Guido Manusardi - Leah (2020)

Guido Manusardi was born in Chiavenna (SO) on December 3, 1935. He studies piano with Luigia Ceradini in Milan. He started playing abroad at a very young age: he moved to Switzerland, Germany, Holland, Denmark and finally to Sweden where he lived permanently for seven years. It is in Stockholm that Manusardi meets Red Mitchell with whom he establishes a bond of deep friendship and musical collaboration. In 1967, following a first return to Italy, he moved to Bucharest where he remained for 7 years, then returned permanently to Italy in 1974. In 1975 his album "Live Suite" recorded at the "Lubiana Jazz Festival" won first prize of record critics, in 1977 his “Delirium” wins the same prize and Manusardi is indicated as musician of the year, winning the silver mask; he was then invited, the first Italian pianist in history, to the Montreux jazz festival.

Manusardi has played and recorded with many great jazz players: Roy Eldridge, Bobby Hackett, Art Farmer, Don Byas, Dexter Gordon, Al Heath, Slide Hampton, Johnny Griffn, Red Mitchell, Lee Konitz, Jimmy Cobb, Jerry Bergonzi, Victor Lewis, Billy Higgins, Cecil Payne, Shelly Manne, Booker Ervin, Joe Venuti, Curtis Fuller, Kai Winding, Jimmy Owens, Lou Donaldson, Joe Morello, Art Taylor, Hal Singer, Sture Nordin, Björne Alke, Lennart Åberg, Pétur “Island” Östlund, Zbigniew Namysłowski, Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen, Eddie Gomez, Marc Johnson, Jan Carlsson, Rune Carlsson, Nicolae Farcas, Johnny Raducanu, Dan MÎndrila, Macky Ganea, Stefan Berindei, Peter Wertheimer, Teodora Enache, Eugen Gondi, Gianni Basso, Gianni , Gianni Cazzola, Paolo Fresu, Marco Vaggi, Carlo Sola, Oscar Valdambrini, Luigi Bonafede, Tullio de Piscopo, Gianluigi Trovesi, Roberto Gatto, Sergio Fanni, Franco Cerri, Stefano Cerri, Lucio Terzano, Glauco Masetti, Massimo Urbani, Eraldo Volontè, Giancarlo Pillot, Gil Lupini , Giorgio Azzolini, Furio di Castri, Paolino della Porta, Attilio Zanchi, Carlo Milano, Mella Aldo, Piero Leveratto, Claudio Fasoli, Luciano Milanese, Bruno De Filippi, Giancarlo Barigozzi, Giorgio Baiocco, Marco Micheli.

In 1997 he is artistic director of the Valtellina Jazz Festival and since 1999 he has been artistic director of Musica Civica Jazz Workshop and So Jazz.

2000 is an important year for Guido Manusardi; he was invited by the director of the MOCA - Los Angeles Museum of Contemporary Art to play with the famous drummer Billy Higgins. During the tour Manusardi played with Billy at the World Stage - Hot Spot in Hollywood recording a live cd - Live at the Hot Spot. Guido Manusardi is one of the very few Italian artists included by the American critic Leonard Feather in the Jazz Encyclopedia.