German jazz singer Roger Cicero brought the essence and energy of the swing period to present-day listeners while continuing the musical lineage set by his father, acclaimed jazz pianist Eugene Cicero. Born July 6, 1970, in West Berlin, he was immersed in jazz and its musicians from childhood, stepping onto the professional stage at eleven as a backing vocalist for Helen Vita. He later trained in voice, piano, and guitar at the Hohner Conservatory, then performed regularly with the Eugene Cicero Trio from 1989 to 1992 and occasionally with the Bundesjugenjazzorchester. Following Eugene Cicero’s death in 1997, he became a member of Jazzkantine and Soulonge, appearing on the latter group’s 2003 album The Essence of a Live Event. That year he also formed the Roger Cicero Quartet and an eleven-piece big band, both rooted in classic jazz yet performing songs in German. After issuing the 2006 collaborative album Good Morning Midnight with pianist Julia Hülsmann, he released his first solo effort, Männersachen, later the same year; propelled by the hit single “Ich Atme Ein,” the record climbed to number three on the German charts. In 2009 Cicero made his screen debut in “Hilde,” a film about German singer and actor Hildegard Knef, and delivered his third album, Artgerecht. His fourth studio release, In Diesem Moment, arrived in 2011, and the track “Für nichts auf dieser Welt” was chosen by the German football association as the nation’s official anthem for the Euro 2012 soccer tournament.
