Roberto Olzer

Roberto Olzer, a pianist comfortable in both jazz and classical music, possesses a unique musical sensibility and extraordinary expressive power – A. Valiante, Jazzitalia

“Olzer’s unique disposition towards music and the intellectual awareness of a cultivated man have undeniably defined him as a jazz musician of admirable expressiveness; this becomes evident in his lucid inventiveness, his melodic and imaginative clarity, and his refined and appealing harmonic colorations.” – B. Schiozzi, Musica Jazz

“Reason combined with emotion… merging into a precious symphony with the power to evoke dreamlike spaces and distant lands.” – S. Maccari, Muzik Box

“… A pianist who is at once sophisticated, sensitive, and highly expressive, steeped in both classical and jazz traditions…” – F. Caprera, Dictionary of Jazz, Feltrinelli, 2014

“This ultra-refined recording by pianist Roberto Olzer (Steppin’ Out) is a clear example of how to create quality music with disarming formal simplicity, with an obvious preference for the ‘beautiful,’ devoid of unnecessary stylistic embellishments or exaggerated virtuosity.” – F. Peluso, Fedeltà del Suono

“A beautiful album (Steppin’ Out) of precious lyricism, by Italian pianist Roberto Olzer… very visual, each piece seems to tell a story.” – M. James, Only Jazz

“Clarity of phrasing, a pure sound, lyrical themes, a strong propensity for expressive linearity.” – L. Sforza, All About Jazz

Born in 1971 in Domodossola, Italy, Roberto Olzer began studying piano at a young age and subsequently studied organ with Maestro Giancarlo Parodi, under whose guidance he earned his diploma in organ and organ composition at the Giuseppe Verdi Conservatory in Milan, Italy. Concurrently with his philosophy studies at the Catholic University of Milan, he studied jazz improvisation with Roberto Ciammarughi. He then refined his technique by attending courses and seminars with renowned master pianists such as S. Battaglia and E. Pieranunzi. He completed his musical education with a diploma in piano.

Roberto Olzer’s first recordings date back to 2002-2003 with “Folk Songs” accompanied by guitarist F. Spadea and “Eveline” accompanied by a sextet bearing his name for the Splasc(h) label. Subsequently, he collaborated with the Max De Aloe Quartet, recording six albums, including a live concert released by Abeat Records. Following this, he recorded two albums for Splasc(h) and Dodicilune with the Michele Gori Quartet, a recording titled “Bill Evans Homage” with the Roberto Mattei Double Quartet, and a CD with Florentine singer Susanna Parigi.

His first solo piano recording, “Esprit de Finesse,” released by Dodicilune, was recorded in 2009 and is dedicated to F. Mendelssohn Bartholdy to commemorate his bicentenary. He then developed themes from the classical repertoire as a basis for jazz arrangements and compositions with the Rudy Migliardi Quartet. “Au Rebours” is a recording with double bassist Roberto Mattei of improvisations on classical themes, released by 201 Editions, which is also the label for “Avorio,” a recording with singer Elisa Marangon.

A more recent formation is the JMT (Just Music Trio) with Yuri Goloubev and Fabrizio Spadea. The trio recorded “Standpoint,” released by Caligola.

The Roberto Olzer Jazz Trio was formed in 2011 with double bassist Yuri Goloubev and percussionist Mauro Beggio. Their debut album “Steppin’ Out,” on the Abeat label, released in 2013, was widely acclaimed by music critics and the public. In particular, it was named best instrumental album of 2013 by the Japanese magazine “Jazz Critique Magazine” (HIHYO) in a category that includes world-renowned names such as Chick Corea, Dave Holland, and Steve Swallow. Since the trio’s debut at the prestigious Moods Jazz Club in Zurich, Switzerland, they have continued to refine their sound, highlighted by the strong solo talents of each member and their creative reciprocity.

Roberto Olzer continues to perform in concert, not only as a jazz pianist but also as a classical pianist and organist in Italy, Switzerland, France, and England, at theaters, festivals, clubs, and significant events such as Time in Jazz (Sardinia, Italy), Fano Jazz by the Sea (Italy), Musica sulle Bocche, Iseo Jazz, Gallarate Jazz Festival, MITO, Blue Note (Milan, Italy), House of Jazz (Rome), Piazza Verdi (Radio Rai 3, Italy), Moods Jazz Club (Zurich, Switzerland), Villa Streuli (Winterthur, Switzerland), Swiss Radio Auditorium (Lugano, Switzerland), Paris Conservatory, Choletais Conservatory (France), Bangor New Music Festival (United Kingdom), and many others.

Roberto Olzer is also active as a composer and arranger for bands, string quartets, and prestigious ensembles. He has arranged compositions such as “Homage to Nino Rota,” “Xilophonia,” “Rhapsody in Blue,” and “John Williams Suite” for the Decimino d’Ottoni (Brass Ensemble) of La Scala in Milan. He has also arranged Astor Piazzolla’s tangos, a tribute to Ennio Morricone, etc., for the Coccia Theater Symphony Orchestra (Novara, Italy).

His collaboration with the La Scala Brass Ensemble as arranger and soloist in Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue” (Domodossola, Italy, 2013) developed into a new project called “American Sweets,” where he performs, in combination with his own Trio and the Brass Ensemble, his original arrangements of music by Leonard Bernstein and John Williams.

Roberto Olzer’s published works as a composer include “Tetragono” for clarinet and piano (Bim Vuarmarens Editions Switzerland), “Sciccareddu” and “Monte Rosa” (Wicky Editions in Milan), “Per Geometrico Destino” for soloists, choir, and orchestra, commissioned for the centenary of the Simplon Tunnel (Switzerland), and two organ compositions commissioned by M° Parodi: “Prelude, Fugue et Chorale” and “Fantasy on B.A.C.H.”

In addition to the musicians mentioned above, he has collaborated and performed with musicians such as Chris Collins, Paolo Tomelleri, Emilio Soana, Bruno de Filippi, Roberto Rossi, Asaf Sirkis, Luciano Zadro, Emanuele Cisi, Bebo Ferra, Andrea Dulbecco, Ramberto Ciammarughi, Mauro Negri, Steve Mead, as well as with exceptional Italian singers such as Diana Torto, Barbara Casini, Susanna Parigi, Antonella Ruggero, Tosca Donati.