Raúl Di Blasio

Born in 1949 in Zapala, Argentina, pianist Raúl Di Blasio launched his musical education at six, absorbing tango and bossa nova while absorbing the European classical lineage of Beethoven and Rachmaninoff. During his teenage years the Beatles captured his attention, prompting him to launch the rock group Los Diabólicos, which enjoyed national recognition and remained active until 1973. He then reverted to classical repertoire, concertizing across South America in the mid-1970s. A five-year hotel engagement in Chile’s Viña del Mar began in 1978; when the residency concluded, Di Blasio redirected his efforts toward a full-time performing career and released his first LP on EMI-Chile in 1983. Later CBS-Chile albums achieved still greater success, earning him the press nickname “El Pianista de Todos” (“The People’s Pianist”). He relocated to Miami in 1987, and three years afterward unveiled his BMG debut, El Piano de América. The 1994 follow-up surpassed one million copies sold; Di Blasio toured the Far East in support of 1997’s Solo. Desde Mexico appeared the next year, Christmas followed in 1999, and the Brazilian-inflected Di Blasio and Salt Peanuts surfaced in 2000.