JAZZPROFILES lives in the music 1,572 Jazz Artists fully Profiled! Paolo Damiani
Last updated October 1, 2026
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Paolo Damiani, Italian jazz cellist and double bassist, official portrait, used as a stand-in — no free-licensed (Wikimedia Commons or similar) photo of Damiani could be located after a genuine search. Standard copyright, all rights reserved — held by Paolo Damiani / photographer. This is not a Creative Commons–licensed image; it is used here as an honestly-disclosed editorial stand-in for a real photo. — Downloaded directly from Damiani's official website (http://paolodamiani.com/), hosted at paolodamiani.com/music/wp-content/uploads/. Saved locally as portrait.jpg in this folder.
Paolo Damiani was born in Rome in 1952 and studied with Giorgio Gaslini, already profiled on jazzprofiles.com, and double bassist Bruno Tommaso, beginning his professional career alongside Gaslini in 1976. He graduated in 1981 with degrees in jazz composition and classical double bass, and started conducting in the late 1970s before moving into composing for radio and theater.
His own music runs across avant-garde, big band, post-bop, and free jazz, built on involved arrangements and instrumentation unusual for a jazz record. He has recorded and performed with Albert Mangelsdorff, Kenny Wheeler, Tony Oxley, Miroslav Vitous, Charlie Mariano, John Surman, and Tunisian oud master Anouar Brahem, the last alongside clarinetist Gianluigi Trovesi, also already profiled here. He was a member of the avant-garde Italian Instabile Orchestra.
He co-founded the Testaccio Music School and the Italian Musicians Committee, taught at the Milan and L'Aquila Conservatories, and started a 20-piece national youth jazz orchestra, the IS Ensemble. In 2001, Musica Jazz's Top Jazz readers' poll named him Italy's best composer of the year.
As a leader, Damiani's own catalogue includes two guitar-and-guitarist-adjacent sessions this site had previously left out of his discography: Eso (1994, Splasc(H) Records), a concept album with music and lyrics by Damiani, featuring Paolo Fresu, Gianluigi Trovesi, Danilo Rea, Roberto Gatto and guitarist Antonio Jasevoli - all five already profiled on this site - and Sconcerto (1999, Il Manifesto), a spoken-word collaboration with writer Stefano Benni, again with Jasevoli on guitar. Damiani later reunited with Jasevoli and Trovesi as a guest on Jasevoli's own Quiet Journey (2012, Parco della Musica Records).
Damiani's music sits within avant-garde and free jazz traditions shaped directly by his mentorship under Giorgio Gaslini, expanded through big band and post-bop writing and a long-running association with the Italian Instabile Orchestra's collective avant-garde approach.
- Dall'Ovunque Che Sei (2023, Parco della Musica Records) - his most recent leader album. Listen
- IS Ensemble (1996, Via Veneto Jazz) - documenting his national youth jazz orchestra project.
Paolo Damiani: Full Discography
Identity confirmed via Discogs artist ID 562777 ("Paolo Damiani"). Related entities (Quintet, Ensemble, Double Trio, & Friends) are his own named projects, not collisions.
LEADER: full detail
| Album | Year | Label | Notes | Listen | Buy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eso | 1994 | Splasc(H) Records | Concept, music and lyrics by Damiani (double bass, cello, voice); also features Paolo Fresu, Gianluigi Trovesi, Danilo Rea, Roberto Gatto and guitarist Antonio Jasevoli - all five profiled on this site. Missing from this table until this build found the gap. | Spotify | not found |
| IS Ensemble | 1996 | Via Veneto Jazz | Documents his 20-piece national youth jazz orchestra project; extraartists include Bruno Romani (flute, alto saxophone), Roberto Ottaviano (soprano/tenor/baritone saxophone) and Daniele Tittarelli (alto/soprano saxophone). | not found | not found |
| Sconcerto | 1999 | Il Manifesto | Co-billed with writer Stefano Benni; a spoken-word/poetry collaboration built on Damiani's music and double bass, with guitarist Antonio Jasevoli. Missing from this table until this build found the gap. | not found | not found |
| Mediana | 1999 | EGEA | Spotify | not found | |
| Ladybird | 2004 | EGEA | not found | not found | |
| Al Tempo Che Farà | 2007 | EGEA | Spotify | not found | |
| Pane e Tempesta | 2010 | EGEA | Spotify | not found | |
| Seven Sketches In Music | 2015 | Parco Della Musica Records (MPR 069CD) | Billed to the Paolo Damiani Double Trio. Discogs-confirmed personnel: Damiani (cello, double bass), Rosario Giuliani (alto/soprano saxophone), Daniele Tittarelli (flute, alto/soprano saxophone), Marco Bardoscia (double bass), Michele Rabbia (percussion, electronic effects). Missing from this table until the Marco Bardoscia build (folder 359) found the gap. | not found | not found |
| Silenzi Luterani | 2019 | Alfa Music | Discogs-confirmed personnel includes Daniele Tittarelli (saxophone) and Lewis Saccocci (piano). | Spotify | not found |
| Oscene Rivolte | 2019 | Parco della Musica Records | Spotify | not found | |
| Dall'Ovunque Che Sei | 2023 | Parco della Musica Records | Most recent leader album. | Spotify | not found |
Full catalog (19 Main/leader entries, 1985-2023) at Discogs: Paolo Damiani.
Umberto Petrin (piano) - fellow Italian Instabile Orchestra member and fellow guest, with Paolo Fresu, on Stefano Benni's Baldanders (2004).
Sandro Satta (alto saxophone) - bandmate on Mediana (1999, EGEA), the quintet record built around Carlo Mariani's launeddas; Discogs-confirmed. Profiled separately on this site.
Michele Rabbia (percussion) - Discogs-verified on Mediana (1999) and, with the Paolo Damiani Double Trio, Seven Sketches In Music (2015).
Maurizio Giammarco (tenor and soprano saxophone) - sideman on the Paolo Damiani Ensemble's Song Tong (1997), which Damiani led, Discogs-confirmed.
Giorgio Gaslini - mentor and early collaborator from 1976.
Gianluigi Trovesi - recorded collaborator, alongside Anouar Brahem.
Antonio Jasevoli (guitar) - recorded together on Eso (1994), Sconcerto (1999, with writer Stefano Benni) and, as a guest in Jasevoli's own Antonio Jasevoli Chamber Project, Quiet Journey (2012).
Bruno Romani (flute, alto saxophone) - fellow musician in IS Ensemble, the twenty-piece youth jazz orchestra Damiani directed, on its self-titled 1996 album for Via Veneto Jazz. Profiled separately on this site.
Daniele Cavallanti (tenor saxophone) - Italian Instabile Orchestra founding-era colleague, credited alongside Damiani on multiple orchestra releases from 1992 to 2025.
Daniele Tittarelli (alto/soprano saxophone) - one of Damiani's longest-running sideman relationships, Discogs-confirmed across four releases spanning 25 years: IS Ensemble (1996), the Paolo Damiani Double Trio's Seven Sketches In Music (2015), Silenzi Luterani (2019) and the Paolo Damiani Unit's Memorie Future (2021). Profiled separately on this site.
Danilo Terenzi (trombone) - fellow sideman, alongside Gianluigi Trovesi, Ettore Fioravanti and Paolo Fresu, on the Damiani Opus Music Ensemble's Flashback (1984, Ismez/Polis Music), confirmed at the Discogs credit level; profiled separately on this site.
Eugenio Colombo (alto and soprano saxophones, flute) - Damiani plays bass on Cioè... (1978, Strutture Di Supporto Quartetto) and cello on two tracks of Colombo's Giada (1990); both are members of the Italian Instabile Orchestra. Discogs-confirmed.
Fabio Zeppetella (guitar) - plays electric and classical guitar on Damiani's Classiche Musiche Leggere (Casa del Jazz, recorded March 24, 2016), Discogs-credited, with Rosario Giuliani, Danilo Rea and Alessandro Paternesi.
Fabrizio Puglisi (piano) - fellow member of the Italian Instabile Orchestra on Totally Gone (2010) and Plays Ellington (2025). Discogs-verified.
Fabrizio Sferra (drums) - cellist on Rosario Giuliani's The Hidden Side (2016), on which Sferra plays drums; Discogs-confirmed. Profiled on JazzProfiles.com.
Francesco Lento (trumpet, flugelhorn) - trumpeter and flugelhorn player in Damiani's band on Pane e Tempesta (EGEA, 2010), and on its "Sentieri Smarriti" track as it appears on the Musica Jazz compilation Top Jazz 2010; Discogs-confirmed.
Francesco Fratini (trumpet) - trumpeter in the Orchestra Nazionale Jazz Giovani Talenti on Oscene Rivolte (Parco Della Musica Records, 2019), conducted by Damiani; Discogs-confirmed.
Francesco Saiu (guitar) - plays guitar in Damiani's Alea Ensemble on Provvisorio (Splasc(H) Records, 2004), recorded in August 2003; Discogs-confirmed.
Fulvio Sigurtà (trumpet, flugelhorn) - trumpeter on Damiani's Pane e Tempesta (2010, EGEA), alongside Francesco Lento.
Giacomo Tantillo (trumpet, flugelhorn) - trumpeter in the Orchestra Nazionale Jazz Giovani Talenti on Oscene Rivolte (2019) and on Damiani's Classiche Musiche Leggere (Casa del Jazz, recorded March 24, 2016); Discogs-confirmed on both.
Giancarlo Schiaffini (trombone, tuba, euphonium) - credited together on Flashback (1984, Damiani Opus Music Ensemble), Masks (1992), Provvisorio (2004) and the Italian Instabile Orchestra's records from 1992 on. Discogs-confirmed.
Gianni Gebbia (saxophone) - credited alongside Damiani (cello) on Sergey Kuryokhin's Italy (SoLyd Records, 2001). Discogs-confirmed.
Gianni Cazzola (drums) - beside Damiani's bass on Gaslini's Free Actions, Kleinhoff Hotel and La Salute Non Si Vende (1977), Graffiti (1978) and Mini Jazz Klub 28 (1980), and on Gianluigi Trovesi's Baghèt (1978) and Cinque piccole storie (1981); profiled separately on this site.
Gianni Bedori (tenor saxophone, soprano saxophone) - credited with Damiani in Gaslini's sextet on Free Actions (1977) and Graffiti (1978). Profiled on JazzProfiles.com.
Gianni Lenoci (piano) - Cinzia Eramo Quintet's Kind Of Magic (Terre Sommerse, 2009), with Damiani on cello, per Discogs.
Giovanni Falzone (trumpet) - trumpeter in the Paolo Damiani Unit on Memorie Future (Parco della Musica Records, 2021). Discogs-confirmed. Profiled on JazzProfiles.com.
Giovanni Maier (double bass, cello) - credited alongside Paolo Damiani on 8 releases, among them Litania Sibilante (2000, Italian Instabile Orchestra), The Owner Of The River Bank (2003, Cecil Taylor, Italian Instabile Orchestra), Creative Orchestra (Bolzano) 2007 (2008, Anthony Braxton + Italian Instabile Orchestra).
Guido Mazzon (trumpet, flugelhorn) - colleague in the Italian Instabile Orchestra on its records from Live In Noci And Rive De Gier (1992) onward, and on Gaslini's Masks (1992), where Damiani plays cello; Discogs-confirmed.
Lewis Saccocci (piano) - plays piano on Damiani's Silenzi Luterani (2019, Alfa Music), alongside Daniele Tittarelli on saxophone; Discogs-confirmed. Profiled separately on this site.
Marco Bardoscia (double bass) - both credited on double bass on the Paolo Damiani Double Trio's Seven Sketches In Music (2015, Parco Della Musica Records), alongside Rosario Giuliani, Daniele Tittarelli and Michele Rabbia; Discogs-confirmed. Profiled separately on this site.
Martin Mayes (French horn) - fellow Italian Instabile Orchestra member since 1990, credited alongside Damiani on Masks (1992, Giorgio Gaslini) and the orchestra's own releases; also contributed English liner notes to Damiani's Song Tong (1997) and From Groningen To Mulhouse (1994, Italian String Trio). Profiled on JazzProfiles.com.
Maurizio Rolli (bass) - Rolli composed and arranged for Damiani's IS Ensemble on its self-titled 1996 album (Via Veneto Jazz), and Damiani plays cello on Rolli's own Norwegian Mood (1996, Philology); both Discogs-confirmed. Profiled on JazzProfiles.com.
Roberto Zorzi (guitar) - fellow player on Capriccio a Milano (1989/1990, Similado); Zorzi later produced Damiani's own Song Tong (1997, Splasc(H) Records) and dedicated a composition to him, "Murdo Di Gomma (Per Paolo Damiani)," on his duo album Through (1999, with Henry Kaiser); Discogs-confirmed on all three.
Simone Alessandrini (saxophones) - saxophonist in the Orchestra Nazionale Jazz Giovani Talenti on Oscene Rivolte (Parco Della Musica Records, 2019), conducted by Damiani; Discogs-confirmed. Profiled on JazzProfiles.com.
