Vittorio Solimene was born in Naples on January 9, 1998.
He began studying classical piano at the age of 12, but soon fell in love with jazz.
He enrolled at the “A. Manzoni” high school in Latina (where he followed classical training) and at the age of 15 he was admitted to the bachelor in jazz piano at the Saint Louis College of Music in Rome.
In the same year, he attended the “Tuscia in Jazz” summer workshop, where he was lucky enough to meet Aaron Parks, Kurt Rosenwinkel, Eric Revis and Justin Faulkner.
In the high school years, he began to have his first musical collaborations, performing for the festival “Jammin” at the Auditorium Parco della Musica, at the Jazzit Fest in Collescipoli, at the Latina Jazz Club and others.
In 2015, he was admitted to the prestigious “Siena Jazz” summer workshop, where he had the opportunity to study with some of the most important musicians on the national and international jazz scene such as: Gerald Clayton, John Escreet, Franco D’Andrea, Mark Giuliana, Shane Endsley, Roberto Gatto and Claudio Fasoli.
After high school, he moved to Rome, where he quickly entered the jazz scene of the capital, performing in the major clubs of the city.
In 2017, he won the first prize in the soloists section of the “Paolo Randazzo” competition.
In the same year, he was guest of the New Talents Jazz Orchestra, resident Orchestra of the Auditorium Parco della Musica, for a tribute to the great Italian saxophonist Massimo Urbani, entitled “Max Sweet Love”.
In the summer of 2017, he played with the Dutch sax player Gideon Tazelaar, thanks to whom he performed in Amsterdam and Rotterdam.
In July of the same year, he obtained a bachelor’s degree in jazz piano at the Saint Louis College of Music with a score of 110/110 with honors.
At the end of 2017, he began studying the Hammond organ.
In 2018, he began collaborating with the saxophonist Rosario Giuliani, mainly as an organist and, occasionally, as a pianist. With him, he performed at Alexanderplatz, BirrJazz, Francavilla è Jazz, Museo del Sassofono, Practice in Jazz and other clubs and festivals.
In the same year, he formed the first trio under his own name with Francesco Ponticelli on double bass and Riccardo Gambatesa on drums, with whom he recorded the album “Urlo Piano” for the Auand label, released in March 2019.
In June 2020, he graduated with a master’s degree in jazz piano at the ‘Santa Cecilia’ Conservatory in Rome with a score of 110/110 with honors and honorable mention.
In June 2021, as part of the “Giovani leoni” review, at the Casa del Jazz, he had the opportunity to open the piano concerts of only 4 great Italian jazz musicians (Javier Girotto, Stefano Di Battista, Danilo Rea and Enrico Rava, Rita Marcotulli).
In September of the same year, he participated as a guest of the String Orchestra conducted by S. Mastruzzi, together with other pianists such as Alessandro Lanzoni and Sade Mangiaracina for a tribute to the late pianist Amedeo Tommasi.
At the end of 2022, he joined Gegè Telesforo’s new sextet called “Big Mama Legacy”, with whom he is currently on tour in all the major Italian theaters and festivals. With this sextet, he has an album released on March 2024 for the “Ropeadope Records” label.
In 2023, he formed the quartet “Alexithymia”, with Lorenzo Simoni on alto sax, Alessandro Bintzios on double bass and Michele Santoleri on drums. With this lineup, he has recorded an album released in October 2023 for the “Wow Records” label.
In the same year, with the group “Wasted Generation” (of which he is co-leader together with Iacopo Teolis on trumpet, Gabriel Marciano on alto sax, Giulio Scianatico on double bass and Cesare Mangiocavallo on drums) he released the album “Introducing Wasted Generation”, with the artistic production of the internationally renowned double bass player, Joe Sanders. “Wasted Generation”, at the end of 2023, won the prize “New jazz generation 2024”, prize the will let them tour in some important festival in Europe during 2024.
In 2024, he appears among the best new italian talent for the magazine “Musica Jazz”.
On April 30th, he is invited in the International Jazz Day organized by the association “Il Jazz va a Scuola” with the artistic direction of Paolo Fresu and Gegè Telesforo, to perform in the Sala Sinopoli (Auditorium Parco della Musica) with his quartet and Fabrizio Bosso as a special guest.
He has collaborated with some of the most important names on the national and international jazz scene: Kurt Elling, Gegè Telesforo, Fabrizio Bosso, Rosario Giuliani, Benny Benack III, Max lonata, Wayne Escoffery, Roberto Gatto, Dario Deidda, Fabio Zeppetella, Maurizio Giammarco, Jerome Sabbagh, Nicola Angelucci, Lorenzo Tucci, Marco Valeri, Francesco Lento and many others.
He has performed in some of the major festivals, theaters and clubs in Italy including: Francavilla è Jazz, Umbria Jazz, Jazz in Sardegna, Acuto Jazz, Muntagninjazz, Celano Jazz Convention, Jazz Image, Jazz in Emotion, Summertime in Jazz (Piacenza), PercFest, JazzAP, Fano Jazz by the Sea, Empoli Jazz, Italian Jazz for the Lands of the Earthquake, Casa del Jazz, Auditorium Parco della Musica, Teatro Eliseo, Alexanderplatz, Pinocchio Jazz Club, lI Moro, Teatro Ristori, Real Teatro Saint Cecilia.
He had the opportunity to perform abroad in: Holland (Concertgebouw foyer in Amsterdam, Stasbrasserie in Rotterdam), Finland (Arabia Concert Hall in Helsinki), England (Blackheath Hall in London), Germany (The Hat Bar in Berlin), Estonia (Juu Jääb Festival) and in Ireland (Whelan’s).
He lives in Rome, where he carries out an intense concert activity as leader, co-leader and sideman in various formations.
