Pino Presti (pseudonym of Giuseppe Prestipino Giarritta, is an Italian bass player, arranger, composer, conductor, record producer, born 23 August 1943, in Milan. He is a 5th-dan black belt in Shotokan Karate.

Presti, son of an accomplished violinist, Arturo Prestipino Giarritta, has been studying music since the age of 6. He was seventeen years old when he first entered the music business. Presti started as a bass guitar player, than gradually began as an arranger, a composer, an orchestra conductor and a producer. Among his collaborations in different genres of music like jazz, pop, funk, soul, we can find great names such as Mina (the most famous Italian pop singer), Gerry Mulligan, Ástor Piazzolla (the bassline in the famous composition "Libertango" belongs to him), Quincy Jones, Wilson Pickett, Shirley Bassey, Maynard Ferguson, Franco Cerri, Stéphane Grappelli, Aldemaro Romero and many others. He is considered one of the most important Italian arrangers/conductors.

Discography (selected)

Albums
1st Round  -  Atlantic Records (1976)
Maja Andina -  Saar Records (1990)
A La Costa Sud -  Edizioni Curci (2009)
 Café Ipanema 2011  - Rambling Records (2011)
 Shirley Bunnie Foy (60th Anniversary)  - MAP Golden Jazz (2013)
 Deep Colors - MAP/ Paper Moon (2014)

Singles

 "Rimani ancora/Oh! Jenny" - Durium (1964)
 "In un posto fuori dal mondo/Messaggio d'amore" - Belldisc (1969)
 "Karin/No sabe" - Dischi Ricordi (1970)
 "Smile/L'estate di Laura" - Atlantic Records (1975)
 "Funky Bump/C.so Buenos Ayres" - Atlantic Records (1976)
 "Shitân Disco Shitân" - Barclay (1977)
 "Sundown" - Durium (1978)
 "You Know The Way part I/You Know The Way part II" - Baby Records (1979)
 "You Know The Way" - Vinyl 12" 33 ⅓ RPM - Emergency Records (1980)
 "Money (That What I Want)" - Vinyl 12" 33 ⅓ RPM - Baby Records (1980)
 "To Miami/Mama's Away" - Cetra Records (1980)
 "Dancing Nights/And I Love Her" - Polydor Records (1983)
 "Ya No Puedo Vivir (The Bush Remixes)" - Vinyl 12" 33 ⅓ RPM - Blow Up Disco (1991)
 "Once Again Now" - Vinyl 12" 33 ⅓ RPM - Soul Xpression (1992)
 "Divine" - Vinyl 12" 33 ⅓ RPM - Level One (2001)
 "Feel Like a Woman" - CD Single - Self (2005)
 "Jazz Carnival" - CD Single - Map (2015)
 "Funky Bump" (Unreleased Original Extended Version)/"Funky Bump" (Original 7" Version) – Best Record Italy (2015)
 "You Know The Way" (Disco Version by Tee Scott) - Best Record Italy (2016)
 "To Africa / Soul Makossa" (EP) - Best Record Italy (2017)
 "Pino Presti Featuring Roxy Robinson: You know Why" (EP) – Best Record Italy (2018)

As performer, arranger, conductor on other artists' albums
Mina - Artist: Mina - PDU (1971)
Cinquemilaquarantatre - Artist: Mina - PDU (1972)
Altro - Artist: Mina - PDU (1972)
Del mio meglio n. 2 - Artist: Mina - PDU (1973)
Frutta e verdura - Artist: Mina - PDU (1973)
Amanti di valore - Artist: Mina - PDU (1973)
Mina (1974 album) - Artist: Mina - PDU (1974)
Baby Gate (album) - Artist: Mina  - PDU (1974)
Aulehla & Zappa - Artist: Aulehla & Zappa - PDU (1974)
Del mio meglio n. 3  - Artist:  Mina - PDU (1975)
La Mina - Artist: Mina - PDU (1975)
Singolare - Artist: Mina - PDU (1976)
Del mio meglio n. 4 - Artist: Mina - PDU (1977)
Mina con Bignè - Artist: Mina - PDU (1977)
Minantologia - Artist: Mina - PDU (1977)
You Know Why - Artist:  Roxy Robinson - OUT (1977)
Di tanto in tanto - Artist: Mina - PDU (1978)
Mina Live '78 - Artist: Mina - PDU (1978)
In Due - Artist: Wess and Dori Ghezzi - Durium (1979)
Filipponio - Artist: Filipponio - Cetra Records (1980)
Del mio meglio n. 6 Live - Artist: Mina - PDU (1981)
Il Flauto d' oro - Artist: Severino Gazzelloni - PDU (1983)
All'arrembaggio - Artist: Filipponio - Spice7 (1984)
Del mio meglio n. 8 - Artist: Mina - PDU (1985)
Del mio meglio n. 9 - Artist: Mina - PDU (1987)
Oggi ti amo di più - Artist: Mina - PDU (1988)
Ridi pagliaccio - Artist: Mina - PDU (1988)
Mazzini canta Battisti - Artist: Mina - PDU (1994)
Mina Studio Collection - Artist: Mina - PDU (1998)
Mina Love Collection - Artist: Mina - PDU (2000)
Colección Latina - Artist: Mina - PDU (2001)
The Platinum Collection - Artist: Mina - PDU (2004)
Platinum Collection 2 - Artist: Mina - PDU (2006)
The Best of Platinum Collection - Artist: Mina - EMI Records (20O7)
Je suis Mina - Artist: Mina -  EMI Records (2011)
Yo soy Mina - Artist: Mina -  EMI Records (2011)
I am Mina - Artist: Mina -  EMI Records (2011)
The Collection 3.0 – Artist: Mina – Warner Music (2015)
Tutte le migliori – Artist: Mina – Clan/PDU (2017)
Paradiso (Lucio Battisti Songbook) – Artist: Mina – PDU (2018)

As performer
12 Bacchette per una chitarra - Artist: Franco Cerri - gta (1966)
Dedicato a mio padre - Artist: Mina - PDU (1967)
This Is My Life (La vita) - Artist: Shirley Bassey - United Artists (1968)
Mina alla Bussola dal vivo - Artist: Mina - PDU (1968)
Love and more Love - Artist: Puccio Roelens - Vedette Records (1969)
L'orchestra di Augusto Martelli dal vivo - Artist: Augusto Martelli - PDU (1969)
Quando tu mi spiavi in cima a un batticuore - Artist: Mina - PDU (1970)
Del mio meglio - Artist: Mina - PDU (1971)
La Onda Máxima  - Artist: Aldemaro Romero - Antor (1972)
Black Sound From White People  - Artist: Augusto Martelli - Fontana (1972)
Fratelli La Bionda s.r.l. - Artist: La Bionda - Dischi Ricordi (1972)
Metti una sera Cerri - Artist: Franco Cerri - Jazz Italiano-Music (1973)
Dal mio lontano - Artist: Renato Pareti - Ducale (1973)
Libertango - Artist: Ástor Piazzolla - Carosello (1974)
Summit-Reunion Cumbre - Artist: Gerry Mulligan, Ástor Piazzolla - erre-t-v (1974)
Lumière / Suite Troileana - Artist: Astor Piazzolla - Carosello (1976)
Gerry Mulligan meets Enrico Intra - Artist: Gerry Mulligan, Enrico Intra - Produttori Associati (1976)
Onda Nueva Instrumental - Artist: Aldemaro Romero - Velvet Música (1976)
Silence and Other Sounds - Artist: Roxy Robinson - ONE (1977)
Dissonanza-Consonanza - Artist: Enrico Intra - Musica Jazz (1999)
Circle - Artist: Pérez Prado (re-edit) - Schema (2013)
Escandalo - Artist: Pérez Prado - (re-edit) - Schema (2014)
Love Child - Artist: Pérez Prado / Don Alfio - (re-edit) - Schema (2014)

As performer, arranger, conductor on other artists' singles
  "Grande grande grande" - Artist: Mina - PDU (1971)
  "Domenica sera" - Artist:  Mina - PDU (1973)
  "E poi" - Artist: Mina - PDU (1973)
  "Lamento d'amore" - Artist: Mina  - PDU (1973)
  "La scala buia" - Artist: Mina -  PDU (1974)
  "L'importante è finire" - Artist: Mina -  PDU (1975)
  "Nuda" - Artist: Mina -  PDU  (1976)
  "Città Vuota (It's a Lonely Town)" - Artist: Mina -  PDU (1978)
  "Dentro" - Artist: Beba Loncar  - CBS Records (1978)
  "Momento" - Artist: Wess & Dori Ghezzi -  Durium (1979)
  "Pazzo non amore mio/L'Unica" - Artist: Filipponio -  Cetra Records (1979)
  "Regina del futuro/Noia" - Artist: Marisa Sacchetto - F1 Team (1981)
  "Quale appuntamento" - Artist: Eleonora Giorgi - Dischi Ricordi  (1981)

As performer
 "Che vale per me/Eccomi" - Artist: Eartha Kitt - RCA (1968)
 "La vita/Without A Word" - Artist: Shirley Bassey - United Artists (1968)
 "Domani domani/Pronto sono io"  - Artist: Shirley Bassey - United Artists (1968)
 "Yes/To Give"  - Artist: Shirley Bassey - United Artists (1968)
 "E' giorno/If You Go Away" - Artist: Shirley Bassey - United Artists (1968)
 "Chi si vuole bene come noi/Epirops" - Artist: Shirley Bassey - United Artists (1968)
 "Com'è piccolo il mondo/Manchi solo tu" - Artist: Shirley Bassey - United Artists (1968)
 "Concerto d'autunno/You Are My Way Of Life" - Artist: Shirley Bassey - United Artists (1969)
 "Ora che sei qui/Something" - Artist: Shirley Bassey - United Artists (1970)
 "Non preoccuparti/Adesso ricomincerei" - Artist: Lara Saint Paul, arranger-conductor Quincy Jones - Polydor (1973)
 "Cara Fatina/Lettera a Pinocchio" - Artist: Tony Renis, arranger-conductor Quincy Jones - ref : CDI (2001)

TV Shows 
 1964 : Questo & Quello (Rai Uno) - Bassist, Singer (Hosted by Giorgio Gaber)
 1965/1966 : Le Nostre Serate (Rai Due) - Bassist, Singer (Hosted by Giorgio Gaber)
 1969 : Sanremo Festival (Rai Uno) - Bassist with Wilson Pickett
 1977 : Auditorio A (Rai Due) - Composer, Arranger, Conductor   (Guest appearance by Maynard Ferguson)
 1980 : C'era due volte (Rai Due) - Composer, Arranger, Conductor  (Guest appearances by Peter Tosh)
 1983 : Il Cappello sulle ventitré (Rai Due) - Composer, Arranger, Conductor (Hosted by Gino Paoli)

Martial Arts 
Presti has trained in Shotokan karate and Goshindo under master Hiroshi Shirai  from 1967 to 1985. He has also trainded on several occasions under other famous Japanese masters such as Taiji Kase, Hidetaka Nishiyama, Keinosuke Enoeda, Takeshi Naito, Hideo Ochi. Presti holds a fifth degree black belt obtained n Rome, in 1987.

References

Bibliography 
Mina, storia di un Mito raccontato, di Nino Romano,  Rusconi pub., 1986
 Autori Vari (a cura di Gino Castaldo), Dizionario della canzone italiana,  Curcio pub., 1990
 Mina, Mito e Mistero, di Nino Romano,  Sperling & Kupfer pub., 1996
 Mina, i mille volti di una voce, di Romy Padoano, Arnoldo Mondadori pub., 1998
 Divina Mina, di Dora Giannetti, Zelig pub., 1998
 The Jazz Discography, by Tom Lord), The Thomas Lord pub., 2009 (Musician list)
 The Gerry Mulligan Collection, by Craig Hanley,  Barnes & Noble pub.
 Knight Library's Jazz Collection, by Douglas Room, UO Libraries pub. 2009
 Franco Califano. Non escludo il ritorno, by  Salvatore Coccoluto, Imprimatur pub. - Interview with Pino Presti  , 2014
 La Storia dalla Disco Music, by Andrea Angeli Bufalini / Giovanni Savastano, Hoepli pub., 2019
 Mina, Una Voce Universale, by Luca Cerchiari, Mondadori, , 2020

Other websites

 

1943 births
Living people
21st-century Italian composers
Bassists
Entertainers from Milan
20th-century Italian composers
Italian conductors
Jazz musicians
Martial artists
Pop musicians