{{redirect|Di Blasio|others with a similar name|De Blasio (surname)}} {{BLP sources|date=March 2008}} {{Infobox musical artist | name =Raúl di Blasio | image = | background = non_vocal_instrumentalist | birth_place = Zapala, Argentina | genre = Latin pop, easy listening | occupation = Musician | instrument = Piano }}
'''Raúl Di Blasio''' (born November 14, 1949) is an Argentine composer, arranger and pianist.
== Life ==
Born in Zapala, Argentina,<ref name="am" /> Raúl Di Blasio showed a great interest in piano at the age of six. After his parents' recommendations that he should study music, he began to pursue piano as a career.
Di Blasio practiced piano alongside his teachers for more than four years. Having difficulty in purchasing a piano, he also relied on readily available sources of music such as whistling with his father, which helped develop the sort of melodies he employs in his work. One of his teachers was the renowned Argentinian composer and Pianist Bebu Silvetti from whom Di Blasio drew great inspiration. In fact, a lot of Di Blasio's musical pieces were composed by Bebu Silvetti; one of which was called "Piano" which was considered as the first step into his musical career.
This was the beginning of Di Blasio's career in music. He had early formation in the Classic Technique, but he equally enjoys popular music. He admits that when he was 17 years old he was part of the rock movement with phenomena such as The Beatles. However, his parents asked him to pursue university studies and have a degree-based career in his life.
The next step for him was to leave his hometown and go to Buenos Aires, where at age 20, he began practicing music 12 hours per day. He comments: "I felt I had wings on my fingers." {{citation needed|date=October 2010}}
Di Blasio is someone who thrives on constant change. He moved to Chile in 1978,<ref name="am" /> where he began playing traditional music, rock, and classic music. He composed and worked as a pianist in a bar, confessing he "scraped by to survive...", but that he was still happy doing so.{{citation needed|date=October 2010}}
In 1983 he released his first album on EMI Chile.<ref name="am" /> A producer from the Chilean record company BCS-S contracted with Di Blasio for his second album, which included Latin American music.
== Duets == Di Blasio has made a historical duet in Santo Domingo with the international renowned French pianist Richard Clayderman. Di Blasio made duets with Tomey Sellars, Alejandro Fernández, Marco Antonio Solís, José José, Armando Manzanero, Marco Antonio Muñiz, Yolandita Monge, Julio Iglesias, Rocío Dúrcal, Juan Gabriel, Michael Bolton, Los Tri-o, José Luis Rodríguez "El Puma", Cristian Castro, Vargas de Tecalitlán, José Feliciano, El Consorcio, London Symphony Orchestra, Fernando De La Mora, Wendy Pedersen, and more.
== Notable usages of his work == ''Otoñal'' (autumnal), a piano performance from his album ''Barroco'',<ref>{{AllMusic |id= otoñal-mt0012049145 |title= Otoñal }}</ref> has been used as competition music by elite figure skaters such as Maria Butyrskaya, Johnny Weir,<ref name=BN041120/> and Yuzuru Hanyu.<ref name=IFS180831/>
==Discography== * Sur de America (1991) * Dodo Afefo (1991) * Alrededor del Mundo (1991) * Barroco (1991) * En tiempo de Amor (1993) * Piano de America (1994) * Greatest Hits (1995) * Latino (1995) * Personalidad (1996) * Grandes Exitos (1996) * 20 de Coleccion (1996) * Solo (1997) * Piano De America 2 (1998) * Desde México: El Piano De América (1998) * Serie 2000 (2000) * De Mis Manos (2000) * Brasileirinho (2000) * Di Blasio-Gardel Tango (2002) * Bohemia Vol.1 (with José José, Marco Antonio Munis and Armando Manzanero) * Bohemia Vol.2 (with José José, Marco Antonio Munis and Armando Manzanero) * Di Blasio El Piano De America... Y Amigos (2003) * Clave De Amor (with José Luis Rodríguez "el Puma" (2003)) * La Historia Del Piano de America...Los Exitos (2006) * Christmas (2006) * Primavera (2008)
==See also== * List of best-selling Latin music artists
==References== {{Reflist|refs=
<ref name="am">{{cite web |title= Raúl Di Blasio: Biography |first= Jason |last= Ankeny |publisher= AllMusic |url= {{Allmusic |class= artist |id= ral-di-blasio-p29082/biography |pure_url= yes }} |access-date= 2010-10-25 }}</ref>
<ref name=BN041120>{{cite news |title= U.S. Skater Weir Hangs On |url= https://buffalonews.com/2004/11/20/u-s-skater-weir-hangs-on/ |work= The Buffalo News |date= November 20, 2004 }}</ref>
<ref name=IFS180831>{{cite news |title= Hanyu Skating For Himself This Season |url= https://www.ifsmagazine.com/hanyu-skating-for-himself-this-season/ |work= International Figure Skating Magazine |date= August 31, 2018 }}</ref>
}}
==External links== * [https://www.facebook.com/pages/Raul-Di-Blasio-Latin-Piano/12794425785 Official Raul Di Blasio fan page on facebook] * [https://rauldiblasiooficial.com/ Official Raul Di Blasio website] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200623012328/https://rauldiblasiooficial.com/ |date=2020-06-23 }}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Blasio, Raul Di}} Category:1949 births Category:Living people Category:People from Neuquén Province Category:Argentine people of Italian descent Category:Argentine jazz pianists Category:Latin jazz pianists Category:21st-century Argentine pianists