Rocco De Rosa

Rocco De Rosa is a pianist and composer from Basilicata who has been based in Rome since '95. His musical activity is divided between composing for films (by Nanni Moretti, Pupi Avati, Ermanno Olmi) documentaries, television, theatre and dance. “Hata” is the title of a 1998 album from which Putumayo World Music selected the track “Malonghi” (written by Rocco De Rosa and sung by Martin Kongo) for their compilation “One World, Many Cultures”, which also features Alan Stivell, Youssou N'Dour, Cheb Mami, and Ziggy Marley. Other international compilations that include his work are “Mediterraneo” (2007) from the Portuguese label Difference Music and “Italia” (2009) from Putumayo. “Rotte Distratte” (2002) marked a return to sounds and melodic patterns more closely linked to Mediterranean culture, in a unique blend of minimalism, jazz and folk music. In “Trammari” (2006), his musical journey continues in the direction of a primarily acoustic sound, with rhythms and melodies that draw on a sort of collective aural memory, archaic yet very contemporary, and inextricably tied to the culture and traditions of Southern Italy. The album relies on the precious contribution of Ralph Towner, Maria Pia De Vito, For many years, De Rosa has been highly active as a piano accompanist for silent film classics (Chaplin, Shimitzu, Buster Keaton, Werckmeister).