Born in Teramo, Italy, on September 26th, 1970, Paolo Di Sabatino started playing the piano at an early age, under his father’s guidance. In 1990, he graduated with full marks, full honor and distinction from the Music Conservatory of Bari, and in 1994, he obtained his diploma in Jazz Music from the same school. After having chosen to devote himself exclusively to jazz, he has been playing both as a soloist and chamber music. He has regularly performed on important radios and T.V. programs (i.e.Radio Rai 1,2,3, Radio Capital, Rai News 24, Rai, La 7) and has played in prestigious clubs and festivals, both in Italy and abroad: Fano, Pescara, Pomigliano, Urbino, the Gargano Piano Festival, Lignano, Foggia, Bergamo, Villa Celimontana, Cagliari, Veneto Jazz, Aosta, Ruvo di Puglia, “Ai confini tra Sardegna e Jazz”, the “Lugo Jazz Festival” and the “Salamanca Jazz Festival” (Spain), the “Atlantic Jazz” (Auditorium of Tenerife), Berlin, Hamburg. He has played with well-known musicians such as M. Urbani, G. Capiozzo, M. Roche, M. Cafiero, P. Fresu, S. Satta, N. Arigliano, L. Konitz, R. Giuliani, G. Coscia, E. Palermo, L. Paturno, G. Telesforo, E. Rava, M. Giammarco, I. De Paula, M. Rosa, R. Rossi, G. Cazzola, L. Bulgarelli, M. Di Leonardo, D. Deidda, C. Meyer, R. Gatto, B. Mintzer, P. Leveratto, A. Marcelli, P. Damiani, M. Raja, M. Garay, B. Cobham, D. Samuels, J. Berlin, P. Costa, L. Colombo, P. Drummy, J. Levy, among others.He has been taking part, as a pianist-composer-arranger, in some important projects for author Davide Cavuti, working with actors such as Michele Placido, Arnoldo Foà, Maria Rosaria Omaggio, Milo Vallone, Caterina Vertova, Valentina Carnellutti, Alessandro Haber, Mariangela D’Abbraccio, Nino Castelnuovo, Daniela Fazzolari, Edoardo Siravo, Paola Gassman, Ugo Pagliai, Alessio Boni, Isabel Russinova.
During the academic year ‘94/’95 he taught sight reading at the Music Conservatory of Bari.
In 1996, he published a collection of educational materials for the piano called “15 Pieces for Young Pianists” (by Trasimeni, Rome).
In the same year another collection of pieces for jazz piano(“Jazz Relection” – by Bèrben, Ancona) was released under his name.
In March 1999, Di Sabatino performed at the prestigious jazz club “Jazz Showcase” in Chicago. In the same year he signed an exclusive contract with the Hallway Records of Chicago, publishing the album Introducing Paolo Di Sabatino (in which he played with Bosso, Ciancaglini and Manzi as a quartet) and Threeo (with J. Patitucci and Horacio “El Negro” Hernandez).
In December 2002, another album, called Paolo Di Sabatino was released by Il Manifesto. It contains original versions of pieces played by Di Sabatino and saxophonists Javier Girotto, Stefano Di Battista and Daniele Scannapieco.
In July 2003 he was on tour with vibraphone player Dave Samuels, performing at a number of important Italian festivals.
Also, he is the author of an educational manual called “Practical Exercise Book on Jazz Music”, written with Renzo Ruggieri and published by Sinfonica Jazz (Carisch).
His piece Foto rubate has been included in the Real Book of the Italian Jazz Players, published by Nuova Carisch in 2006.
Di Sabatino has been working (with Ruggieri and Roberto Colombo) as a pianist and arranger on a project for the singer Antonella Ruggiero, called Canzone tra le guerre and including cover versions of Italian songs from the ‘20s to the ‘40s. The complete repertoire is included in Ruggiero’s “live” album, called Souvenir d’Italie, released in February 2007 and containing Canzone tra le guerre, sung by Antonella Ruggiero (accompanied by Di Sabatino on the piano) during the 57th Sanremo Festival.
In 2007, he worked as a pianist and composer in a show called Serata d’onore, with Cavuti and actors Michele Placido and Giorgio Albertazzi.
In the summer of the same year he performed at the show “A Man in Tailcoat – Concert tribute to Domenico Modugno”, broadcast by RAIUNO on 13th July 2007, with the participation of artists such as G. Giannini. A. Ruggiero, F. Concato, S. Cristicchi, Neffa, Morgan, Raiz, Dolcenera, G. Cinquetti.
Since January 2008 he has been working as a pianist with singer Mario Biondi’s band.
In December 2009 he was on tour with his trio, performing at a few important Japanese cities (Tokyo, Osaka, Shizuoka).
Numerous newspapers and musical reviews have written about him (Il Corriere Della Sera, Il Sole 24 ore, Liberazione, Musica Jazz, Famiglia Cristiana, Jazzist, Audio Review, Musica & Dischi, Guitar Club, L’Unità – Diario della settimana, Fare Musica, All About Jazz, Jazzitalia, Il Manifesto, Il Secolo XIX, among others).
He is currently teaching Jazz at the “A. Casella” Music Conservatory of L’Aquila.
Discography
1994 – Paolo Di Sabatino Quartetto – Harem – Old Magic Music OMM94DSP01 1996 – Paolo Di Sabatino Trio – Foto Rubate – Splasc(h) CDH 482.2 1997 – Bosso – Di Sabatino – Dialogo a due – Modern Times MDT 301451999 – Paolo Di Sabatino 4tet –Introducing P. Di Sabatino - Hallway Records 9706
2000 – Paolo Di Sabatino – Threeo – (with J. Patitucci e H. Hernandez) - Hallway Records 9709
2001 – The Postcard from Brazil – Cartolina dal Brasile – Wide Sound WD107
2002 – Fabrizio Bosso with Paolo Di Sabatino – Italian Songs – Wide Sound WD114
2002 – Paolo Di Sabatino – Paolo Di Sabatino – Edizioni Discografiche Il Manifesto cd 093 - with Javier Girotto, Stefano Di Battista, Daniele Scannapieco, Horacio El Negro Hernandez, Carlitos Puerto.
2004 – The Postcard from Brazil – Bebedeira de ritmo – Splasc(h) CDH 920.2
2005 – Impullitti – Di Sabatino – Interamnia Jazz Orchestra – guest Bob Mintzer – Splasc(h) World Series CDH 867.2
2005 – Funkallero – Funkallero – Videoradio VR cd 000548
2005 – Paolo Di Sabatino ARK trio – Ostinato – Splasc(h) CDH962.2
2008 – Paolo Di Sabatino/Fabrizio Bosso – Ancora…e altre canzoni – Caligola Records 2095
2008 – Paolo Di Sabatino Trio – Atelier of Melody – Atelier Sawano AS081 (only for Japan)
2008 – Paolo Di Sabatino piano solo – Le canzoni di Caterina – Atelier Sawano AS083 (only for Japan)
2009 - Paolo Di Sabatino Trio - The Sweetest Love - Atelier Sawano AS093 (only for Japan)
As a sideman
2000 – Claudio Canzano – L’amo – Wide Sound WD101
2000 – Renzo Ruggieri Group – Accordion Voyage – Wide Sound WD103
2000 – Massimo Manzi – Quasi sera – Wide Sound WD104
2001 – Gianluca Esposito Quintet – Little Groove – Wide Sound WD105
2001 – Vito Giordano Quartet – Flavours – Videoradio – VR CD000391
2002 – Renzo Ruggieri Group – Spaghetti Time – Wide Sound – WD117
2003 – Glauco Di Sabatino – Inside The Groove – Ideasuoni IDE034
2004 – Elisabetta Guido – Quello che c’è in te – Nibbio
2005 – Renzo Ruggieri Group – Bends – Wide Sound – WD145
2007 – Antonella Ruggiero – Souvenir d’Italie – libera/edel 0179402LIB
