Sara Berni Blues Band

But now I introduce you to my wonderful travel mates, although I believe you know them already:

Muzio Marcellini

Pianist, multi-instrumentalist, arranger, composer, and programmer, he has worked and still works alongside artists such as Andrea Bocelli, Irio de Paula, Elsa Soarez, Mandrake Som, Antonello Venditti, Luca Barbarossa, Gerardina Trovato, Michele Zarrillo, Neri Marcorè, the Vianellas, Pandemonium, Flavio Insinna, Gigi Proietti, Sabrina Ferilli, Sandra Collodel, Pino Quartullo, Pippo Franco, Oreste Lionello, Gino Bramieri, Leo Gullotta, Roberto Ciotti, Luca Laurenti, Onda Buena Hotel and occasionally Fiorella Mannoia, Claudio Baglioni, Niccolò Fabi, Enrico Ruggeri, Max Gazzè, Alex Britti, Serena Abrami, Roy Paci, Amedeo Minghi, Syria, Max Giusti, Fiorello, Renato Zero, Tiro Mancino, Anna Tatangelo, Mariella Nava.

Arranger, programmer, vocal trainer, creator and sometimes co-author of dozens of albums, theatrical and television shows alongside masters such as Piero Pintucci, Pippo Caruso, Federico Capranica, Mario Vicari, Roberto Pregadio, Francesco Pintucci. Above all the theatrical and television shows of and with “Il Bagaglino” by Mario Castellacci and Pier Francesco Pingitore for several years… a page would not be enough to mention them all; and then… “Come rapinare una banca”, “Tre cazune fortunate”, “Le pillole di Ercole”, “Non è vero, ma ci credo” by the Compagnia stabile delle Muse (stable company of the Muses); “Siamo i fratelli e le sorelle d’Italia”, “20 anni di clamorosi successi”, “In un vecchio palco della scala” (with relative album), “Metti una sera con i Pandemonium” by and with the Pandemonium; “Io Toto e gli altri” (with relative album), “Serata d’onore”, “Stregata dalla luna”, “Quella del piano di sopra”, “Ma l’amor mio non muore”, “Buonasera”, “Di nuovo buonasera” with Gigi Proietti; “Il gobbo delle nostre Dame” and “Tutto in un momento “, “I miei primi 42 anni” by and with Pippo Franco; and the musical of the show “Non escludo il ritorno”, dedicated to Franco Califano, presented by Fabrizio Frizzi.

For TV, I quote: “Per chi suona la campanella” (RAI) “Biberon” 1 and 2 (RAI), “L’amore è una cosa meravigliosa” (RAI), “La Corrida” (Mediaset), “Creme Caramel” 1 and 2 (RAI), “Beato fra le donne”, “Serata mondiale” (RAI), “Tappeto volante” (TMC) 1998 and 1999 edition, “La canzone del secolo” (MEDIASET), “Segreti e bugie” ( RAI), “Si si è proprio lui” (RAI), “Scommettiamo che…” (RAI), “La Corrida” (MEDIASET), the TV fiction “Anna e i  5” (MEDIASET).

He has made 4 musicals with related albums for Edizioni Paoline (“Il Risorto”, “Il Messia”, “Frà Giovanni Sanna”, “Chiara e il suo sposo”), as well as 9 records, one of which is double, and then the albums “Nostalgia” by Gabriella Ferri, “Arriva l’onda” by Edoardo Vianello & Pandemonium (BMG), “Ma che musica è” by Pandemonium, “Onda Buena Hotel” by the homonymous group, “Tutto in un colpo” and “Replay” by Edoardo Vianello, “Milton Cortez” ed. Action Marketing.

He created and produced the albums “Reborn” by the Superobots, “Soul Jazz From Birth” by Elsa Baldini 4tet, and “Phonema Gospel Singers”, groups he still performs regularly with as well as Alan Soul & Alan Selzer by Giulio Todrani.

He has been my right-hand man in the Sara Berni Blues Band since the very beginning, and you can currently admire him behind the keyboards every day on Radio 2 Social Club (2022).

Mimmo Catanzariti

Bassist active since 1988, he has collaborated with the most popular names in the Italian jazz scene including Roberto Gatto, Massimo Urbani, and Enrico Rava, and with Brazilian ones such as Jim Porto, Karl Potter, Irio De Paula, Kaneco, and Coimbra.

Among the Italian professionals stand out Tony Esposito, Nek, Tosca, Gino Paoli, Roberto Ciotti, Paola Turci, Tony Bungaro, Latte e I suoi derivati, Sergio Laccone, Lillo e Greg, Enrico Brignano, Marco Conidi, Fiorello, Edoardo Vianello and many others.

He has collaborated and still collaborates with prestigious Roman production studios including the Forum studio, the Digital Records, the Lead studio, and the Bloom studio, for the creation of dozens of film and fiction soundtracks (to name a few “Ris delitti imperfetti” , “Squadra Antimafia”, “Il tredicesimo apostolo”, “Romanzo Criminale”) and television programs such as Domenica In (RAI1), Beato tra le donne (RAI1), Buona Domenica (Mediaset) and many more.

He also teaches in Rome at various institutes such as the Scuola Popolare di musica (Popular school of music) in Testaccio, the Saint Louis, the Ciak, and the University of Music U.M.

He has been a stable member of the Sara Berni Blues Band since the beginning. He hates talking about himself so his bio seems short but there are many, many, many important things missing, trust me.

 Just hear him play to understand.

Egidio Marchitelli

Crossover guitarist and arranger, he plays electric, acoustic, manouche, classical, 12-string, fretless guitar, synth guitar, mandolin, lap steel, and banjo guitar. Graduated in 1998 in Jazz and multi-style guitar at the University of Music in Rome, he then obtained a  diploma in Jazz specialization at Percentomusica studying with Fabio Zeppetella and Umberto Fiorentino. He has attended seminars with David Liebman, Bireli Lagrene, Scott Henderson, and Allen Hinds.

He has collaborated and collaborates with some of the greatest italian Jazz musician such as Renato Sellani, Massimo Moriconi, Fabrizio Bosso, Julian Oliver Mazzariello, Massimo Fedeli, Antonello Salis, Michele Rabbia, Amedeo Ariano, Rick Pellegrino, Ellade Bandini, Lorenzo Tucci, Paolo Fresu, Stefano di Battista, Massimo Nunzi, Francesco Puglisi, Marcello Allulli, Marco Siniscalco, Alessandro Gwiss, Massimo Manzi, Pierpaolo Ranieri, Pier Paolo Ferroni, Gian Piero Lo Piccolo, Alberto Marsico, and many others.

He has been playing regularly with Massimo Moriconi in duo and trio for over 15 years, and recorded 2 albums: “No More Compromises” and “Colours” (special guest Fabrizio Bosso); with pianist-accordionist Antonello Salis; with the jazz fusion project of pianist Massimo Fedeli for over 10 years, with whom he recorded the Fidus Band album; Jazz Manouche with the Emmet Ray Manouche Orchestra and Elettroswing with the well-known singer-songwriter Piji Siciliani; and since 2017 with the Sara Berni Blues Band… bringing the boost (or the swerve?) I was looking for.

He collaborates with various Italian orchestras playing for artists such as Lionel Richie, Shaggy, Ian Anderson, Mirelle Mathieu, Bonnie Tyler, Noemi, Elisa, Arisa, Mahmood Josè Feliciano, Lucio Dalla, the Poohs, Antonella Ruggero, Renzo Arbore, Enrico Ruggeri, Paolo Belli, Gigi D’Alessio, Anna Tatangelo, Fiorello, Noa, Dionne Warwick, and many others, in numerous television programs (Rai 1, Italia 1, Canale 5, La 7, Sky).

Since 2015 he has been the musical director of the resident band of “Splendor” television broadcast on Iris (Mediaset). Since 2020 he has been the musical director of the resident band of “Luce Social Club” weekly broadcast on Sky Arte.

He collaborates with the Abruzzo symphonic institution with which he recorded two albums for Rai Trade (“Angeli vs. Demoni” – “Falcone e Borsellino”) composed and directed by Maestro Stefano Fonzi.

He plays regularly with the well-known actress-cabaret artist Annamaria Barbera, aka Sconsolata, with whom, in addition to treading the stages of the most prestigious theaters in Italy, he has participated in numerous television programs such as Zelig (Italia 1), Buona Domenica ( channel 5), Assolo (la 7), Massimo Troisi Award (Rai1), Voglia d’aria fresca (Rai 1).

Session musician in the studio and live in Italy and abroad for Teresa de Sio, Nina Zilli, Simona Molinari, Nick the Nightfly, Sarah Jane Morris, Karima, Gio’ Di Tonno, Diego Caravano (Neri Per Caso), Ivano Fortuna, Sarah Jane Olog.

He is endorser dv mark, d’orazio strings, magrabo guitar straps.

Gianni Polimeni

Drummer, director, and teacher of the Symphony City School of Music in Reggio Calabria since 2013. He trained with Jean-Luc Henriquez (Irio De Paula’s drummer), he obtained the “Certificate of Completion” in the clinics of the Berkelee College of Music in Perugia in 1994, then continued with Cristiano Micalizzi of which over the years he has become a collaborator. He obtained the Triennium of Jazz Drums at the F. Cilea Conservatory in Reggio Calabria under the guidance of Maestro Davide Ragazzoni.

He collaborates on national and international tours with GenStella, Francesca Allotta and Aleandro Baldi, Corona, Silvia Salemi, Mike Francis, Cristal White, Alberto Laurenti, I Farias, Stefano Maggio, Prodotti Atipici, Frankie & Cantina Band, Seven Days, 4 Jackson, Lucy Soul Band, Vincenzo Capua, Andrea De Luca, I Gemelli di Guidonia, Papik, The Soultrend Orchestra, Ely Bruna, Erika Scherlin, Samantha Iorio, Fulvio Tomaino, Katia Rizzo, Claudia Arvati Band, Serena Caporale, Riccardo Rinaudo, Giuseppe Milici, Cristiana Polegri, Simona Bencini, Richie Cole and of course with me in Bianca Blues & i 7 Soul, SamSara, and since 2017, Sara Berni Blues Band.

Among the television appearances I mention “La vita in Diretta” (Rai2), “Domenica In” (Rai1), and “Venice Music Awards” (Rai2). He plays in the TIM Tour in 2003 and the Afrakà Rock Festival in 2006 and 2007 in the video “Il mutevole abitante del mio solito involucro” by Silvia Salemi, directed by Beppe Fiorello.

To date, with the Papik production and Irma Records, he works nationally and internationally: Blue Note in Milan, Volvo studio in Milan, The Cotswold park weekender in London in 2017 and 2019, 9th Edition Jazz by the Pool, Amalfi, Naples, San Marino, Viareggio, Atina, and Istanbul Jazz Music Festivals to mention some of the most relevant performances.

In Discography: The Black Hand Clan (Francesco D’Adamo), Misticanze Metafisiche (Quinto Quarto), Fin Quando Avrai Coraggio (Nino Forestieri), Sud (Nino Forestieri), Su Mundu (Nu Indaco), 16 Years Old (Bianca Blues & Sette Soul), Tales From The Wind (Paolo Patrignani), Le Sere Di Sempre (Alessandro Pitoni & Stereo 8), Smooth Experience (Papik), Cocktail Battisti Vol. 1 and 2 (Papik), Live in Rome (Papik & Friends ), In Love Again (Alessandro Pitoni), Respirando Amore (Stefy Gamboni), Shadows And Lights (Erika Scherlin), Cocktail Piano (Peter De Girolamo), Mr Alright (Alan Scaffardi), Cocktail Italy Vol.2 and 3 (Papik) , Seule La Nuit (Isabelle Piana & Stefy Gamboni), Something has changed Vol. 1 and 2 (Cristiana Polegri), Cocktail Mina Vol. 2 (Papik), 84King Street (The Soultrend Orchestra), Cocktail Christmas (Papik), Sounds For The Open Road Vol. 2 (Papik), Cocktail Sax (Fabio Tullio), Little Songs For Big Elevators (Papik), Cocktail Guitar (Alfredo Bochicchio), In Sweet Harmony (Ely Bruna) .

Lecturer in Rome since 2001 in schools such as Donna Olimpia, Piano B, private institute Aventino Pio IX, L’Ottava, Academy of Music of Rome, Modern Time, Progetto Suono, Roma Rock School, the University of Music U.M. Since 2006, with the guitarist Corrado Pirri, he has held Master Classes for guitar and drums in the music schools of Rome, Aventino Pio IX, Modern Time, Progetto Suono, L’Ottava, Accademia della Musica di Roma and others. He has collaborated in various Clinics and Masterclasses with national and international artists such as Mike Stern, Alain Caron, and Scott Henderson. He did teamworking in the publication of the book “Scuola di Fraseggio” written by Paolo Patrignani and published by Carish Music Lab.