Photo by Livio Anticoli “Master Photo” of drummer Roberto Gatto at the Saint Louis Jazz Club in Rome.

Inspired by progressive rock, Jimi Hendrix - seen in concert at the Brancaccio Theater in Rome together with his musician uncle who initiates him on drums - by Duke Ellington and Count Basie's orchestras and in particular by John Coltrane's album "Love Supreme", Roberto Gatto starts playing in his parents' house with the pianist Danilo Rea. With him and the double bass player Enzo Pietropaoli he forms the Trio di Roma with which he performs at the Music Inn of Pepito Pignatelli accompanying great names of international jazz passing through Rome. He records the album "From Always to Now" with Enrico Pieranunzi's quartet formed by Bruno Tommaso and Maurizio Giammarco. Over the years he has developed a solid drum technique that arises between dynamism, power and elegance, recording, after having participated in the "Lingomania" project by Maurizio Giammarco, solo records such as Notes (1986) and "Ask" (1987) respectively with Michael Brecker and John Scofield, to then give life to the quintet with Javier Girotto, Gianluca Petrella, Dado Moroni and Rosario Bonaccorso firing the album "Deep".

Contribution extracted from the book "Jazz Moment" by Adriano Mazzoletti, Marco Molendini and Stefano Mastruzzi.