Antonio Faraò

Antonio Faraò Piano Born in Rome in 1965, he attends classical music courses in 1980 with Adriano Della Giustina, and earns his intermediate degree (5th year) in 1983 at the Giuseppe Verdi Conservatory in Milan. Antonio Faraò has been considered an extraordinary talent since his early teens when he used to sit in at jazz clubs during intermission. He soon took part in festivals such as Umbria Jazz, Lugano, La Spezia, Merano, Maastricht, Palermo, Lucerne, Athens, Tel Aviv and others. He is invited to numerous radio and TV shows. A multi-award winner in Italy (New Talent Prize at XI Musical Review in 1987, Four Roses prize as Pianist-Of-The-Year in 1991), he has internationally collaborated with the likes of John Abercrombie, Gary Bartz, Billy Cobham, Richard Galliano, Antonio Hart, Lee Konitz, Bireli Lagrene, Didier Lockwood, Branford Marsalis (Kenny Kirkland often called for Antonio as his substitute), Tony Scott, Buster Williams, Johnny Griffin, André Ceccarelli, Daniel Humair, Franco Ambrosetti and many others. Influenced by the early John Williams (a pianist best known for his recordings with Stan Getz and Phil Woods), Antonio developed his own virtuosic, yet soulful style that is hailed among insiders as one of the finest voices on jazz piano today. Trumpet player Franco Ambrosetti who often works with Antonio explains: "For a young musician, the challenge nowadays is: not to sound like someone else. And it seems to me that Antonio is on his way to develop his very own language and his own conception of trio playing: He is looking ahead and not too much into the past. He puts his creative energy into innovation - although with deep respect for the great masters." Kenny Kirkland explained: "The best young piano player to come up for years" . Combining a mediterranean sound sensibility with a deep understanding of the black piano tradition, Antonio Faraò has successfully overcome his image as an enfant prodige. Assisted by a world-class rhythm duo, he steps to the top of the international piano scene on his ENJA debut, "Black Inside" with Bass player Ira Coleman and drummer Jeff "Tain" Watts. The three of them make up for a trio album of the highest order. In September 1998 Antonio Faraò wins the most prestigious CONCOURS MARTIAL SOLAL organized by the City of Paris. This international competition is held every ten years only inviting the top talents of the world. Legendary pianist Martial Solal had heard Antonio in concert in Paris and spontaneously invited him to participate. Recently Antonio sustained an European tour that brought him to Basel, Salzau (Baltic Jazz Festival), Lisbon, Istanbul, Zurich, Karlsruhe to end to the JazzFest in Berlin. In January 2005 he recorded in "Abbey Road Studios" with the London Symphony Orchestra the soundtrack of the movie "Anthony Zimmer" for the French director Jérôme Salle, with the French actress Sophie Marceau as protagonist.Discography:Viaggio Ignoto 91 (Antonio Faraò Quartet featuring Cameron Brown, Billy Hart)Expose 96 (Antonio Faraò Quartet featuring Franco Ambrosetti)Light Breeze 97 (Franco Ambrosetti, John Abercrombie, Antonio Faraò, Miroslav Vitous, Billy Drummond)West Side Story 97 (André Ceccarelli, Sylvain Beuf, Remi Vignolo, Antonio Faraò)Black Inside 98 (Antonio Faraò, Ira Coleman, Jeff Watts)André Ceccarelli Quartet 99 (André Ceccarelli, Rémi Vignolo, Sylvain Beuf, Antonio Farao + guests : Stéphane Belmondo, Sylvain Luc, Thierry Eliez, Minino Garay)Secondo Tempo 2001 (Giovanni Tommaso, Antonio Faraò, Terry Lyne Carrington, Joe Lovano, Lucas Begonia)Thorn 2000 (Antonio Faraò, Jack Dejohnette, Chris Potter, Drew Guess)Borderlines 2000 (Antonio Faraò, Daniel Humair, Jean-Jacques Avenel)Next Stories 2002 (Antonio Faraò, Ed Howard, Gene Jackson, Pibo Marquez)Far Out 2003 (Antonio Faraò, Bob Berg, Martin Gjakonovski, Dejan Terzic)Encore 2005 A. Faraò Trio (Antonio Faraò, Martin Gjakonovski, Dejan Terzic)Takes on Pasolini 2006 Faraò/Vitous/Humair (Antonio Faraò, Miroslav Vitous, Daniel Humair)