Alexander Centofanti

He began his career in the early 1970s with Claudio Baglioni, then collaborated with Francesco de Gregori (Alice), Ron (Il gigante e la bambina), Rino Gaetano (“I love you Marianna”) and Mia Martini (“Oltre la collina”).

He was part of Good Old Charlie (with Richard Benson), with whom he recorded one album, and later of Libra, a pop rock formation with jazz elements, with whom he made two albums for Motown Records and one with Ricordi.

In 1975, he spent an extended period in the United States again with the Libras, playing as a supporter for Frank Zappa, Chicago, The Spirits, The Tubes, Steppenwolf.

From the beginning of his career, in addition to furthering the study and use of the Hammond organ (his primary instrument), he devoted much energy to the development and application of the fledgling electronic technologies to music, becoming one of the pioneers in Italy in the use of synthesizers and later musical software.

He returned to Italy in 1976 and began a long and intense collaboration with RCA Italiana, both as session man and arranger.

He has collaborated on numerous productions (both studio and live) with Italian and foreign artists, including: Renato Zero, 1977 (Zerophobia), 1978 (Zerolandia), 1979 (Ero Zero), 1994 (L’Imperfetto), 1995 (Sulle tracce dell’imperfetto), Anna Oxa. 1978 (Un emozione da poco), Riccardo Cocciante, 1980 (Cervo a Primavera), 1982 (Cocciante), 1983 (Sincerità) Gianni Morandi, Rino Gaetano, 1973 (I love you Marianna), 1979 ( Resta vile maschio dove vai?), 1980 (E io ci sto) Lucio Dalla, 1977 (Com è profondo il mare) Mia Martini, 1971 (Oltre la collina), 1976 (che vuoi che sia… se t’ho aspetta tanto), 1990 (La mia razza) Perigeo, Nada, 1979 (Nada) Roberto Vecchioni, Adriano Celentano, Wess Johnson and Dori Ghezzi, Alan Sorrenti, Gianni Togni, Mimmo Cavallo, Schola Cantorum, Eugenio Bennato, Teresa De Sio, Amii Stewart, Mike Francis, Fiorella Mannoia, Loredana Bertè, Luca Barbarossa, Ivan Cattaneo, Franco Battiato, Giuni Russo, Ivan Graziani, Ivano Fossati, Flavia Fortunato, Eduardo De Crescenzo, Zucchero Fornaciari, Paola Turci, Bruno Martino, 1991 (Let there be time) Amedeo Minghi, Sandro Giacobbe, El Puma, Banco del Mutuo Soccorso, Francesco Di Giacomo, Shel Shapiro, Sam Moore, Solomon Burke, Eddie Floyd, Giorgia, Gli Io vorrei la Pelle Nera, Los Reyes, Alex Baroni, Nino D’Angelo, Alessandro Safina, Buddy Miles, Gato Barbieri, Roberto Gatto, Danilo Rea, Maurizio Giammarco, Marcello Rosa, Enzo Pietropaoli, Giovanni Tommaso, Fabrizio Bosso, Gianfranco Continenza, Mark Egan, Tetsuo Sakurai, Bob Mintzer, Alex Britti, Enzo Gragnaniello, Rossana Casale, Chrissie Hynde, Daniele Silvestri, Laura Pausini, Noa, Billy Preston.

He has collaborated on several film scores with Ennio Morricone, Riz Ortolani, Luis Bacalov, Pino Donaggio and other composers. For TV theme songs, he made a song in 1981 that was highly appreciated by fans, namely Supercar Gattiger, with lyrics by G. Martino.