Charly Antolini was born in Zurich. He began his career as a professional drummer in Paris in 1956. For forty years he has been present on the jazz scene and has become one of the best-known jazz drummers in Europe. At the age of nine he learned drumming in a drumming school in Zurich.



In the four decades of his career the Swiss drummer, who lives in Munich, has won himself the title of 'Mr. Jazzpower' with his tremendously effective high-pressure playing, after years of training in the big bands of Erwin Lehn, Peter Herboizheimer, Kurt Edelhagen or with the big band of North German Radio in Hamburg, and having gained experience and maturity through innumerable musical contacts with leading jazz musicians from swing and be-bop such as Buddy de Franco, Toots Thielemans, Art Farmer, Albert Mangels-dorff, Slide Hampton, Jimmy Woode, Joe Newman, Red Holloway, Thad Jones, Bob Wilber, Nils Henning Orsted Pederson, Red Mitchell, dark Terry, and many others.



Even such jazz giants as Lionel Hampton or the great 'King of Swing', Benny Goodman, invited him to join them in concerts and tours. In the middle of the 1960's Charly Antolini made records with many great jazz stars: with Stuff Smith on his last LP Art van Damme and Eugen Cicero.



In 1976 Charly Antolini founded his own formation 'Jazz Power' with continually changing participants. He is always looking for musicians with new ideas, the best jazz musicians from the USA and Europe just come up to his expectations.

Up till now they have included, among others, the late Sal Nistico, Benny Bailey, Toni Lakatos, Herb Geller, Lew Soloff. About his playing the following must be said: Charly Antolini really is one of the virtuoso drummers of our time in the tradition of Buddy Rich, Louie Bellson, Sam Woodyard, Jo Jones - a soloist with enormous power and endurance; passion and fitness are his trademarks.

Charly has performed at all international jazz festivals, had an own TV-show and several successful CDs under his own name.