Salvatore Bonafede

Salvatore Bonafede, began studying piano at age eight and graduated from Berklee College of Music in Boston in 1989.

Moving to the United States in 1986, he began a permanent collaboration with Jerry Bergonzi with whom he completed two tours in Australia and a jazz seminar at Harvard University; at the same time Bonafede was part of the Brandeis University jazz orchestra performing on the New England university circuit.

In 1989 he moved to New York where he began his activity as a bandleader; he also played with the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra, Lew Tabackin, Dewey Redman and performed at Town Hall.

In 1990 he recorded for the Japanese Ken Music label his first work as a group leader and composer, Actor-Actress, leading a quartet with Joe Lovano, Cameron Brown, and Adam Nussbaum. The following year, again for the same label, a second recording saw him engaged with Marc Johnson and Paul Motian.

He collaborates as a composer for theater (Venice Biennale, Teatro Biondo Season) and film with directors Daniele Ciprì and Franco Maresco (Gran Premio Città di Lagonegro for Best Score, B.A.FilmFestival Best Score Award, David di Donatello, Best Music nomination at Nastri d’Argento).

2004 saw the release of the album Journey to Donnafugata, a remake of the Rotian music from the film “The Leopard,” including Enrico Rava, John Abercrombie and Ralph Towner.

With Joe Lovano, he performed in New York City at Town Hall for “The 2005 Nightlife Awards” event, and in 2010 he joined his Europa Quartet. At the same time he recorded two albums entirely dedicated to his origins, Sicilian Opening and Sicilian Itineraries.

He is recognized as the best new talent in the “Top Jazz” referendum (1991) held annually by the specialized magazine Musica Jazz and awarded for the best record of the year (Ortodoxa, Red Records) by the newspaper Il Foglio (2001) and by Musica Jazz (“Premio Arrigo Polillo” 2001).

He is a lecturer at the “Vincenzo Bellini” Conservatory of Palermo and author of the educational text Grande dizionario degli accordi in tutte le tonalità published by Volontè & Co.

He has composed about 500 songs of which 100 have been recorded and released 70 albums of which 15 are under his own name. Some of his compositions were included in the “Real Easy Book vol.3” and the “European Real Book” published by Sher Music.