” performing over 200 concerts at festivals and events such as TanJazz Festival of Morocco, Torino Jazz Festival, Piacenza Jazz Festival, and many others.
She currently works on several musical projects, both as a leader and as a sideman. In summer 2021 she was invited to the “Swing in the Wind” festival in Switzerland with her project “Orange Trip,” as well as to various Italian and European festivals.
She has developed a strong musical collaboration with the UK, performing with numerous musicians on the British jazz scene and appearing at venues including the Boulevard Theatre in Soho and Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club.
In 2022–23 she was invited by Paolo Fresu to join Ornella Vanoni’s new project “Le donne e la musica,” performing in major Italian theatres. The collaboration led to the live album “Calma Rivoluzionaria” by Ornella Vanoni, released by BMG.
She recorded her first album, “Love Song For Elvin,” with Ares Tavolazzi on double bass and Gianluca Manfredonia on vibraphone for the label MR.Few.
In November of the same year she toured the UK in a trio with Nigel Price on guitar and Ross Stanley on Hammond organ.
She has performed with Ornella Vanoni, Paolo Fresu, Nigel Price, Ross Stanley, Andy Davies, Marco Panascia, Michael Rosen, Renzo Arbore, Piero Angela, Tosca, Teresa De Sio, Eugenio Bennato, Renato D’Aiello, Alex Garnett, Steve Fishwick, Nathan Britton, Lorenzo Morabito, Fabio Zeppetella, Giovanni Amato, Daniele Scannapieco, Antonio De Luise, Vincenzo Saetta, Matthew Lagan, Pippo Matino, Maurizio Giammarco, Pietro Ciancaglini, Alberto Gurrisi, Leonardo Corradi, Paolo Benedettini, Michele Montolli, Leo Richardson, Sade Mangiaracina, Leila Shirvani, Jihad Darwish, John Williamson, Mario Mazzaro, Diego Borotti, Shareef Clayton, Alessio Menconi, Mauro Battisti, Humberto Amésquita, Max Ionata, Maurizio Urbani, Emanuele Cisi, Domenico Sanna, Giuseppe Bassi, Massimo D’Avola, Francesco Cafiso, Umberto Muselli, Luca Biggio, Nico Gori, Daniele Brenca, David Stingaciu, Eddy Cicchetti, Cesare Mecca, Giulio Scarpato, Matteo Prefumo, Andrea Rea, and many others.