Rolff’s playing and deep knowledge of jazz tradition combined with a passion for composition made him a legend for many Italian jazz fans. Massimiliano Rolff spent more than 15 years in the music industry and toured extensively Europe, America, and Canada with some of jazz’s most renowned musicians. He has released seven albums as a leader, as well as 20 as a sideman or co-leader. He is based in Genoa in the ‘Italian Riviera,’ and today performs and leads his own music with several bands throughout Italy and Europe. Massimiliano, born June 1973, began playing guitar at age 12. Massimiliano, who was born June 1973, began playing music at the age of 12. He is a young bass player in various pop-rock bands across Italy. Massimiliano can listen to different music in his home. He’s a huge fan of british music and new wave music. At 16 years old, he is able to attend the Amandla Tour concert of Miles Davis. This event will forever change his life. He moves to Holland in search of a more international setting and decides to make music his profession at the age 20. He graduates from the Jazz Conservatory of Groningen in 1999 with a degree in Music Pedagogy and Electric Bass. He is able to follow a master at New York’s Bass Collective with John Pattitucci, Lincoln Goines after a few months thanks to the Dutch government’s scolarship. He returns to Genoa, Italy in 2000, where he has settled down. After years of side-work in the music industry, he purchases his first double-bass in 2004. His music life will be changed again. He has been a freelance double bass player for many years. He graduated from the Conservatory of Jazz Music in 2010 with a Master’s Degree. Paganini (Italy) He released the 2003 album “Next Beat” with Oleo for Scenario Music. It was followed by several compilations on 5 continents. Rolff’s first jazz album, “Unit Five”, was released in 2006 as a composer, bassist and leader (Music Center/IRD). In 2009 he released is new album as composer and bassist:”Naked” for Effemusic, with a band of national jazz-stars (Cisi/Pozza/Zirilli). Both albums won the “Best Album Jazz LightHouse”, 2006 and 2009 prizes. They enjoyed a wide audience and a strong following from critics. Rolff’s second album of original composition, “More Music”, was released in 2012 with “Unit Five”. BlueArt Records releases “Scream!” in 2014. This is his fourth album as a leader and composer. It was selected from the top 100 jazz records by JazzIt. Rolff’s first concept-album, “Italian Life In Contemporary Time”, is released by BlueArt in 2016. It features a string quartet and clarinet as well as double-bass, double-bass, percussions, and a string quartet. Part of the “Italian Life In Contemporary Time” show for images and dancing is the music of Italian Life. This music is mostly written, and not improvised. The album “Jazz Sharing”, which Rolff performs in 11 duos, was released by the Italian national magazine JazzIt in 2016. BlueArt released the album “Cubiculum”, a stunning collaboration between Rolfff and David Pastor, a spanish trumpet player. Rolff’s first book, “Jazz Collection”, is out in spring 2018. It contains 35 original music scores. Rolff will release his seventh album “Home Feeling”, as a leader and composer. It features Rolff’s original compositions, which are a unique blend of jazz and Afro-Cuban music. He has been the founder and musical director for the Count Basie Jazz Club, Genoa, Italy since 2008. Since 2015, he has taught electric bass at Conservatory “G.Puccini”, La Spezia, and at Conservatory “Nino Rota”, Monopoly (BA) since 2017. http://rolff.it
