BIOGRAPHY

Cinzia Eramo was born in Gioia del Colle (Ba) in 1975 and she is one of the most appreciated vocalist on the contemporary improvisation scene.

She began her musical route in 1990 as a self thought, fascinated by the great American voices (Whitney Huston, Aretha Franklin, Dionne Warwick, George Benson, etc.). Thanks to her gifted voice, she began to sing professionally very early as a pop singer. Her interest in jazz was sparked by listening to the amazing Ella Fitzgerald’s solo on How high the moon (Live in Berlin) and moved her to study music.

Since 1994 up to 2001 she studied both classical and jazz singing with Gianna Montecalvo in Bari, acquiring solid technical basis. At the same time, she enriched her artistically skills attending jazz workshops with Sheila Jordan (1998, 2005), Rachel Gould (2001), Giorgio Gaslini (2001), Dave Liebman (2002, 2005), Elisa Turlà (2003), Paolo Damiani (2003), Giancarlo Schiaffini (2003), Alberto Mandarini (2003), Michelle Hendricks (2003), Rachel Z (2004), Roberto Laneri (2005) and Paul Geffrey (2005). Alongside with the traditional approach to the jazz singing, she extended her expressive vocabulary with ethnical contaminations and unconventional vocal techniques.
Besides her musical apprenticeship, she took a degree in Philosophy at the University of Bari (Italy), discussing a thesis in aesthetics on Richard Wagner.
The meeting with Giorgio Gaslini represented an important passage in her musical formation, as well as the starting point of their musical collaboration on Gaslini’s musical project 'Ellington e dintorni' (2002).

Her musical activity spreads from the participation to the Multijazz Orchestra coordinated by Roberto Ottaviano, Pino Minafra, Nicola Pisani and Vittorino Curci (2002 – 2005) to the Canto General with Keith and Julie Tippets and Louis “Tebugo” Moholo (2003 – 2004).

Her own latest projects concern the music of Cassandra Wilson (feat. Pino Mazzarano) and the original interpretation of the Ellington’s songbook (Duke à la turke), which features Mirko Signorile, Davide Penta and Saverio Petruzzellis. As a freelance musician, she sings with Gaetano Partipilo, Davide Santorsola, Roberto Ottaviano, Gianni Lenoci, Mimmo Campanale, Nicola Conte, Antonio Onorato and many others.
In September 2005, she was the only singer among the six finalists of the Massimo Urbani Prize (Urbisaglia) and she received a study grant to participate to the summer workshop of Siena Jazz.
Cinzia Eramo teaches in the academy of music, theater and dance UNIKA in Bari (www.unika-accademia.it)