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Pino Zortea, born in 1995 in Biel, Switzerland, grew up and currently lives in Zurich. From 2012 to 2016, he studied jazz electric bass and composition at the Zurich University of the Arts (ZHdK) with Uli Heinzler and Martin Streule, alongside completing his high school education. Between 2016 and 2018, he spent an extended residency in New York City, taking private lessons with Ben Williams, Tim Hagens, and Mimi Jones. He then continued his studies at Jazzcampus Basel with Larry Grenadier, Guillermo Klein, Jorge Rossy, Aydin Esen, and André Buser, graduating in 2020 with a pedagogical diploma.

 

Zortea has performed as an electric bassist in numerous concerts, tours, and album recordings in jazz and popular music, including collaborations with Trois Imaginaires (with Nik Bärtsch & Die Drei), Melodiesinfonie (with Balaclava, Dorj, Nelia Massegu & Fiona Fiasco), Felix Utzinger, Chris Wiesendanger, Miguel Zenon, Francesca Gaza, Caroline Ferrara, Travis Reuter, Kira Linn and Niculin Janett.

 

His own band, Pino Zortea Jazzkarussell, released the albums Child’s Play (2020) and Tragedy or Comedy? (2025), with a record launch at Moods in Zurich. As author and composer of the illustrated musical audiobook for children, Lukas und Wale auf den Spuren des Jazz, published by Zytglogge Verlag and Anda Verlag, he regularly performs in school culture programs across German-speaking Switzerland. In the project Bicycle Fantasies, he combines his own songwriting approach with the playing of a five-string acoustic bass.

 

Since 2019, Zortea has been hosting the weekly Jazzbaragge jam session at Moods and teaches private lessons in electric bass, songwriting, and composition.

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"Every note Pino plays is full of beauty and meaning. The same goes for the pauses between his musical phrases. There are no wasted moments: His sonic imagination is highly developed, clear, and poetic. He has a very unique sound on the electric bass. His tone is as nuanced, warm, and human as an acoustic instrument in the hands of a virtuoso." Jorge Rossy - 2022

 

“Pino’s music takes its time with you. His voice takes you by the hand and leads you through floating melodies across a colourful, harmonious landscape. The experience is one of clarity, tenderness, and warmth. There is something joyful in Pino’s music – even melancholic songs speak of an unconditional philanthropy. A gentle celebration of life.” Philipp Saner -2025

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