Jazz pianist Stefano Bollani was born in Milan, on December 5, 1972. He began playing piano as a child in order to accompany his singing, but soon concentrated solely on the instrument, enrolling in a conservatory in Florence when he was 11. After graduating in 1993, added his keyboard skills to albums for many of Italy's top pop stars, including Laura Pausini, Irene Grandi, and Jovanotti. In 1996 he met avant-garde jazz trumpeter Enrico Rava, who invited the young pianist to play with him in Paris, an opportunity Bollani quickly accepted. He then began to release more jazz albums, first with his trio (completed by bassist Ares Tavolazzi and drummer Walter Paoli) but also as a solo artist as well as with other trios and even a quintet. Bollani has also appeared on the world’s most prestigious stages (from Umbria Jazz to the Montreal Jazz Festival), and besides his “historical” collaboration with Rava, he has played with countless others, including Gato Barbieri, Lee Konitz, Pat Metheny, Richard Galliano, Michel Portal, Han Bennink, Paolo Fresu, and Phil Woods. In 2006 Bollani was a musician of the year in Italy and his last, solo piano CD for ECM got excellent reviews.
