Rossana Casale

Born in New York to an American father and Italian mother, Rossana Casale has established herself among Italy’s most exploratory artists. Her compositions appeared in Pupi Avati’s film Una Gita Scolastica and other Italian cinema, and she joined Teatro dell’Opera Raffaele Paganini for performances of the musical An American in Paris. For the restored edition of Disney’s Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs she supplied an Italian-language rendition of “Someday, My Prince Will Come.” After relocating to Italy during childhood, she spent time in Venice before establishing residence in Milan. Early professional experience included serving as a background vocalist for the Italian ensemble Albero Motore; in 1972 she entered the Conservatory G. Verdi in Milan to pursue studies in voice, percussion, and electronic music. The 1982 single “Didin” preceded the Italian pop releases Casale in 1984 and Aspettarti in 1985. She performed at the 1986 Festival di San Remo with the ballad “Destiny.” By the late 1980s her focus shifted toward jazz, a direction confirmed by appearances at the Umbria Jazz Festival and the 1989 release Incoerente Jazz. Although subsequent projects remained rooted in jazz, Casale has consistently resisted stylistic boundaries. The 1991 album Lo Strato Naturale marked a turn toward atmospheric textures. An encounter with the African ensemble Toure Kunde further broadened her palette toward world-music influences. Accompanied by her quartet—Riccardo Zegne, Luciano Milanese, Carlo Atti, and Luigi Bonafede—she regularly interprets standards by Cole Porter, George Gershwin, Duke Ellington, and Thelonious Monk; the group captured these performances on the 1994 album Jazz in Me during an intensive four-day recording session.