Dado Moroni

Origin

Genoa, Itália

Also known as

Edgardo Moroni

Years active

1976

Genres

jazz

Instruments

piano

Biography

Edgardo "Dado" Moroni was born in Genoa, Italy, on October 20, 1962. His passion for jazz was awakened early on, influenced by his parents' record collection. He began playing the piano at age four, being largely self-taught. His early influences included Fats Waller, Earl Hines, Teddy Wilson, Art Tatum, and Erroll Garner. At age 11, he met pianist Flavio Crivelli, who provided him with more formal training and introduced him to the music of Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, and Bud Powell, as well as contemporary pianists like Wynton Kelly and Bill Evans.

Moroni began his professional career at age 14, playing throughout Italy with renowned musicians such as Franco Cerri, Tullio De Piscopo, and Gianni Basso. At 17, he recorded his first trio album with Tullio De Piscopo and American bassist Julius Farmer. In 1979, meeting trumpeter Franco Ambrosetti introduced him to the international jazz scene. Throughout his career, Moroni collaborated with legends like Dizzy Gillespie, Chet Baker, Freddie Hubbard, Clark Terry, Zoot Sims, Ray Brown, Ron Carter, Oscar Peterson, and Ahmad Jamal.

In 1991, Dado Moroni moved to the United States, joining the New York jazz scene and performing regularly at prestigious clubs like the Blue Note and Birdland. He also participated in various recordings and, in 2007, won the "Best Jazz Act" award at the Italian Jazz Awards. In 2009, he was named Best Italian Jazz Pianist in the "Top Jazz" referendum. Currently, Dado Moroni is a jazz piano professor at the Giuseppe Verdi Conservatory in Turin and continues to perform worldwide, exploring diverse musical projects and collaborations.