Active as a double bass player, electric bassist, arranger and teacher thanks to these different activities, MAURIZIO ROLLI is one of the best known Italian musicians among the overseas artistic community.
In 2010, thanks to his CD “Rolli’s Tones”, he was proclaimed best Italian Arranger of the year by the magazine “Jazzit”, and was voted four times as one of the top three bassists. After having previously held Italy’s first Electric Bass teaching position at the “G.Rossini” Conservatory of Pesaro,” he is currently Professor of Electric Bass at the Conservatory “Luisa D’Annunzio” in Pescara.
He has been the bassplayer of: – Trio of Dave Weckl and Dean Brown; – Trio of Oz (by Omar Hakim & Rachel Z); – For more than three years, the bassist of the Trio “X-PERIENCE” including Hiram Bullock on guitar and Israel Varela on drums; – R.A.R.E., Italian-American quartet composed of Alex Acuña (Percussion), Otmaro Ruiz (piano) and Gianluca Esposito (saxes); – He is currently the leader of the band “California Dream Band” (with Otmaro Ruiz, Chris Mascetta, Marvin Smitty Smith, and Manuel Trabucco); He collaborates, and has collaborated, live and in studio, in the different guises of arranger, conductor, instrumentalist or band leader with Chaka Khan, Vince Mendoza, Metropole Orchestra, Bill Russo, Mike Abene, Jeff Lindberg’s Chicago Jazz Orchestra, Columbia College Big band (Chicago) in a project with Mike Stern, Wooster College Big Band (Cleveland), etc. He has performed in television orchestras for programs including “Facciamo che io ero” by and with Virginia Raffaele, “Notti sul Ghiaccio” (mc’d by Milly Carlucci), and many others. He has maintained an intense international performing activity as a side man or band leader, cultivating an infinite series of collaborations accompanying Chaka Khan, Diane Shuur, Kelly Joyce, Mala Waldron, Virginia Raffaele, Winton Marsalis, Bob Mintzer, Dave Liebman, Jerry Bergonzi, Bill Evans, Bob Sheppard, Bob Franceschini, Jim Hall, Mike Stern, Hiram Bullock, Dean Brown, Frank Gambale, Otmaro Ruiz, Rachel Z, Enrico Pieranunzi, Scott Kinsey, Shai Maestro, Dave Weckl, Peter Erskine, Omar Hakim, Alex Acuña, Danny Gottlieb, and many others.
Since September 2000 he leads the Rolli’s Tones Big Band with which he has recorded a tribute CD to the music of Jaco Pastorius (with the participation of Michael Manring and Mike Stern), entitled “Moodswings”. It was the first, and so far only, Italian album to be awarded as “Cd of the month” by the prestigious American magazine “Bass Player”. He is the only Italian musician interviewed in the second edition of the official biography of Jaco Pastorius, written by Bill Milkovski. He has participated in countless international festivals, including Los Angeles “Bass Bash”, (festival that annually hosts the best bass players in the world), Evanston Jazz Festival (Ilinois) as resident artist, Cracow Jazz Festival, Bratislava Jazz Days, Jaco Pastorius Birthday Bash (Fort Lauderdale – invited by the Pastorius family), Bass Day UK (Manchester), Bass Days Poland (Olsztyn-Poland), Euro Bass Day, Grenoble Jazz en Isère, Timisoara and many others.
Selected discography: Next releases: – “Rolli’s Tones 2 – Homework Angels” feat. Otmaro Ruiz, Ciro Manna, Flavio Boltro, Antonio Onorato, etc. – As leader: – “7 in Latin” – feat. Otmaro Ruiz, Alex Acuña, Israel Varela, Javier Girotto, Manuel Trabucco, gianluca Esposito) – 2013 (Wide sound); – “Rollis tones” – feat. P.Erskine, M.Stern, H.Bullock, B.Shepard, B.Franceschini – Widesound; – “Sound Archives” feat. Mike Stern, Bob Mintzer, Otmaro Ruiz, Danny Gottlieb (“Widesound”); – “Wide Christmas – Christmas Jazz Songs” feat. F. Bosso, M. Manzi, D. Torto, C. Filippini, etc.; – “Moodswings – A Tribute to J.Pastorius” feat. M. Stern, M. Manring, A.M.P. Big Band (Japanese label “Roving Spirits”); – “Norwegian Mood” with D. Torto, P. Damiani, R. Ottaviano, F. Palermini (Philology); As a sideman: – “Deep Risonance” – (2016) – Mala Waldron (feat. Vincent Gardner, Allen Won, Akua Dixon, Maurizio Rolli, Jonathon Peretz; – “On the road” – (2016) – Jacek Pelc Band (feat. Maurizio Rolli, Maciej Sikala, Bartosz Hadala); – Israel Varela “Tijuana Portrait” feat. O. Ruiz, A. Paixao, J. Peña (Nido Records – Los Angeles); Israel Varela “Border People” feat. M. Stern, A. Paixao,D. Amador (Nido Records – Los Angeles).