IT STARTED WITH...
DRUMMER, COMPOSER AND EDUCATOR
LIVING IN NEW YORK CITY
Luca Santaniello is a drummer, composer and educator based in New York City since 2001. Luca began taking drums lessons at the age of eight in his hometown of Campobasso, Italy, and then started playing drums in rock and jazz bands at the age of fourteen. At the age of twelve he enrolled at the local music conservatory “L.Perosi” as a classical percussion major, and soon developed a passion for jazz, after discovering the music of Art Blakey and Elvin Jones through his first drums teacher.
After graduating with High Honors at the Conservatory “L.Perosi”, Luca relocated to the United States in 2001 at the age of twenty-one to study at the Brooklyn-Queens College of Music in New York City.
Luca’s proficiency in many different musical situations and settings, and his strong versatility skills on the drums have earned him wholehearted praise in the United States, Europe and South America. He entered the international scene by performing with some of the great masters of jazz such as Joe Lovano, Lee Konitz, Benny Golson, Ron Carter, Roy Hargrove, and recording on major music label Verve/Universal in the album of japanese jazz pianist Chihiro Yamanaka “ Running Wild”, with Sir Ron Carter on Nuccia Records and on some of the most acclaimed European jazz artists albums like saxophonist Emanuele Cisi on Maxjazz/Mack Avenue.
Since arriving in New York, Luca quickly earned a reputation as a valuable freelance drummer, working in the trio of veteran Roland Kirk’s pianist Ron “Rhan” Burton, with visionary saxophonist JD Allen, and later recording with international artists like Makoto Ozone and Harry Allen. Also highly regarded as a live performer and studio musician, Luca Santaniello has made his musical home in the New York’s world-famous concert halls and clubs such as The Blue Note, The Paul Hall, Dizzy’s Club at Jazz at Lincoln Center, Smalls, The Jazz Standard, Sweet Rhythm, Birdland, Zinc Bar and Smoke Jazz Club.
In 2009 Luca has been chosen by a jury of world jazz masters like Carl Allen, Ron Carter, Kenny Washington and Billy Drummond to be part of the Artist Diploma Program at Juilliard School, the world leading institution in arts education. In this highly selective post-master and full scholarship program, Luca Santaniello represented Juilliard School throughout United States, South America and Europe through performance and educational outreach activities sharing his music knowledge in master classes and workshops with university level students from all over the world. After graduating from Juilliard in 2011 and sharing the Commencement stage at Alice Tully Hall in New York City with world famous artists such as pianist Herbie Hancock , composer John Adams and actor Derek Jacoby, Luca Santaniello still honors the established collaboration with Juilliard School being the first Italian musician that has never been be part of the top performance program in jazz studies at The Juilliard School.
Luca currently holds the chair of Jazz Ensemble Professor at the Lorenzo Perosi conservatory in Italy and brings his “Swingadelic Workshop” all over the world in connection with his performance touring.
Luca has also been featured in several other high-profile magazines, newspapers and e-zines, including the JazzMan-France, All About Jazz-New York, Jazz Inside-New York, Musica Jazz- Italy.
Over the years, Luca has built an impressive performance resume appearing with several top international jazz artists like vibraphonists Joe Locke and Steve Nelson pianists Eric Reed, Makoto Ozone, Eric Lewis (Elou), Jeb Patton, Roberto Tarenzi, vocalists Lezlie Harrison, Roberta Gambarini, saxophonists Joe Lovano, Lee Konitz, Benny Golson, Harry Allen, Vincent Herring, Joel Frahm, JD Allen,Wayne Escoffery, Melissa Aldana; trumpeters Roy Hargrove, Brian Lynch, Terell Stafford, Joe Magnarelli, Jim Rotondi, Jeremy Pelt, Duane Eubanks; bassists Ron Carter, Ben Wolfe, Ray Drummond, David Wong, Ugonna Okegwo, Cameron Brown; guitarists Joe Cohn, Peter Bernstein, Rodney Jones, Paul Bollenback.
As an orchestral percussionist and drummer, Luca has also worked with world-class symphonic orchestras and chamber groups such as The Spoleto Symphonic Orchestra, Giuseppe Verdi Symphonic Orchestra of Salerno, The Molise Symphonic Orchestra, Solisti Aquilani Chamber Group, Roy Hragrove Big Band. His international performing schedule with The Juilliard Jazz Quintet and other artists has brought him to Colombia, Brazil, Costa Rica as well as, France, Spain, United Kingdom, Germany and Italy, and he has appeared on some of the most renowned stages in the world, such as Paul Hall New York City; Auditorium Pereira Sao Paolo Brazil: Shakespeare Theatre in Washington, DC: San Carlo Theatre Naples Italy.
Luca’s scenic appearance has also been noticed by the international film production company Furst Films, that cast him as jazz drummer in the movie “The Girl In The Park” starring Sigourney Weaver, Kate Bonsworth and Kery Russell.