Antonio Faraò
Jazz Pianist/Composer – Rome 19/01/1965
General biographical notes
He is considered to be one of the greatest pianists by the international critics.
Antonio Faraò was born into an extremely musical family. His mother was a known painter
his father was a jazz drummer. However, both of them had a great affinity and introduced him to the jazz music. By means of that he grew up listening to musicians such as:
Benny Goodman, Count Basie, Due Ellington, Frank Sinatra and last but not least
Ella Fitzgerald.
Because of the parent’s life pioneering Antonio Faraò gained the love for swing from
them. First influenced by that style today’s influences are different. At the age of 6
he started playing vibraphone which was followed by drum playing. Finally he began
to play piano and he joined piano classes with Adriano Giustina and Riccardo Risaliti
at a classical school. It was the Giuseppe Verdi Conservatory where Antonio Faraò
studied for a degree. The completion of all studies was done after a period of 8 years.
Influences
Based on his early interest in Afro-American jazz music Antonio Faraò had idols such
as Oscar Peterson and Errol Gardner until he discovered musicians like McCoy Tyner, Herbie Hancock, Keith Jarret, Bil Evans, John Coltrane, Miles Davis, Charlie Parker and
Thelonious Monk. Just to name the most important examples. Among the musicians influencing him there also is to mention John Williams, composer of the famous film music
for ET, Stars Wars Indiana Jones …
Awards/recordings
The “Jazz four Roses Competition Price” was awarded to him at the Ciak Theatre in
Milano in 1991. The most prestigious “Competition of jazz piano Martial Solal” a competition of the city Paris which takes place only every ten years invited a small number of top international piano talents. Antonio Faraò as one of those talents won that extraordinary competition in 1998. Continuing with his first recordings for the German label “Enja records” three tremendous albums were release: “Black Inside” (1998), Thorn (2001) with Jack DeJohnette on drums, Chris Potter on tenor sax and Drew Gress on bass. 2002 the album “Next stories” went public.
Further recordings
Together with André Ceccarelli and the London Symphony Orchestra Antonio Faraò
did a further recording at the famous Abbey Road Studios in London for the soundtrack
of the movie “Anthony Zimmer” conducted by Jérôme Salle and with the French actress
Sophie Marceau in January of 2005. That movie was released three months later.
“The best young piano player to come up for years”
Kenny Kirkland
“Antonio is not only a fine pianist, but a great one”
Herbie Hancock
Collaborations
Franco Ambrosetti, Andrè Ceccarelli, Daniel Humair, Gary Bartz, Lee Konitz, Steve Grossman, Tony Scott, Chico Freeman, Miroslav Vitous, John Abercrombie, Richard Galliano, Toots Thiellemans, Jack Dejohnette, Dave Liebman, Didier Lookwod, Benny Golson, Johnny Griffin, George Garzone, Charles Tolliver, Branford Marsalis, etc…and with the famous italian pop singer Mina.
Participations in Jazz Festivals
Tokyo Jazz Festival (Japan), Telaviv Jazz Festival (Israel), Dubai Jazz Festival (United Arab Emirates), North Sea Festival (The Netherlands), Tabarka Jazz Festival (Tunisia), Saltzau
Jazz Festival and Berlin Jazz Festival (Germany), Calvì Jazz Festival (Corse), Umbria
Jazz Festival (Italy) Sarajevo Jazz Festival (Bosnia-Herzegovina) as well as many festivals throughout Europe.
Workshops
Antonio Faraò is also an asked performer of workshops within Europe. Some of them
were carried out in Denmark, Switzerland and France. He was invited to do workshops
by the Rotterdam and Amsterdam Conservatories in 2007 and 2008.
Projects
A. Faraò Trio “Encore” (Antonio Faraò – Piano, Martin Gjakonovski – Bass, Jonas Burgwinkel/Guido May - Drums)
Faraò/Vitous/Humair “Takes on Pasolini” (Antonio Faraò – Piano, Miroslav Vitous – Bass, Daniel Humair – Drums)
A. Faraò Trio “Woman’s Perfume” (Antonio Faraò – Piano, Dominique Di Piazza, el. Bass Andrè Ceccarelli – Drums)
A. Faraò Quartet “Far Out” Tributo a Bob Berg (Antonio Faraò – Piano, Martin Gjakonovski – Bass, Gene Jackson – Drums, Rick Margitza/ Robert Bonisolo – Tenor/Sop. Sax)
A. Faraò (Piano Solo)
Discography
• Viaggio Ignoto 1991 (DDD)
(Antonio Faraò Quartet featuring Cameron Brown, Billy Hart)
• Expose 1996 (DDQ)
(Antonio Faraò Quartet featuring Franco Ambrosetti)
• Light Breeze 1997 (ENJA)
(Franco Ambrosetti, John Abercrombie, Antonio Faraò, Miroslav Vitous, Billy Drummond)
• West Side Story 1997 (BMG)
(André Ceccarelli, Sylvain Beuf, Remi Vignolo, Antonio Faraò)
• Black Inside 1998 (ENJA)
(Antonio Faraò, Ira Coleman, Jeff Watts)
• 61:32 1999 (BMG)
(André Ceccarelli, Rémi Vignolo, Sylvain Beuf, Antonio Farao + guests : Stéphane Belmondo,
Sylvain Luc, Thierry Eliez, Minino Garay)
• Secondo Tempo 2001 (CAM)
(Giovanni Tommaso, Antonio Faraò, Terry Lyne Carrington, Joe Lovano, Luca Begonia
• Thorn 2000 (ENJA)
(Antonio Faraò, Jack Dejohnette, Chris Potter, Drew Gress)
• Borderlines 2000 (SCKETCH)
(Antonio Faraò, Daniel Humair, Jean Jacques Avenel)
• Next Stories 2002 (ENJA)
(Antonio Faraò, Ed Howard, Gene Jackson, Pibo Marquez)
• Far Out 2003 (CAM)
(Antonio Faraò, Bob Berg, Martin Gjakonovski, Dejan Terzic)
• Encore 2005 (CAM)
A. Faraò Trio (Antonio Faraò, Martin Gjakonovski, Dejan Terzic)
• Takes on Pasolini 2006 (CAM)
Faraò/Vitous/Humair (Antonio Faraò, Miroslav Vitous, Daniel Humair)
• Woman’s Perfume 2008 (CAM)
A. Faraò Trio (Antonio Faraò, Dominique Di Piazza, Andrè Ceccarelli)
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