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Luca Santaniello
Luca Santaniello is a drummer, composer and educator based in New York City since 2001. Luca began taking drums lessons at the age of eight in his hometown of Campobasso, Italy, and then started playing drums in rock and jazz bands at the age of fourteen. At the age of twelve he enrolled at the local music conservatory “L.Perosi” as a classical percussion major, and soon developed a passion for jazz, after discovering the music of Art Blakey and Elvin Jones through his first drums teacher.
After graduating with High Honors at the Conservatory “L.Perosi”, Luca relocated to the United States in 2001 at the age of twenty-one to study at the Brooklyn-Queens College of Music in New York City.
Luca’s proficiency in many different musical situations and settings, and his strong versatility skills on the drums have earned him wholehearted praise in the United States, Europe and South America. He entered the international scene by performing with some of the great masters of jazz such as Joe Lovano, Lee Konitz, Benny Golson, Ron Carter, Roy Hargrove, and recording on major music label Verve/Universal in the album of japanese jazz pianist Chihiro Yamanaka “ Running Wild”, with Sir Ron Carter on Nuccia Records and on some of the most acclaimed European jazz artists albums like saxophonist Emanuele Cisi on Maxjazz/Mack Avenue.
Since arriving in New York, Luca quickly earned a reputation as a valuable freelance drummer, working in the trio of veteran Roland Kirk’s pianist Ron “Rhan” Burton, with visionary saxophonist JD Allen, and later recording with international artists like Makoto Ozone and Harry Allen. Also highly regarded as a live performer and studio musician, Luca Santaniello has made his musical home in the New York’s world-famous concert halls and clubs such as The Blue Note, The Paul Hall, Dizzy’s Club at Jazz at Lincoln Center, Smalls, The Jazz Standard, Sweet Rhythm, Birdland, Zinc Bar and Smoke Jazz Club.
In 2009 Luca has been chosen by a jury of world jazz masters like Carl Allen, Ron Carter, Kenny Washington and Billy Drummond to be part of the Artist Diploma Program at Juilliard School, the world leading institution in arts education. In this highly selective post-master and full scholarship program, Luca Santaniello represented Juilliard School throughout United States, South America and Europe through performance and educational outreach activities sharing his music knowledge in master classes and workshops with university level students from all over the world. After graduating from Juilliard in 2011 and sharing the Commencement stage at Alice Tully Hall in New York City with world famous artists such as pianist Herbie Hancock , composer John Adams and actor Derek Jacoby, Luca Santaniello still honors the established collaboration with Juilliard School being the first Italian musician that has never been be part of the top performance program in jazz studies at The Juilliard School.
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by AAJ Staff
Meet Luca Santaniello: Originally from Italy and a graduate of the Conservatory Of Music 'Lorenzo Perosi' in Campobasso, drummer Luca Santaniello has been living in New York City since 2001, performing as a freelance jazz musician and collaborating with musicians from the international jazz scene. He has performed in the finest New York City jazz clubs and venues as well as toured most of Europe with several different bands that vary in a wide range of jazz styles. Since relocating ...
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Drums
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Recordings: As Leader | As Sideperson