Claudio Filippini
Born in Pescara (Italy) in 1982, the young pianist Claudio Filippini graduated at the Conservatory “GB Pergolesi” in Fermo. During his studies he met musicians like Kenny Barron, George Cables, Jimmy Owens, Joey Calderazzo, Enrico Pieranunzi, Franco D’Andrea, Otmar Ruiz, Stefano Bollani, Stefano Battaglia.

At 17 he won his first scholarship to Columbia College of Music in Chicago, followed by scholarships to the Siena Jazz Seminars and Workshops in 2000, We Love Jazz with Kenny Barron in 2001, as well as 1st prize winner of the European Competition for Piano Solo - Yamaha Music Foundation of Europe 2002, and the Massimo Urbani Award 2003 (Jury and Audience). In recent years he has played in numerous festivals around the world including Sweet Rhythm (New York), Jazz Showcase (Chicago), Blue Note Jazz Club (Nagoya e Tokyo), Ronnie Scott’s (London), Jazz at Pearl’s (San Francisco), Montreux Jazz Festival, Umbria Jazz, Istanbul Jazz Center.

In 2007 he joined the Maria Pia De Vito quartet and Giovanni Tommaso’s “Apogeo Quintet”. In 2008 he recorded “Space Trip”, a concept album for jazz trio and electronics. The album was presented at the “Casa del Jazz” in Rome and achieved significant critical acclaim.

In 2010 he began playing with Mario Biondi on his numerous tours, performing in theaters in major Italian cities and abroad, and participating in main Italian TV shows such as “Parla con me” (Rai 3 channel) and “Niente di personale” (La7 channel). In 2011 he recorded “The Enchanted Garden” for the prestigious Cam Jazz label, with Luca Bulgarelli on double bass and Marcello Di Leonardo on drums. Pianist Enrico Pieranunzi wrote in his liner notes: “Musical stories full of imagination and depth; Claudio’s improvisations reveal to us a language of beauty, generating music of such density and intensity…Bravo!”

In the same year Claudio recorded a Nino Rota tribute CD called “Enchantment” along with Fabrizio Bosso Quartet and London Symphony Orchestra. This CD was recorded at London’s Air Studios.

2012 was a very important year for Claudio Filippini: he played in a solo concert at the Auditorium of the Istituto Italiano di Cultura in Addis Ababa (Ethiopia), he traveled to Chicago (USA) for several concerts at The Jazz Showcase with his very first quintet founded in 1999 with Max Ionata on saxes, Giancarlo Alfani on guitar, Maurizio Rolli on bass and Nicola Angelucci on drums. In the same year Claudio published for the Cam Jazz label “Through The Journey”, an album in duo with trumpeter Fulvio Sigurtà, recorded at Bauer Studios in Ludwigsburg (Germany).

In 2013 Claudio released the CD “Facing North” on Cam Jazz with a brand new European trio featuring Swedish musical legend Palle Danielsson on double bass and young Finnish drummer Olavi Louhivuori which achieved significant critical acclaim and earned several positive reviews innewspapers, magazines, webzines and radio broadcasting. Over the years Claudio Filippini has performed alongside Wynton Marsalis, Palle Danielsson, Donny McCaslin, Ben Allison, Tony Scott, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Mike Stern, Giovanni Tommaso, Maria Pia De Vito, Battista Lena, Enzo Pietropaoli, Francesco Bearzatti, Bebo Ferra, Fabrizio Bosso, Daniele Scannapieco, Lorenzo Tucci, Giovanni Amato, Max Ionata, Maurizio Rolli, Gaetano Partipilo, Nicola Conte, Dario Deidda, Nick “The Nightfly”, Roberto Gatto, Stefano Di Battista, Dario Rosciglione, Fabio Zeppetella, Alfredo Paixao, Israel Varel.