Pianist Renato Sellani (1926 – 2014) is one of the fathers of Italian jazz.
He studied piano as an autodidact and in 1947 moved from Marche, his homeland, to Rome. He plays at the Roman Jazz Gala at the Teatro Eliseo in the trio formed by Claudio De Angelis on double bass and Pepito Pignatelli, future founder of Music Inn, on drums.
In 1950 he played with trumpeter Bill Coleman and with the quintet formed by Enzo Grillini, Tonino Ferrelli, Roberto Capasso and Pepito Pignatelli. In 1958, thanks to guitarist Franco Cerri, he moved to Milan, where he had the opportunity to accompany saxophonist Lee Konitz with Cerri himself and Gilberto Cuppini.
He plays with Cerri’s quartet with Giorgio Azzolini and Gianni Cazzola and joins the Basso-Valdambrini quintet to replace Enrico Intra, another pianist on the Milan scene. With the quintet, he plays in various contexts, including the U.S.
In 1960 he collaborated with American trumpeter Chet Baker, with whom he recorded two records and participated in several concerts.
The following year the Marche pianist participated for the first time in the San Remo Jazz Festival with the Basso-Valdambrini quintet. For the occasion he accompanied singer Helen Merrill, beginning a long association.
In the same year he collaborated in the recording studio with saxophonist Buddy Collette, along with Franco Cerri, Dino Piana, Gianni Basso and Sergio Fanni. In 1963 he joined saxophonist Eraldo Volonté ‘s quartet with Giorgio Azzolini and Lionello Bionda, with whom he participated in the ninth edition of the Sanremo Jazz Festival.
He also collaborates with foreign musicians such as Phil Woods, Dizzy Gillespie, Irio De Paula, Lars Gullin, Gerry Mulligan, and Sarah Vaughan, and Italians such as Claudio Fasoli, Gianni Coscia, Franco D’Andrea, Enrico Rava, Fabrizio Bosso, Paolo Fresu, Barbara Casini, Massimo Moriconi, and Stefano Bagnoli.
With singer Tiziana Ghiglioni he recorded several records dedicated to Italian pop music artists: Mina, Gino Paoli, Luigi Tenco, Lucio Battisti. He also accompanies important performers of the Italian music scene: Nicola Arigliano, Mina, Fred Bongusto and Renata Mauro.
He devoted himself over the years to composing music for the theater, collaborating with actors Walter Chiari and Tino Buazzelli - https://saintlouis.eu
One of the acid tests to evaluate jazz musicians is to put them into a duo setting. This all-Gershwin program, pairing veteran pianist Renato Sellani and a rising young star, Fabrizio Bosso, who doubles on trumpet and flugelhorn, succeeds with flying colors. Since most (if not all) of this music is already very well known to jazz fans, the duo has their work cut out for them to find new approaches to each song. "The Man I Love" combines Bosso's virtuoso flügelhorn (including an incredible unaccompanied coda) and Sellani's spacious, understated accompaniment to produce a masterful interpretation. "Oh, Lady be Good!" is one of the most familiar pieces in the jazz canon, but their marvelous, playful, and subtle introduction builds up the tension before they finally switch to a more typical tempo. "Soon" is not quite as well known as the remaining compositions on this CD, but their richly textured treatment of the lyrical ballad is a gem to behold. The two musicians are at their very best in the old warhorse "I Got Rhythm," which features Sellani at his most playful and some sassy muted work by Bosso. This is highly recommended. - Ken Dryden / allmusic.com
Tracks
01. The Man I Love
02. Oh Lady Be Good!
03. Someone To Watch Over Me
04. Strike Up The Band
05. Soon
06. But Not For Me
07. A Foggy Day
08. I Got Rhythm
09. Embraceable You
10. Somebody Loves Me
RENATO SELLANI piano
FABRIZIO BOSSO trumpet, flugelhorn
All music composed by George Gershwin and Ira Gershwin
Recorded March 19, 2002 at MU Rec Studio, Milano
Philology – W 237.2 (Italy)