“Rosario Bonaccorso is one of the most important and active Italian double bass player, a musician of great experience and sensitivity. He is listed amongst the most appreciated Italian musicians in the international scene.” – Fayenz Franco, Il Giornale, for the “Teatro alla Scala” in Milano
Rosario Bonaccorso was born on December 8, 1957 in Riposto, seaside town on the slopes of Etna, the magical volcano which seems to have transmitted the same explosive and compelling energy to this sicilian musician.
In 1960 the family moved to Imperia, Ligurian Coast, where Rosario Bonaccorso resided until his talent led him to travel throughout Italy and then around the whole world. At seventeen, the double bass was not yet part of his life, he played the E-bass and led his own band playing and singing songs from Genesis and Led Zeppelin as well as an original repertoire, meriting the prestigious Italian award for emerging groups: Diapason d’Oro from Monzino.
At twenty he discovered the instrument of his life, the double bass. It was Eddie Gomez, and Scott La Faro, the exceptional double bass players of the Bill Evans Trio who inspired and enthralled him. He began to study the double bass by himself, quickly earning two scholarships and gaining experience with appreciated bands in north Italy.
Later on Rosario Bonaccorso discovered the sound of Ron Carter, the bass player of Miles Davis, who was his reference for years. He opened to Rosario Bonaccorso the way to the sound of classic jazz. After that he became interested in the styles of bassists like Charles Mingus, Oscar Pettiford, Paul Chambers, Ray Brown, Charlie Haden, and others, who have traced the evolution of the contemporary double bass language.
Then his musical maturity led him to develop his personal style, reinventing the message of the tradition of the great bass players of Afro-American music, which Rosario Bonaccorso revisits with contemporary, freshness and personality. It is important to point out his debut on the Italian national scene that took place in 1982 during the International Festival Ciak in Milano alongside stars of the jazz scene: Franco Ambrosetti, Daniel Humair and Dado Moroni.
After years of prestigious collaborations and having contributed with his musical support to the success of many jazz artists, Rosario Bonaccorso is listed amongst the most appreciated Italian bass players in the international scene
Since 1997 he has been collaborating for twelve years in the famous band of Stefano di Battista and with the groups of Enrico Rava, with which he was in tour in Europe and many important countries like U.S.A., Japan, Canada, Argentina, Africa…
Other important italian collaborations included the project Milestones with Gino Paoli, Boltro, Rea, Gatto, and the group of Eric Legnini, of Roberto Gatto, of Dado Moroni, of Francesco Cafiso…
These are other famous artist and jazz legend with whom Rosario Bonaccorso worked over the years: Elvin Jones, Benny Golson, Billy Cobham, Pat Metheny, Michael Brecker, Stefano Bollani, Joe Lovano, Mark Turner, Gato Barbieri, James Moody, Lee Konitz, Steve Wilson, Ivan Lins, Dianne Reeves, Adrienne West, Clark Terry, Jon Faddis, Charles Tolliver, Franco Ambrosetti, Kenny Davern, Bob Wilber, Tony Scott, Slide Hampton, Kenny Barron, Jacky Terrason, Cedar Walton, George Cable, Ralph Sutton, Jimmy Cobb, Albert “Tootie“ Heath, Vernel Fournier, Naco, Aldo Romano, Dede Ceccarelli, Tommy Campbell, Sangoma Everett, Tullio de Piscopo, Luis Nash, Herlin Riley, Adam Nussbaum, Antonio Sanchez…
With some of these big names Rosario Bonaccorso has been and is still involved, recording for major record labels such as ECM, BLUE NOTE, VERVE, LABEL BLEU UNIVERSAL, PMR and playing on the most prestigious international stages, including New York, Tokyo, Paris, la Scala di Milano and the State Opera of Vienna.
“…For me the sound of the double bass – explains Rosario Bonaccorso – has deep spiritual roots connecting with the Mother Earth, it is the energy that comes from the deep to help release the creativity of the other instruments…”
Rosario Bonaccorso is appreciated for his great communicative skills and his natural gifts, such as being highly creative, having knowledge of tradition, for the charge of creative energy that he impresses on the rhythm section. All these qualities have made him one of the most requested double bass players.
Rosario Bonaccorso’s own signature style is an original spirit of improvisation: the union between the expressive sound of his voice and the voice of the instrument.
Despite his many musical commitments, since eighteen years Rosario Bonaccorso has been organizer and artistic director of one of the most interesting music events on the Italian scene – the Percfest of Laigueglia – which is staged annually in the month of June.
This event brings together the important Jazz Festival “Suoni, sogni e immagini nelle notti di mezza estate” and the Memorial Naco, percussion European event dedicated to the memory of Rosario Bonaccorso’s brother Naco, the unforgettable percussionist who died tragically in 1996. The Memorial Naco is characterized with 120 events in six days consisting of prestigious concerts, educational programs, seminars and international competition for creative percussionists. A cultural event of European stature which has renamed Laigueglia as the “European Capital of Percussion.”
