CRISTIANO GIARDINI

Born in 1971, at the age of twelve Cristiano Giardini decided to actively dedicate himself to the study of the classical clarinet. He graduated from the 'V. Conservatorio Bellini' in Catania in '92. Already in 1990 he felt that his path would be the saxophone and jazz music, and from the summer of '92 he began attending private lessons with Orazio Maugeri in Palermo and with Francesco Marini in Rome; he took part in the Berklee Summer School at the Umbria Jazz Clinics '94'; he attended the 'Permanent Courses of Musical Perfectioning of the 'C.P.M. of Siena' in the academic year 1996/97, under the guidance of Maurizio Giammarco, Tino Tracanna, Paolino Dalla Porta, Enrico Pieranunzi. In the summer of '97 he entered the 'Conservatorium Van Amsterdam' in Holland, where he graduated in Jazz in 2002.
On Dutch soil, he had the opportunity to perfect with Ferdinand Povel, Jaspar Blom, Bob Malach, Chris Potter and Dick Oatts. In 1997, he recorded with 'CAFFE' STRONG', an all-European quintet, with whom he performed in the following years in Holland, Switzerland and Italy.
Between 2000 and 2003 he conducted as leader the 'jams' of one of Amsterdam's most famous jazz clubs, Bourbon Street.
In 2002 he recorded 'Alleggiu Alleggiu' with the Sicilian ethno-rock group MATER MATUTA for EthnoWorld, and in the same year he recorded 'New York' for Monaco Records.
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In the same year for Monaco Records 'New Impressions' with the JAZZMANIA BIG BAND under the direction of Peter Guidi. In 1993 he recorded for Filologia with Antonella Consolo, Giovanni Mazzarino and Marco Tamburini.
In the summer of 2005 he won 1st prize at the National Jazz Music Festival in Baronissi. From 2004 to 2007 he taught Jazz Saxophone at the Sicilian Musical Academy with Giovanni Mazzarino. From September 2004
to September 2009 he held the position of saxophonist in the MEDITERRANEAN JAZZ ORCHESTRA.
In July 2008, he obtained a Master's Degree in Jazz Music with 110/110 cum laude at the A. Corelli Conservatory in Messina. Requested by the aforementioned Institute on 13 February 2007 and on 19 May 2007 he performed as a saxophonist soloist in the Capital at the "Radio Vaticana" first and then at the "Complesso Monumentale San Michele a Ripa", with the "CORELLI JAZZ ENSEMBLE" directed by Maestro Cinzia Gizzi. Both performances were organised by the Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Activities (MiBAC) and the General Directorate for High Artistic, Musical and Choreographic Education (MUR).
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In June 2009, he collaborated on Francesco Bertolini's latest work, 'Los dias del viaje', together with Ellade Bandini, published by SowHatStudio.
On 14 December 2009, he was awarded the 'Corrado Maranci Prize' for Jazz Education by the Associazione Siciliana Cori Val D'Anapo in Syracuse.
In April 2010 he took on the role of saxophonist soloist in the Italian tour of Ben Sidran, with whom in the same
The following year he recorded 'Dylan Different live in Italy', published by Bonsai.
In April 2011, he was part of the orchestra conducted by Maestro Lawrence 'Butch' Morris for 'Conduction No. 195',
a world premiere, at Catania's Metropolitan Theatre. The following year he was soloist in the Italian tour of English crooner Anthony Strong.
In the summer of 2016 he was right shoulder, as well as soloist, in the Italian quartet of Argentine guitarist Andres
Laprida, and the following year in that of Martin Diaz Gonzales.
In February 2018, he is co-director and soloist of the SICILINA JAZZMANIA BIG BAND together with Canadian saxophonist Andy Sheppard, with whom he holds two resounding concerts on Sicilian soil.
Since summer 2018 he has been saxophone soloist in singer Red Canzian's acoustic quartet.
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From February 2019, he is Lecturer of the Jazz Saxophone Chair at the Conservatorio 'V. Bellini' in Catania.
In April 2019, ESPRESSO ROMA-CATANIA was released by TRP Music, the first unreleased work of his quartet
Sicilian Quartet.
In the summer of 2020, he collaborates with Sardinian pianist Luca Mannutza on a forthcoming new recording project.
In September 2022, CRATERE CENTRALE's first EP will be released on Roots Underground.
Among others, he has collaborated with: Marc Abrams, Ellade Bandini, Andrea Beneventano, Rosalba Bentivoglio,
Francesco Bertolini, David Boato, Fabrizio Bosso, Francesco Cafiso, Red Canzian, Claudio Cusmano, Michelle David, Marcello Di Leonardo, Wayne Dockery, Candy Dulfer, Bobby Durham, Luca Mannutza, Massimo Faraò, Charlie Green, Peter Guidi, Paul Jeffrey, Andres Laprida, Phil Mer, Lawrence 'Butch' Morris, Paolo Recchia, Dino Rubino, Ben Sidran, , Andy Sheppard, Ben Sidran, Anthony Strong, Marco Tamburini.