Dion Berardo, is a world renowned jazz guitarist based in New York City. He performs regularly around New York at some of the most prestigious jazz clubs and venues such as Blue Note, Birdland, Jazz at Lincoln Center, Joe’s Pub, Zinc Bar and other historic venues around the world such as Keystone Korner in Baltimore, Musical Instrument Museum in Phoenix, The Freight and Salvage in San Fransisco, Bimhuis in Amsterdam, Half Note Jazz Club in Athens, Castel Sant'Angelo in Rome etc.
Dion’s style incorporates elements of bebop, gypsy jazz, contemporary jazz, blues, jazz fusion, and he cites Wes Montgomery, George Benson, Django Reinhardt and Biréli Lagrène as having the biggest impact on his music.
Dion was born in Campobasso, Italy and raised in Megara, Greece. He grew up listening to the music that his parents would listen to at that time which was mostly rock and blues. Though they were not musicians themselves, his father Leonidas and his mother Massimiliana wanted him to learn the guitar: they gave him his first instrument when he was six years old.
Dion’s interest in music took a drastic turn in 2010 when he started studying jazz guitar with Vasilis Arsenides and Yiotis Samaras. His life changed after hearing Wes Montgomery’s solo on No Blues, which he copied and learned note by note, and soon afterwards he discovered Biréli Lagrène’s Live Jazz à Vienne, which completely captivated him. At age eighteen, he enrolled at the prestigious Conservatorium van Amsterdam, went on to win first prize at the Bucharest International Jazz Competition with the AG Quintet in 2017, and completed his BFA in performing arts in 2018.
In 2019, Dion released his debut album, New York City, featuring Alina Engibaryan on vocals, Omer Ashano on violin, Joe Bussey on bass, and Josh Kaye on rhythm guitar. In 2021, he recorded his second album Dig! as a duet with bassist Kimon Karoutzos – with liner notes by legendary jazz bassist Ron Carter. His third album, Guitarology, is a guitar duologue between Dion Berardo and fellow Greek jazz guitarist George Koutsi with liner notes by Neal Miner, the great New York native jazz bassist and owner of Gut String Records. Standards at the Honey Road Studio, is Dion’s fourth album in a trio setting with Dimitris Angelakis on vibraphone and Kimon Karoutzos on the upright bass.
