In Senigallia, Italy (January 1927), he was born. He left Ancona in 1958 to move to Milan. There he met Gil Cuppini, Franco Cerri and the historic group Basso-Valdambrini. Renato Sellani’s music is characterized by great style, taste, and a love of music. It also expresses an inner world that transcends mere virtuosity. He began working with many great artists like Chet Baker, Lee Konitz and then Gerry Mulligan. Then, he met Helen Merril, Stephane Grappelli. Buddy Colette, Herb Geller, Phil Woods, and so forth. He was able to perform with many famous singers such as Sarah Vaughan and Ginger Rogers, Lilian Terce, Shirley Bunnie Foy, Mina, and Lilian Terry. He recorded many songs as a soloist or sideman. He is often referred to as the Hank Jones in Italy. They share an inexplicable youth and a natural sweetness that is both musical and personal. Tommy Flanagan is another possible comparison, as Sellani has a unerring taste and is highly sought-after as an accompanist to singers. He worked for Mina, the greatest female pop singer in Italy during the 1960s, for many years. He has also been a accompanist for American singers, including Sarah Vaughan, Ginger Rogers and Helen Merrill. Sellani does not read music. His story is unique, especially for an Italian jazz musician. He started late. He was born in Senigallia in the Marche region. He studied political science at the University of Rome. Although his mother was an opera soprano, he never had any musical experience until he discovered jazz at the nightclubs in Rome. He said that he was a “listener every night” and started learning piano at the house of a friend who had an instrument. It was just a few years after World War II had ended. Italy was emerging from fascist times and although there weren’t nearly as many great Italian jazz musicians, one thing was certain: jazz and nightlife were more closely connected. There were more venues for musicians to perform. Sellani must have been a natural because he soon began playing in nightclubs and was also playing by 1958 when he was able to become Chet Baker’s first Italian pianist. It is a crime that Sellani, one of the most sophisticated and romantically seductive jazz standards interpreters outside of Italy, is not being appreciated enough. He has also recorded numerous albums for Paolo Piangiarelli’s Italian label Philology. These titles are also available in the United States. Sellani recorded more than 40 albums for Philology. He did it in solo and trio, as well as small ensembles featuring some of the most prominent jazz vocalists and instrumentalists from Italy. Many of the Great American Songbook’s songs are well-known, along with many Italian pop songs and Sellani originals. Although his walking speed has decreased, his creativity has not. Discogs
