Roberto Tola

Biography

Roberto Tola is a multi awarded Italian Jazz and Smooth Jazz Guitarist, Composer, Studio Recording Artist, Recording Academy member. He was born and raised in Sardinia Island, Sassari (Italy); began studying music when he was just six years old. In 1976 studies Cello in the Conservatory of Music in Sassari. Meanwhile continues his studies of Modern and Jazz Guitar and established the sextet named JAZZMANIA. From 1989 is co-founder and member of the Italian “Blue Note Orchestra”, and from 1991 up to 2010 is the official guitar of the “OJS Big Band” (Sardinia Jazz Orchestra), also conducted by well known Carla Bley, Bob Mintzer, Colin Towns, Giorgio Gaslini, Bruno Tommaso, Giancarlo Gazzani and others more.

Roberto has played in many famous Jazz Festivals and in a long list of concerts in Italy, Europe and in the far east. In 2005 is the conductor of the big orchestra for the National Competition “Canzonissima 2000” including 26 musicians, a big band with a strings section, which write and arrange all the music for.

In his over 30 years of career, Roberto has performed with some of the best musicians of the genre, as: the conductors Colin Towns, Carla Bley, Giorgio Gaslini, Giancarlo Gazzani, Bruno Tommaso, e Roberto Pregadio; the singers Jill Saward, Norma Winstone, David Linx and Gegè Telesforo. The trumpetists Tom Harrel, Paolo Fresu, Enrico Rava; great Bassist Steve Swallow, Saxes Bob Mintzer (member of Yellow Jackets), Najee, Paul Taylor, Paula Atherton, Andy Sheppard, Javier Girotto, Maurizio Gianmarco, Pietro Tonolo; accordionist and pianist Antonello Salis, the French accordionist Richard Galliano and others else. Roberto has been teaching music, modern and jazz guitar in many music schools for more than 25 years.

Left the Orquestral activity in 2010, and after a rest period, in 2014, Roberto collaborated for the recording of the album “On The Corner” by the famous and legendary English jazz-funk band Shakatak, and also with the English singer Jill Saward in her last album “Endless Summer” and the single “M is for Manhattan”, both released in June 2016.

Roberto boasts a long list of awards and recognitions, as:

- Winner at the Independent Music Awards 2018 and 2019; - Silver Medal GLOBAL MUSIC AWARDS 2017; - Nominee at the Hollywood Music in Media Awards 2017, 2018 and 2019; - Winner at the Atlas Elite Entertainment Music Awards 2018 and 2019; - Winner at the Radio Music Awards 2017; - Winner at the Music Channel Awards; - Finalist at the UK Songwriting Contest 2018;