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BIOGRAPHY
At the age of 15, he taught himself to play the guitar. From 1957 to 1961, he attended the double bass course at the “Vincenzo Bellini” Conservatory in Palermo. His first jazz experiences date back to 1956 with Claudio Lo Cascio’s New-Jazz-Society. From 1962 to 1968, he played in dance bands in Italy and other European countries.
In 1968, he moved to Rome and resumed his studies of the double bass as an external student, graduating in 1970 from the Pescara Conservatory. As a lead bassist, he recorded some of the most beautiful soundtracks with composers like Ennio Morricone, Armando Trovaioli, Piero Piccioni, and Nino Rota. He also participated in numerous festivals, including the Pescara festival with trombonist Marcello Rosa and the Bergamo festival in 1973.
In 1970, he began a long-standing collaboration with Brazilian guitarist Irio De Paula, returning with him to the Pescara festival. In the following years, he participated in festivals in Alassio, Bologna (with Argentine saxophonist Hugo Heredia), and Agrigento (with Romano Mussolini, Ignazio Garsia, Enzo Randisi, Dino Piana, and Oscar Valdambrini). In the early 1990s, he also performed at “Umbria Jazz.”
In 1977, he became the principal bassist for the RAI (Italian Radio and Television) Orchestra, where he honed and matured his skills as a lead bassist for a large orchestra. He specialized in “combo” ensembles, playing with many illustrious American jazz musicians who were guests of RAI.
He has also performed and recorded with a long list of legendary musicians, including: Benny Golson, Kenny Barron, Mulgrew Miller, Joe Pass, Lee Konitz, Art Farmer, Steve Grossman, George Coleman, Louis Hayes, Tony Scott, Joe Morello, Kenny Clark, Tooth Thielemans, Gato Barbieri, Mal Waldrom, Frank Rosolino, Freddie Hubbard, Kay Winding, Buddy De Franco, Bobby Durham, Bob Mintzer, Dick Oatts, Johnny Griffin, Mel Lewis, Bucky Pizzarelli, George Garzone, Jason Marsalis, Lou Donaldson, Shawnn Monteiro, Sal Nistico, Enrico Pierannunzi, Antonio Farao, Massimo Farao, Flavio Boltro, Stefano Di Battista, Laurent Coq, Frank Avitabile, Sara Lazarus, Vincent Bourgeyx, Massimo Urbani, Rosario Giuliani, Hal Singer, Dado Moroni, Dede Ceccarelli, Marcello Rosa, Sal Genovese, Dino Piana, Tullio de Piscopo, Franco Cerri, Vincent Frade, Danilo Rea, Gege Munari, Gianni Cazzola, and Mel Lewis. He has recorded numerous albums as both a “sideman” and a leader.
In the world of jazz, he has been and continues to be a professor of double bass technique at some of the country’s top schools, such as the University of Music in Rome.
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