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ATILIO ROCCA Pianist, composer, arranger and conductor He was born in Santa Fe city (Argentina). He belongs to a family of musicians: his father, Atilio José MarÃa Rocca, a piano and harmony teacher and also a composer, and his mother, Otilia Fayo, (a piano teacher), created one of the most prestigious conservatories in that city. From his early childhood and in spite of being influenced by classical music, Atilio felt inclined to pop and rock music, although as he improved in his musical studies he was progressively leaving aside more popular rhythms and approaching big composers of the past like Bach, Mozart, Chopin, Tchaikovsky, Debussy and Ravel. At the same time, he had a passion for jazz, especially for the sound of big bands. However, he never stopped composing ballads and songs with lyrics of his own. He studied piano with his mother, Otilia Fayo, and he was a real music enthusiast who tried to copy every arrangement he heard by great composers like Lalo Schifrin, Quincy Jones, Claus Ogerman, Henry Mancini or Michel Legrand among others. Moreover, he still loves films and soundtracks. He studied guitar with Francisco Lapolla and jazz with Narciso Saúl. He also played the electric bass, but he felt the need to play the piano, instrument which covered all his expectations. He studied harmony and composition with Miguel Belluschi, a disciple of Hindemith. Before that, he had taken classes with other teachers who only gave him a theoretical background. He decided to settle in Buenos Aires in 1980 and started his professional career working with The Platters, Olga Guillot, Gianni Nazzaro (as a conductor and arranger), but then his career focused on recording studios. This was probably his artistic period of great creative splendor, devoting himself almost exclusively to make arrangements for singers and to work with great musicians like Mario Parmisano (piano and composer), Eduardo De Luca (saxophone), Fito Vega (bass, electric bass and composer), Eduardo Pérez (guitar and composer), who was his partner when he opened his own recording studio (RP Records), Fabián Zilberman (saxophones, flute and clarinet), Oscar Masciotta (drums), Julián Hojman (saxophones), Paco Weth (bass and electric bass), Pablo Greco (bandoneón), Claudio Straci (drums), Miguel Provenzano (sound technician and arranger assisting Federico), both partners in Recordex. Atilio worked on the arrangements of 'Canciones para mirar' written by MarÃa Elena Walsh and directed by José MarÃa Paolantonio, he played as a substitute pianist for 'El circo de la costa', whose music was composed by Lito Vitale, and he made arrangements for many OTI festivals conducted by Néstor Schiavone and Oscar Cardozo Ocampo. He also worked with 'Huerque Mapu' (an Argentinian exile group of andean music players) in Madrid, Spain. He spent part of his career playing in Buenos Aires night clubs with his jazz trio and as a soloist. He performed in five star hotels like the Sheraton, the Hyatt, the Alvear Palace and the Sheraton Libertador, among others. He had several piano influences: Bill Evans, Keith Jarret and Dave Grusin to mention a few, although his greatest passion was composing and arranging. He created a very successful show with singer and actress Alicia Haddad called 'Música famosa de pelÃculas famosas' (Famous music from famous films), presented in auditorium Osvaldo Pugliese at Teatro de la Cooperación, and at Centro Cultural General San MartÃn during the 4th Buenos Aires Jazz Festival at 'JazzologÃa' sessions in auditorium A B directed by Carlos Inzillo, with an orchestra of 14 musicians made up of strings and brass and excellent performers such as Miguel A. Tallarita (trumpet), Daniel Miguez (drums), Fabio Goy (alto saxophone), Enrique Andreola (guitar) and Juan Losoviz (bass) among others, and Sebastián Petruchelli (violin), Alejandro Varadi (viola), Emma Chacón Oribe (cello) and others in strings, many of whom were conducted by Lalo Schifrin in one of his last performances in Buenos Aires. The show was a narration of the music from classic films and tv programs of Hollywood's golden days, many of which became great hits that will always remain in people's hearts all over the world and are also part of jazz standards, bossa nova, tango and songs. Among the most important songs, the orchestra performed 'Fly me to the moon' (a classic popularized by Frank Sinatra), 'Sunflowers' by Henry Mancini, 'Summertime' by George and Ira Gershwin, 'Route 66' from the famous tv program by Nelson Riddle, 'A day in the life of a fool' (a fragment of the song from the film 'Mañana de carnaval' in a version in English by Luis Bonfa), 'Summer of '42' by Michel Legrand, 'Peter Gunn', composed by H. Mancini, from another famous tv program written and directed by Blake Edwards, 'Mission impossible' by Lalo Schifrin, and a remarkable version with jazz-like arrangements of 'Mi Buenos Aires querido' by Gardel and Lepera (without leaving aside the original roots of tango). There were also several tributes to great creators within the world of jazz such as John Coltrane, with 'Blue train' or 'Bewitched' by Rodgers and Hartz. Atilio played the piano, made all the arrangements and conducted the orchestra, and the versatile Alicia Haddad performed vocals. Lately, Atilio has been asked to compose a soundtrack for the silent film 'Metropolis' by Fritz Lang (1926), probably one of the last to be released due to the fact that along the years the soundtrack was composed again by different musicians in different times. He also worked on the soundtrack (piano only) of the film 'El mono Villegas' produced by ENARC and directed by Valeria Santori, in which he also performed as an actor in some scenes. Along his vast career he has recorded more than 50 records, from the beginning at the age of 18 with his band 'Estaño' and their first single 'Descubrirás que el amor existe' by Victor Daniel, which sold over 20000 copies, passing through different rhythms up to producing his own records, like 'No hace falta nada más' with Alicia Haddad, and two instrumental ones 'Comenzar' and 'Bs. As. Nocturno'. During the last years he has also been teaching harmony and composition with an introduction to jazz and improvisation. Actually he’s still composing movies’ soundtracks. Sometimes he also plays along with his orchestra and composes songs and makes recordings in his studio for a living._____________________________________________________ __________ Barracas tango, La boca del rio (Tango cancion) V. Menghi - D. Vidret, Voz: Alicia Haddad, Teclados y arreglos: Atilio Rocca, Bandoneon: Pablo Greco, Bajo electrico: Juan Losoviz, 30/08/08.-__________________________________________________ ________ "Looking Through the Eyes of Love"_______________________________________________________ ___ Video Film ;Fragmentos de Cine Mudo del Film "Metropolis" (1927) del Director Fritz Lang, Musica Atilio Rocca Año 2004.- ____________________________________________________________ _ "Milonga en Grises", Comp.& Arr:Atilio Rocca __________________________________________________________