"Il y avait des partitions et j'ai pris
un plaisir immense à les interpréter. A Terracina,
le jazz n'existait pas. Mais il y a une vraie scène en
Italie. Chez nous, la culture musicale est forte.
On entretient avec elle des rapports intenses. Le folklore qui
tient une grande place, sert d'initiation à l'art en
générale et plus particulièrement à
la musique."
These thoughts, succinct but effective, expressed
during an interview with a French journalist, well represent
Rosario Giuliani. The score he referred to in the French interview
was by Charlie Parker, and Rosario was then only twelve years
old. Just a few years after acquainting himself with the great
American sax player's oeuvre, he completed his formal studies
at the "L. Refice" Conservatory in Frosinone obtaining
maximum point scores.
Tenacity - in a city where "le jazz n'existait pas"
- talent, a deep-seated passion for all types of music, and
great technical prowess have brought Rosario to the fore of
the European and international jazz scene. Critics write of
him as a true revelation, in France "une benediction".
The enthusiastic and triumphal tones used by
the press to describe Giuliani's playing characteristics derive
directly from the special sound he creates. With nonchalance
he draws from his instruments a fluid phrasing style, at times
dazzling, which naturally links him to great saxophonists such
as Julian "Cannonball" Adderley, Art Pepper, and John
Coltrane. Frequent comparisons are made spontaneously by his
listeners. But even though this musician has been inspired by
great saxophonists, it is the instinctive originality that strikes
us, and it is easily found, not only in his instrumental approach,
but also in his originally composed scores.
Impressive is his "trophy cabinet",
which counts among the many awards important acknowledgements.
In 1996 he won the Massimo Urbani prize, and one year later
he was named "Best Soloist" in addition to his own
quartet which won the "Best Group" award at the European
Jazz Contest in Belgium. In the year 2000 he took first place
honours, by popular vote, in the "Top Jazz" contest
in the "New Talent" category. The contest is held
as an annual referendum by Musica Jazz magazine.
His collaborations in the jazz field have been
frequent and prestigious, having played together with the likes
of Charlie HADEN, Gonzalo RUBALCABA, Phil WOODS, Enrico PIERANUNZI,
Enrico RAVA, Franco D'ANDREA, Martial SOLAL, Jeff "Tain"
WATTS, Mark TURNER, Kenny WHEELER, Bob MINTZER, Joe LOCKE, Joe
LA BARBERA, Cedar WALTON, Cameron BROWN, Biréli LAGRENE,
Philip CATHERINE, Sylvain LUC, Donald HARRISON, Marc JOHNSON,
Joey BARON, Guy BARKER, Jean-Michel PILC and Richard GALLIANO,
to name but a few.
After having made many recordings with various Italian and foreign
record labels, in September of 2000 Rosario Giuliani signed
an important contract with the prestigious French recording
company, Dreyfus Jazz, with whom he has already recorded five
very successful albums: "Luggage" (April 2001), "Mr.
Dodo" (October 2002), "More Than Ever" (October
2004), "Anything else" (January 2007), and the new
one "Lennie's pennies" (March 2010).
Giuliani, a highly appreciated and soughtafter artist in the
international jazz arena, divides his time between his Italian,
European, and overseas commitments, performing regularly in
the following festivals: Jazz a Liegi (Belgium), Gexto Jazz
Festival (Spain), Blue Note Jazz Festival, Jazz at Lincoln Center
(New York), Umbria Jazz (Italy), Jazz a Vienne (France), Jazz
Baltica (Germany), JVC Jazz Festival (France), Town Hall (New
York), Basel Jazz Festival (Swiss), Nancy Jazz Pulsation (France),
North Sea Jazz Festival (Holland), London Jazz Festival (UK),
Marciac Jazz Festival (France), Oeiras Jazz Festival (Portugal),
Ankara Jazz Festival (Turkey), Audi Jazz Festival (Germany),
Vilnius Jazz Festival and in other jazz events that take place
in California, Nuova Caledonia, Israel, Mexico, Hong Kong, Hungary
and still other countries. In the spring of 2006 he participated
in a highly successful tour that took him to the principal cities
of China.
Rosario Giuliani's artistic career boasts innumerable
and heterogeneous experiences of the highest rank. Performing
for internationally famous artists such as Ennio MORRICONE,
Luis BACALOV, Armando TROVAIOLI, Gianni FERRIO, Nicola PIOVANI,
Ritz ORTOLANI, he has recorded on numerous movie soundtracks.
(February 2010).