Walter Ricci, born in 1989, grew up in a musical environment thanks to the stimuli coming from his musician father. He is thus formed by listening to all kinds of music but, from a very young age, it is jazz in all its forms that intrigues and fascinates him, from swing to bebop to contemporary jazz. Attracted by giants such as Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennet and Ella Fitzgerald, he dedicated himself to the study of the piano, immediately specializing in improvisation technique and In a few years we already found him on the stages of the most coveted jazz clubs performing with musicians already known and renowned experience.

 

In 2006 he won the “Massimo Urbani National Award” and his career definitely began. It is on that occasion that he meets the Turin trumpeter Fabrizio Bosso, who will often want him next to him and who will support him in the years to follow. In 2007 he aroused the interest of some international networks and newspapers such as "Jazz Magazine" and "Jazzit", which dedicate several interviews to him.

 

In 2008 he met Stefano Di Battista, with whom he performed in Italy and abroad, in France, Spain, Switzerland.

 

In the same year his voice appears on the album "TOUCH" by Lorenzo Tucci, one of the most talented jazz drummers in Italy, distributed by SCHEMA RECORD in Japan and other countries.

 

In 2009-10 comes the meeting with Pippo Baudo who invites him to the Domenica In program as vocalist of the orchestra directed by Pippo Caruso. In the numerous episodes of the program, broadcast on the first national network, he has the opportunity to meet and duet with internationally renowned artists, including Michael Bublè and Mario Biondi. The latter invites him to collaborate on his record and on his tour. In the meantime he collaborates with Guido Pistocchi on the album "SPRING TIME" (label DEJAVUR).

 

This will be followed by a meeting with saxophonist Daniele Scannapieco, with whom he makes a tribute to one of the greatest composers in history: "THE COLE PORTER SONGBOOK". In October 2012 he performed, as a guest, in the Luca Santaniello quartet at the "Dizzy's Club Coca Cola" in the Lincoln Center in New York and in 2015 he participated and reached the semifinals at the prestigious MONK COMPETITION in Los Angeles.

 

At the beginning of 2016 Fabrizio Bosso called him to participate permanently in his "Spiritual" with Alberto Marsico and Alessandro Minetto and recorded an album for the series dedicated to Italian Jazz published by Espresso.

 

In the same year he was invited to the "Zerilli-Marimó" Italian House in New York for a concert organized by the Italian consulate.

 

In September he participates in the international festival - NEW WAVE CONTEST in Sochi, Russia - where he wins first place (ex-aequo with the Croatian rocker Dino) enchanting the audience and the jury.

 

After the Russian experience, Walter Ricci moved directly to France, where the new project by Dédé Ceccarelli dedicated to West Side Story is being set up, in which he is the protagonist voice and in the last months of the year, between concerts in France and Italy , devotes himself to the composition and creation of his Italian / French quartet, which sees Domenico Sanna on the piano, Géraud Portal on the bass and Rémi Vignolo on the drums.

 

In February 2017 the new album "Eklektik" by Antonio Faraò was released for Warner Music France in which Ricci is present on two tracks, "News from ..." alongside Snoop Dogg and "Through the Day"; Walter Ricci, performing both with his own formations and in collaboration with well-known artists, proves to have not only mastered the great tradition of the most famous overseas crooners, but, thanks to unrestricted listening and unlimited love for music of all genres and times, proves to be able to create a personal style full of nuances and new sounds, which ranges with great naturalness from jazz to pop.

 

Among the important French concerts in 2018 and 2019 we find: MARCIAC FESTIVAL, OPERA di PARIS, MONTREAUX JAZZ and many others also made in Russia.

 

In October 2019, with the Irma Record label, he released the album - STORIES - with 14 tracks including 10 original songs and 4 covers in Italian, English and French takes on an international sound.

 

Among the covers we find some great Italian melodies such as "Look at that moon", "Tu si na cosa grande" in duet with Chiara Civello; also songs in English including “No Doubt Left” with Papik.

 

Ranging from jazz to pop, Walter Ricci duets with the greatest musicians in the world such as Dedè Ceccarelli, a world-renowned drummer who has also collaborated with Ray Charles. In the timeless cover "Look at the moon" the great Stefano Di Battista up to a duet with Fabrizio Bosso in an original song entitled "I Believe in you".

 

Three still significant songs on the album are "Tell me", "You are all" and "Turn and Turn" written with the great French pianist and composer Jean Pierre Comò.

 

Finally, a tribute to the city of Naples could not be missing, at track 12 we find