Roberto Manzin

Roberto Manzin (born 8 July 1966) is an alto, tenor and soprano saxophones, clarinet, EWI, piano player and composer.

Roberto Manzin was born on 8 July 1966 in Rome, Italy, of Eastern European refugees who were also musicians.

His musical life began in Milan where he moved with his family when he was five, he studied music privately and then at the school Civica Scuola di Musica Villa Simonetta.

During the 1980s Manzin begun playing in several music clubs in Milan, and during the 1990s was part of the Tony Scott Jazz Quintet (Scott being an American bebop clarinet player who performed with Charlie Parker and Billie Holiday).

In the late 1990s Manzin migrated to London, where he continued his musical activity.

Over the years Manzin has performed and/or recorded with Martha Reeves and the Vandelas, Donna Summer, Dave Weckl, Jim Mullen, Harvie S, Pino Palladino, Trilok Gurtu, Kai Eckhardt, Dennis Rollins, Roberto Pla, Roland Perrin, Richard Bailey, Ernesto Simpson, Nicolas Meier, Jason Rebello, Ska Cubano, Manolín "El Médico de la salsa", Jesus Cutiño, Omar Puente, Alejandro Sanz, Rumer, Ismael Rivera Jr, Max Carletti, Carmel, Mario Biondi, Space UK, Dave Land, Adrian Reid; Maysa Leak, Francesco Lo Castro, Sid Gauld and Francesco Mendolia (from Incognito) and many others.

Manzin became a successful session player, contributing to eight albums in 1992 alone, with leading Italian artists as well as featuring in several TV commercials (Invicta, BMW, TV Sorrisi e Canzoni, etc.).

Manzin performed regularly in Milan jazz clubs such as Il Capolinea, Le Scimmie, Tangram, with Italian jazz musicians such as Renato Sellani, Bruno De Filippi, Gianni Cazzola, Tullio De Piscopo, Giorgio Buratti and Marco Ratti.

In the same period he toured with the Italian singer Enzo Jannacci and the American artist Gene Anthony Ray (who played the role of Leroy Johnson in Fame).

Manzin also worked extensively in TV where he played with, among others, James Brown, Zucchero Fornaciari and Manu Katché.

Manzin continues to be a popular session player (he recorded on eight albums in 2010, ranging in style from Pop to Latin, Rock/Blues, Ska and Jazz) and appears in music festivals throughout Europe, as well as performing regularly at many venues around Europe.