Edgardo Moroni, “Dado”, a self-taught musician born in Genoa, Italy, started playing the piano at the age of four. By his mid-teens, he was performing professionally across Italy, and by the age of 17, he had recorded his debut album.
Throughout the 1980s, he worked mostly in Europe, playing at festivals and in clubs. This included a long stint as part of former Duke Ellington bassist Jimmy Woode's trio at the Widder Bar in Zurich. In 1991, Dado moved to the US, becoming part of the New York jazz scene and appearing regularly, both as a leader and a sideman, in some of the city's most prestigious clubs, including the Blue Note, Birdland and the Village Vanguard. He also recorded several CDs.
During his 35-year career, he has played with jazz legends such as Freddie Hubbard, Clark Terry, Zoot Sims, Harry "Sweets" Edison, Ray Brown, Ron Carter, Oscar Peterson, Ahmad Jamal, Hank Jones, Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen, and Alvin Queen. A highly respected musician, he was granted the honour of serving as a juror at the prestigious Thelonious Monk International Piano Competition at the age of 25 in 1987.
Currently based in Italy, Dado continues to perform worldwide. In 2007, he won the Italian Jazz Awards for Best Jazz Act. In 2009, he was named Best Italian Jazz Pianist in the Top Jazz referendum sponsored by Musica Jazz magazine.
