70s
Cosimo Erario, Italian jazz rock guitarist and songwriter, was born on 04/27/68 in Carbonara di Bari. He approaches the guitar at the age of 6 thanks to his father, a classical bassoonist, from whom he learns the basics of solfeggio and music theory.
After the first guitar approaches with the method "Jazz Guitar - Abner Rossi" and the lessons in weekly magazines by Mario Gangi and Franco Cerri, he devoted himself to listening to a lot of music, especially the Beatles, but also a lot of Italian singer-songwriter music by Edoardo Bennato to Pino Daniele, from Franco Battiato to Umberto Tozzi, from rock to pop and dance music that was fashionable between the late '70s and early '80s, always striving to learn and discover the harmonic twists of the record hits of the moment . Unforgettable is the memory of the hours, days, weeks, months he spent as a child learning the guitar intro to the song "I Feel Fine" by Beatles guitarist George Harrison.
80s
In 1984, thanks to a school friend, he joined a teenage pop cover band that mainly reissued the hits of the Sanremo Festival. First concert experiences in public. It was then that he wrote his first songs and his first lyrics. One day a friend and talented bass player got him to listen to a cassette tape that had some tracks recorded by an American guitarist, a certain George Benson. Hearing this music and especially the guitar solos was like a bolt from the blue. His journey into the world of jazz probably began there. So, on the advice of a friend who was a well-known professional musician of his father, he began to take jazz guitar lessons from Maestro Nino Lastilla. He discovers the music of Django Reinhard, Wes Montgomery, Joe Pass, Jim Hall, Pat Martino, Miles Davis, Charlie Parker, John Coltrane, in short the classics. He lives the cultural and concert events of his city intensively thanks to a school initiative that allows schoolchildren to enter the most important ongoing cultural events free of charge. Towards the end of the 80's he formed a jazz trio with some friends and they rehearsed almost daily in the offices of a large distillery owned by the bassist and played the music of the moment,
Jazz-rock fusion and some of its instrumentals. The first concert experiences arise in clubs and theaters in the city of Bari, he discovers the music of Al di Meola, Mclaughlin, De Lucia, Metheny, Scofield, Stern, Frisell, Holdsworth, but also the music of international pianists and wind players. At the same time he listens to many rock guitarists, from Hendrix to Clapton, from Satriani to Vai, from Van Halen to Lukather, but also a lot of English and American pop music. Most importantly, he was so immersed in the music and culture of the 1980s that after graduating as an accountant and commercial specialist and briefly working in a pharmacy in the city (as a medicine supplier), he decided to pursue a career as a professional musician. The private and periodic jazz guitar and improvisation lessons with Maestro Nico Stufano will be important and decisive;
90s
For Cosimo, the 1990s were the official entry into the professional world.
- 1990
He attended Maestro Riccardo Bianchi's Siena Jazz specialization course and the RAVENNA JAZZ 90' Masterclass with American guitarists Joe Diorio and Mike Stern.
-1991
He attends the RAVENNA JAZZ 91' Masterclass with Pat Metheny.
He plays very actively in various Apulian jazz formations
already with many top musicians in the circle. But it is above all with his trio that he has received critical acclaim. He collaborates with young artists of the Sanremo Festival.
-1992
Summer tour with the young singer from Sanremo Lorenzo Zecchino.
-1993
Record production of about a year in the legendary "Medicine Blanche" recording studio in Modena with the young singer Fedele Boccassini from Sanremo.
-1994
He is engaged as a guitarist for a Germany tour with almost 300 concerts with the variety show "LA PIAZZA". At the end of the exhausting tour, he decides to settle down in Cologne, where he again plays live in various clubs in the city with his trio of jazz students from the conservatory. He learns the German language and makes contacts with record companies and recording studios.
He is dedicated to private guitar lessons and producing music for short films with WFilm.
- 1997
It is an important year because he starts weekly guitar lessons at the Hückeswagen Music School and at the Hennef Music School, where he is still active. In Germany he attended the jazz and rock master classes of Michael Landau, Frank Gambale, Andy Timmons, Bruce Kulick and those of fingerstyle guitar with Peppino D'Agostino, Preston Reed, Beppe Gambetta, Dan Crary.
- 1999
Composition of the music for an exhibition of English designers at the Cologne Design Fair. Project title "YOUNG BRITISH DESIGN"; designed by Style House.
- 1998 and up to 2002
He will teach at a third music school, the Modern Music School in Koblenz.
Since the late '90s, he has often collaborated as a guitarist with drummer and producer Marcus Greiner (Soundbox) for the production of various artists: "The Redeemers", "Duke", "Worthy Davis", "Kima".
2000s
- 2000
He founds EGP Records, an independent record label and publisher, with an affiliated recording studio "ORANGE SUBMARINE STUDIO".
To date, the catalog includes the productions of various international artists from jazz to pop music alongside his own music.
-2000
He makes his first instrumental CD "WORLD", which is often broadcast on WDR frequencies.
- 2004
Make the instrumental CD Lounge ChillOut "THE DOG IS MY KING"
- 2005
Participation in the TV show TOP OF THE POPS (RTL) alongside the German artist: E-NOMINE (Single: Midnight) with the German voice of Robert De Niros voice actor.
- 2005
- Participates in the production of a video clip with the German singer MATTHIAS RHEIM.
- He plays several concerts with his band and unplugged:
"ITALIAN CULTURAL INSTITUTE" - Cologne;
"HANSEFEST" - Wipperfuhrt;
"SIEGLINDE" in Hennef;
"HERBRAND'S" in Cologne;
"MOJO" in Cologne;
He performs as an unplugged songwriter in studios, museums, clubs and at private events.
He performs at the "WORLD YOUNG DAY" - Bonn, as a special guest of the Human Symphony Orchestra in Cologne in front of around 150,000 spectators.
- 2006
Participation in the TV show SCHLAG DEN RAAB (Pro7) and MENSCHEN BILDER EMOTIONEN (RTL) alongside British boy band TAKE THAT.
- 2006
He attends a jazz-rock master class in Italy with American guitarist Scott Henderson.
- 2006
He released his first singer-songwriter album "MILLE OCEANI" at number 1 (MySpace - Germany) and in the charts of the American radio Songvault.
- 2007
works alongside JOE COCKER in the WETTEN DAS (ZDF) show.
- 2008 and until 2018
He teaches guitar, bass and ensemble music at the German Pop Academy in Cologne.
- 2008
"50 YEARS OF GERMAN VITA" WDR as a songwriter.
- 2009
Participation in the museum exhibition "EXTRASCHICHT 2009" in the LVR headquarters with A. Palmitessa.
- 2009
He joins the instant composition jazz trio PEM in Cologne
"GATEWAY TO PEACE",
"Ludwig Museum",
"Music in the Houses of the City",
"Art House Rhineland".
2010s
- 2010
Release of his fourth album “ACQUA E STELLE” (pop rock songwriter)
He participates in festivals and exhibitions:
- "IN THE WOMB OF THE EARTH - TWINS CULTURAL CAPITAL OF EUROPE'S RUHR 2010" alongside the accordionist and pianist Antonello Salis, the American trumpeter Lewis Barnes, Alessandro Palmitessa, Holger Mertin with the soundtrack project for the silent film "CAINÀ" and CD production.
- "DESIGN WITH DRIVE" in the Museum Education Society - Cologne
-"Italy visiting friends" - with the duo "Two Italian Jazz".
- 2012
Event "MISTER VOLARE", dedicated to Domenico Modugno, as
Songwriter along with Erica Mou and Kekko Fornarelli. "ART FROM THE HEART", "African Festival" and club gigs with KIMA. "EMERGENCY FESTIVAL", "OPEN AIR GELDERN" and club gigs with
B.B.Thomas (Voice of Germany).
- 2013
He released his fifth album "C'È" (pop-rock-singer-songwriter), which was very positively received by critics.
- 2014
Release of his sixth album “THE DIAMOND QUARTER” (acoustic instrumental) to excellent reviews.
-2014/2019
Numerous concerts with the cover band "Road Runner", with the "Jojo Joisten Band" and with the "Hennef Jazz Connection".
- 2016
- He attends a film music master class with Hans Zimmer.
- 2016
- Winner of the GLOBAL MUSIC AWARD and PRESTIGE MUSIC AWARDS with the instrumental CD "The Diamond Quarter" in the USA.
- 2017/2018
- Tour in North Rhine-Westphalia with the project "THE CIRCUS DOES NOT KNOW A BORDER"; Soundtrack with jazz trio of a film about the Italian circus family TOGNI.
- 2018
Releases his seventh album “SALTA IL REINTO” (Pop Rock Songwriter).
- He won a GLOBAL MUSIC AWARD in USA with the CD “SALTA IL RECINTO” (Pop Rock Songwriter)
- 2019
- Release of his eighth album "MUSIC 2050" (instrumental jazz) funded by the NRW state government.
- Participation in the "ITALIANA" FESTIVAL in Cologne, for the years 2010/2012/2014/2016/2018/2022; as a songwriter he presents
his albums unplugged and with band; as a guitarist he plays in several musical projects together with the jazz musicians Gianluca Petrella, Livio Minafra, Antonello Salis, Lewis Barnes, Alessandro Palmitessa, Vito Di Modugno, Daniel Manrique Smith, Holger Mertin; with the projects "APULIAN TABLE" and "TRE CHITARRE ITALIANE" ; and with the singers Giacomo Di Benedetto and Peppe Voltarelli.
YEARS 2020'
- 2020
Theater tour with the project "AFGHANISTAN 1969, A COUNTRY SAVED BY THE CINEMA" Soundtrack of a silent film, directed by Geremia Carrara
- Tour in Cologne nursing homes with the project "I REMEMBER ME STILL DA"
- 2021
-Publication with EGP Musikverlag "GITARREN WARM UPS" Volume 1, a warm-up and technique exercise book for guitar.
- International tour with the project "DEUTSCHLAND LIEDER".
- Attended Jazz Guitar Masterclass with Kurt Rosenwinkel and two
Jazz guitar master classes with Umberto Fiorentino.
- 2022
- Release of his ninth CD "WATER RINGS" (instrumental acoustic) with excellent reviews from specialist magazines.
- He is gold winner of “LIT TALENT AWARD” in LIT Instrumentalist section with album “WATER RINGS”.
- 2023
- Release of his tenth album "ACUSTICANIMA". A purely instrumental acoustic work with voice and guitar.