Dario Chiazzolino, Jazz

Dario Chiazzolino is a jazz guitarist, composer, and educator whose career spans international performance, recording, and teaching. He has appeared at many of the world’s most respected venues and festivals, including the Blue Note, Ronnie Scott’s, the Umbria Jazz Festival, the Montreux Jazz Festival, the NYC Winter Jazz Festival, the Indie Jazz Festival, the London Jazz Festival, and the San Francisco Jazz Festival.

He has collaborated with a distinguished roster of musicians, among them the Yellowjackets, Billy Cobham, Bob Mintzer, Dave Liebman, Taylor Eigsti, Peter Bernstein, Jonathan Kreisberg, and Horacio Hernandez. These collaborations reflect both his versatility and his engagement with a wide spectrum of jazz idioms.

As a recording artist, Chiazzolino has contributed to more than thirty albums, eight of them as leader or co-leader. His projects highlight advanced harmonic concepts, phrasing, and motivic development, often integrating contrapuntal textures in solo and duo settings. His recordings have been recognized for combining contemporary innovation with a strong grounding in jazz tradition.

Alongside his performance career, Chiazzolino is deeply engaged in education and research. He currently teaches at CUNY/Borough of Manhattan Community College and at the Long Island University Roc Nation School of Music in Brooklyn, while also maintaining an active schedule of international masterclasses and workshops. He has been invited to present at institutions including Purdue University, London University, and the Verdi Conservatory of Music, among others. His teaching emphasizes the integration of technical mastery, theoretical understanding, and artistic individuality, encouraging students to cultivate both solid musicianship and a personal voice.

He has authored several instructional publications, including How to Improvise Over Unrelated Chords, Improvisation Over II-V-I in All Keys, and multiple full solo transcriptions, which explore improvisational strategies, articulation, and advanced harmonic approaches. His writings have also appeared in Axe Magazine, Jazzitalia, and Guitarmania. His research interests include improvisation, the relationship between composition and performance, and the use of counterpoint in modern jazz guitar.

Chiazzolino’s artistry and career have been widely covered in international media. He has been featured in major outlets such as The New York Times, Billboard, Guitar World, Jazz Times, Jazziz, All About Jazz, Jazz Wise (UK), Jazz Hot (France), Musica Jazz (Italy), and La Repubblica (Italy), among many others across the United States, Europe, and beyond.

His contributions have been recognized with numerous honors. These include the Umbria Jazz Award for Best Guitarist (2006), the Italian Jazz Magazine Award for Best Guitarist (2011), recognition from the Archivio Chitarristi Jazz Italiani (2011), Artist of the Year by D-Magazine (2013), Best Guitarist from Guitarlist Magazine (2015), Best Song of the Year from Suono Magazine (2015), and Best Jazz Album recognition for Spirit Fingers by Soul and Jazz Magazine (2018). In 2019, Jazz Guitar Magazine named him Best Jazz Guitarist of the Century, and in 2020 he received the Louis Armstrong Foundation Award.

He is an active member of professional organizations including the Latin Recording Academy, Jammcard, MIDJ, and Opera America. He also collaborates with leading musical instrument and technology companies, serving as an official endorser for D’Angelico Guitars, DV Mark, Kinman Pickups, Dogal Strings, Keeley Electronics, Essetipicks, Slinger Straps, Hosa Technology, Aria Sounds, Crossrock, and Millennia. These partnerships reflect his ongoing engagement with innovation in guitar sound and performance practice.

Chiazzolino holds a Master’s degree in Jazz Studies from the Rome University of Music, a Master’s degree in Music Education from SE University, and a Bachelor’s degree in Jazz Studies from the Turin State Verdi Conservatory of Music.

In addition to his academic degrees, he has pursued advanced training through selected certifications from leading institutions, including Harvard University, Stanford University, Berklee College of Music, KU Leuven, the University of Adelaide, MIT, Johns Hopkins University, and the Rochester Institute of Technology.

Through his work as performer, composer, educator, and researcher, Dario Chiazzolino continues to contribute to the development of contemporary jazz guitar, fostering both artistic innovation and educational advancement.