A musician, poet and songwriter with deep Italian roots, Cole DeGenova has spent most of his life crafting his eclectic style.
Born in Chicago, DeGenova grew up in an Italian and Greek family filled with musicians and artists. His father's grandparents immigrated to Chicago from Naples and Bari in the early 1900s. His grandfather was a bandleader in Chicago during the '50s and his parents met playing in a band together.
DeGenova began playing piano at the age of 4 and spent the majority of his childhood studying classical piano, jazz, blues and the pop music of musicians like Stevie Wonder and The Beatles. By age 15, he was playing professionally in Chicago's famous jazz and blues clubs.
His prodigious talents led him to study at Berklee College of Music in Boston, where he trained further with jazz piano great Danilo Perez. Soon after he formed his funky alternative soul group Cole DeGenova & The Peoples Republic with fellow students. The group released their debut album "Just People Again" in 2009. Three years later, they released "Another Country."
A troubadour in the truest sense, DeGenova has performed with the likes of Saul Williams, Kurt Elling, Patricia Barber, Meshell N'degeocello, Paula Cole, J. Davey and rapper The GZA.
WEBSITE: www.coledegenova.com
VIDEO: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YlLOH4gUWuo&feature=related
VIDEO: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=xxswelolFS8#!
-- Mary Racila
- Another Country | Read Review