BIOGRAPHY

GIUSEPPE “JOE” SANTORO, italian drummer, composer and arranger, born in Erice (Sicily) on August 21st, 1993.

He approached music at an early age and began to dedicate himself to studying the drums at the age of 5.
Within a short time he became active on the Sicilian music scene with various stylistically different bands.

After finishing high school, at the age of 19, he moved to London for a period where he had the opportunity to meet and play with many English and non-English musicians.

Returning to Italy, he undertook his musical studies at the “Antonio Scontrino” Conservatory of Music in Trapani: first at the Jazz Department (where he obtained a Bachelor’s Degree and a Master’s Degree in Jazz Drums and Percussions with a full marks score and honorable mention) and then at the Pop / Rock Department (where he obtained a Master’s Degree in Pop / Rock Drums and Percussions with a full marks score).

Shortly thereafter he will be officially selected as a musician of the NEW YORK JAZZ MASTER PROGRAM of the “Prins Claus Conservatorium” in Groningen (Netherlands).

In parallel with his conservatory studies, he attended numerous Masterclasses and Seminars with international musicians: “Jazz Masterclass” with M° Ron Carter, “City College of New York Workshop / La Spezia Jazz”, “Improvisation and Conduction for Large Ensembles” with M ° Gunter Sommer, “The Origins of Jazz in Sicily” with Maestro Salvatore Bonafede, “Jazz Ensemble Workshop – from Mainstream to Contemporary Jazz” with Indrikis Veitners and Manfred Bruendl, “Jazz Ensemble Workshop” with Maestro Han Bennink & The Instant Composers Pool Orchestra (I.C.P.).

He won the “Sicily Jazz Academy Contest 2020”, the “Ethnos Festival 2021” and the “Marettimo Jazz Festival 2016” and was a finalist at the “National Arts Award 2019” and at the “National and European Festival of Music Conservatories 2019” .

He has been reviewed in various newspapers and websites, including “La Repubblica, Balarm, Il Fatto Quotidiano, Italoeuropeo.com, MadreInItaly” (the last three following an interview by Alessandro Sansica for the American University of London).

To date he has performed concerts with various musical projects around the world (United States, Netherlands, England, Sweden, United Arab Emirates, Switzerland, Belgium, Finland, Italy, Estonia, etc.).

He collaborates with important artists such as: Seamus Blake, Peter Bernstein, Aaron Goldberg, Kevin Hays, Francesco Cafiso, Bill Carrothers, Vicente Archer, Chico Pinheiro, Dario Deidda, Matt Penman, Salvatore Bonafede, Alessandro Lanzoni, Freddie Bryant, Jasper Soffers, Joy Garrison, Nico Gori, Dado Moroni, Paul Berner, Joris Teepe, Pietro Leveratto, Alessandro Presti, Lino Patruno, Franck Amsallem, Alfredo Paixao, Frank Wingold, Raul Reyes, Paulus Schafer, Lello Panico, Mauro Schiavone, Pietro Ciancaglini, Pietro Lussu, Fabio Zeppetella, Kevin Yosua, Stefano D’Anna, Nicola Caminiti, Orazio Maugeri, Fabrizio Mocata, Jim Hunt, Francesca Tandoi, Lello Analfino, Mario Biondi and many others.