Biography
Italian-born alto saxophonist Nicola Caminiti, now based in New York, crafts melodic lines that fuse an expressive tone with a deliberate narrative arc. His earliest experience took shape on the Sicilian jazz circuit, after which he relocated to the United States for studies at the Manhattan School of Music and received his degree in 2019. Recognition arrived swiftly through his singular sound, as he collaborated with figures such as Arturo O'Farrill and Dayna Stephens, contributed to Pedrito Martinez’s Latin Grammy-nominated 2021 release Acertijos, and collected notable honors that include the 2023 Herb Alpert ASCAP Jazz Composer Competition along with the DownBeat College Award. His first album, Vivid Tales of a Blurry Self-Portrait, appeared in 2024.
Born in Sicily during the mid-’90s, Caminiti began playing saxophone at eight after hearing Kenny Garrett. At twelve he entered the Conservatorio “Arcangelo Corelli” Messina for classical saxophone training. Exposure to jazz recordings drew him further into the local scene, where saxophonist Orazio Maugeri and drummer Mimmo Cafiero served as mentors; he later toured Italy alongside guitarist Joe Clemente and held the lead alto chair in the Italian Jazz Youth Big Band.
Caminiti arrived in New York during 2015 to attend the Manhattan School of Music, completing the program in 2019 before returning to Italy for an extended stay amid the pandemic. In that period he refined his playing through work with Arturo O'Farrill & Afro-Latin Jazz Orchestra, Dayna Stephens in the ensemble Custom Deluxe, Rotem Sivan, and the Immigrantet collective alongside Juan Diego Villalobos and Hamish Smith. Additional recording credits include sessions with Italian artists Luca Zennaro on the 2018 album Javaskara and the 2020 release When Nobody Is Listening, Emanuele Primavera’s 2020 effort Above the Below, Emanuele Filippi’s 2020 Musica Fragile, and another appearance on Pedrito Martinez’s Latin Grammy-nominated 2021 album Acertijos. His visibility rose further after securing the North American Saxophone Alliance Jazz Competition and the Herb Alpert ASCAP Jazz Composer Competition, both in 2023, followed by the Jazz Gallery Commission Residence in 2024. The same year saw the release of his debut album, Vivid Tales of a Blurry Self-Portrait, captured with pianist Lex Korten, bassist Ben Tiberio, and drummer Miguel Russell.
Born in Sicily during the mid-’90s, Caminiti began playing saxophone at eight after hearing Kenny Garrett. At twelve he entered the Conservatorio “Arcangelo Corelli” Messina for classical saxophone training. Exposure to jazz recordings drew him further into the local scene, where saxophonist Orazio Maugeri and drummer Mimmo Cafiero served as mentors; he later toured Italy alongside guitarist Joe Clemente and held the lead alto chair in the Italian Jazz Youth Big Band.
Caminiti arrived in New York during 2015 to attend the Manhattan School of Music, completing the program in 2019 before returning to Italy for an extended stay amid the pandemic. In that period he refined his playing through work with Arturo O'Farrill & Afro-Latin Jazz Orchestra, Dayna Stephens in the ensemble Custom Deluxe, Rotem Sivan, and the Immigrantet collective alongside Juan Diego Villalobos and Hamish Smith. Additional recording credits include sessions with Italian artists Luca Zennaro on the 2018 album Javaskara and the 2020 release When Nobody Is Listening, Emanuele Primavera’s 2020 effort Above the Below, Emanuele Filippi’s 2020 Musica Fragile, and another appearance on Pedrito Martinez’s Latin Grammy-nominated 2021 album Acertijos. His visibility rose further after securing the North American Saxophone Alliance Jazz Competition and the Herb Alpert ASCAP Jazz Composer Competition, both in 2023, followed by the Jazz Gallery Commission Residence in 2024. The same year saw the release of his debut album, Vivid Tales of a Blurry Self-Portrait, captured with pianist Lex Korten, bassist Ben Tiberio, and drummer Miguel Russell.
Albums
