Enrico Pieranunzi

Enrico Pieranunzi (born 5 December, 1949) is an Italian jazz pianist. He fuses classical technique with jazz.

Biography
Pieranunzi was encouraged to study music from a very young age. His father Alvaro Pieranunzi was a jazz guitarist. He studied classical music until 1973 when he became a Professor of Music, and maintained that post for two years. In 1975 he left his teaching practice and played in trios and small ensembles, however the majority of his contributions are the 60 CDs upon which he is featured. He has also been prolific in his work as a session musician.

Session work
He has performed with, among others, Frank Rosolino, Sal Nistico, Kenny Clarke, Johnny Griffin, Chet Baker, Joey Baron, Art Farmer, Jim Hall, Marc Johnson, Lee Konitz, Phil Woods, Bill Smith, Charlie Haden, Mads Vinding, and Billy Higgins. He issued his first LP in 1975. He has performed widely with his own group at European and American jazz festivals. He has also composed several film scores.

Recognition
First in 1992 and then again in 1997, Pieranunzi was the recipient of the Djangodor Award (France) for best European jazz musician and the 2003 Django d'Or (Italy). Of the Italian newspaper Musica Jazz, he was elected in 1989 as the best Italian jazz musician of the year.

In 2006 he started the Trans Alpine Jazz Project.

Discography

 * Soft Journey (with Chet Baker - EdiPAN, 1979)
 * Jazz Roads - Cam, 1980
 * Isis (with Art Farmer) - Soul Note, 1981
 * New Lands (with Marc Johnson and Joey Baron) - Timeless, 1984
 * Autumn Song - Enja, 1984
 * What's What - YVP, 1985
 * Trio, Volume 1 - YVP, 1986
 * Deep Down (with Marc Johnson and Joey Baron) - Soul Note, 1986
 * Moon Pie - YVP, 1987
 * Blew (with Lee Konitz) - Philology, 1988
 * The Heart of the Ballad (with Chet Baker) - Philology, 1988
 * Little Girl Blue (with Chet Baker) - Philology, 1988
 * Trio, Volume 2 - YVP, 1988
 * Silence (with Charlie Haden and Chet Baker) - Soul Note, 1989
 * No Man's Land - Soul Note, 1989
 * Solitudes (with Lee Konitz) - Philology, 1989
 * Bella - Philology, 1990
 * Phil's Mood (with Phil Woods) - Philology, 1990
 * Trio, Volume 3 (Triologues) - YVP, 1990
 * Parisian Portraits - IDA Records, 1990
 * First Song (with Charlie Haden and Billy Higgins) - Soul Note, 1990
 * The Dream Before Us - IDA Records, 1990
 * Elsa (The Ferrara Concert, with Phil Woods) - Philology, 1991
 * Live at the Corridonia Jazz Festival (with Phil Woods) - Philology, 1991
 * Nausicaa (with Enrico Rava) - Quadrivium/Egea, 1993
 * Untold Story (with Marc Johnson and Paul Motian) - IDA Records, 1994
 * Flux and Change (with Paul Motian) - Soul Note, 1995
 * Trioscape - YVP, 1995
 * Seaward - Soul Note, 1995
 * The Night Gone By - AlfaJazz (Japan), 1996
 * Un'alba dipinta sui muri - Egea, 1998
 * Con infinite voci - Egea, 1998
 * Don't Forget the Poet - Challenge Jazz, 1999
 * Daedalus' Wings (with Bert van der Brink) - Challenge Jazz, 2000
 * Racconti mediterranei (with Marc Johnson and Gabriele Mirabassi - Egea, 2000
 * Alone Together - Challenge Jazz, 2001
 * Perugia Suite - Egea, 2002
 * Play Morricone (with Marc Johnson and Joey Baron) - CamJazz, 2002
 * Current Conditions (with Marc Johnson and Joey Baron) - CamJazz, 2003
 * FelliniJazz - CamJazz, 2003
 * Play Morricone 2 (with Marc Johnson and Joey Baron) - CamJazz, 2003
 * Doorways (with Paul Motian) - CamJazz, 2004
 * Special Encounter (with Charlie Haden and Paul Motian) - CAMJazz, 2005
 * Duologues (with Jim Hall) - CamJazz, 2005
 * Live in Paris (with Hein van de Geyn and André Ceccarelli) - Challenge Jazz, 2005
 * Ballads (with Marc Johnson and Joey Baron) - CamJazz, 2006
 * Live in Japan (with Marc Johnson and Joey Baron) - CamJazz, 2007
 * As Never Before (with Marc Johnson, Joey Baron and Kenny Wheeler) - CamJazz, 2008
 * Plays Domenico Scarlatti - CamJazz, 2008
 * Oslo - 2009
 * Permutation (with Scott Colley and Antonio Sanchez - CamJazz, 2012