Paolo Conte

Songwriter, singer and pianist, Paolo Conte's has a characteristic writing style combining pathos and humour. In his early years he witnessed his Italian homeland ravaged by the horrors of war and this could explain the world-weary pragmatism of his material. As far as his professional career goes, Conte was a late starter having concentrated on his career as a lawyer until well into his thirties. Prior to his first solo release Conte indulged in his passion for music by playing vibraphone part-time in local jazz bands. During this period he wrote songs and developed a reputation as a talented composer working with lyricists such as Vito Pallavicini and Giorgio Calabrese.

After striking out as a solo performer at the age of 37 Conte blossomed into a richly varied performer combining elements of tango, jazz, swing, ballad and even music hall into his writing. His first two albums, 'Questa Sporca Vita' released in 1974 and the 1975 follow-up simply titled 'Paolo Conte' failed to achieve any notable commercial success but are considered by Conte aficionados to be among his finest work. The albums contain songs such as 'Una Giornata al Mare' and 'La Topolino Amaranto', both of which became future Conte classics and favourites in his celebrated live performances.

From these early beginnings Conte grew in stature in his native country and grew to be one of Italy's best-loved performers. With a busy international touring schedule his album releases became more sporadic into the 1990s but were invariably critically acclaimed. His musical 'Razmataz', released during this period featured Conte's talents on a variety of platforms - songwriting, piano playing, writing the musical score and even designing the sets and costumes himself. He continues to write and record although 'Amazing Game', released in 2016, was fully instrumental and his distinctive vocal style was absent. It did however feature some superb piano playing by the artist and showcases his ability across a wide range of genres.