Richard Galliano，1950年12月12日出生于法国戛纳。Piazzolla最后一个关门弟子，这位有着意大利血统的法国人，被誉为20世纪最杰出的手风琴家， 其手风琴技巧令人炫目，尤其是演奏Piazzolla的名曲“自由探戈”，在后世的无数版本中，这是最耀眼令人赞叹的。
Richard Galliano，这位有着意大利血统的法国人，被誉为20世纪最杰出的手风琴家，其手风琴技巧令人炫目，尤其是演奏Piazzolla的名曲“自由探戈”，在后世的无数版本中，这是最耀眼令人赞叹的。除了Libertango，如果从未听过Richard Galliano的音乐，推荐两首Vuelvo al sur和New York Tango，前者也是Piazzolla的名曲，连电子组合Gotan Project的演绎都令人印象深刻，自是不用说。后者则是Galliano的作品，他融入了即兴爵士的手法，豪华的乐队伴奏，是在此之前从未有过的新探戈的尝试。
Richard Galliano四岁起就跟随其父练习手风琴，少年时代迷恋上了爵士，尤其从小号手Clifford Brown的音乐中得到启示，并很快驱使他投入到爵士音乐这片新天地中，70年代他移居法国后，就开始为一些著名的爵士乐手伴奏，诸如Chet Baker, Ron Carter, Michel Petrucciani, Jan Garbarek等。直到他遇见给他带来巨大影响的人： Astor Piazzolla。
Richard Galliano曾经说过，Piazzolla就是他的导师，引导他掌握自己的风格，并一直鼓励他，让他充满信心，直到Piazzolla逝世，他们一直是伙伴关系。在与Piazzolla合作这段时期内，Richard Galliano重拾欧洲民谣的传统，以一种全新的方式来表达他内心的探戈。虽然六角的小手风琴bandoneon琴作为一样非常本土化特殊的民间乐器，在爵士乐中绝少有成功者，且难登高雅之堂，但是Richard Galliano的却成功地将探戈这种小酒馆式的小调舞曲以手风琴与管弦乐队合作的手法来演绎，有时候甚至气势恢弘，带有强烈的英雄诗歌体般的气韵。
他还接触了广泛的国际音乐人，与许多人有过合作。2003年在瑞士的Willisau爵士音乐会上，Richard Galliano连同六名音乐家演奏了一场精彩的音乐会--Piazzolla Forever，更是至今为止最令人大开眼界的探戈作品。
如果你在寻找手风琴在世界各地的足迹，不管是在芬兰、地中海岸、南美阿根廷，盖利安诺这张拥有独特风格又包罗万象的专辑，一定会让你拥有环抱世界般的丰富和甜蜜。
Accordionist Richard Galliano did for European folk — specifically, the early-20th-century French ballroom dance form known as musette — what his mentor Astor Piazzolla did for the Argentinean tango. Galliano re-imagined and revitalized a musical tradition, expanding its emotional range to reflect modern sensibilities, and opening it up to improvisation learned through American jazz. In fact, Galliano was more of a jazz musician than a folk one, although he blurred the lines so much that distinctions were often difficult to make. Born in France of Italian stock, Galliano began playing accordion (as his father did) at a young age. He later picked up the trombone, and studied composition at the Academy in Nice; he also fell in love with jazz as a teenager, particularly cool-era Miles Davis and Clifford Brown, and made it his primary focus by the late 60s. Making a living as a jazz accordionist naturally proved difficult; fortunately, after moving to Paris in 1973, he landed a position as conductor, arranger, and composer for Claude Nougaros orchestra. He remained there until 1976, and went on to work with numerous American and European jazz luminaries, including Chet Baker, Joe Zawinul, Toots Thielemans, Ron Carter, Michel Petrucciani, and Jan Garbarek. After meeting Astor Piazzolla, Galliano refocused on his European heritage, and set about reviving and updating musette, widely considered antiquated at the time. He signed with Dreyfus in 1993, and the label gave him enough exposure to cause a stir first in his home country, then among international jazz and world music fans. Regular recordings followed, some with clarinetist/soprano saxophonist Michel Portal, some with guitarist Jean Marie Ecay, some with his favorite rhythm section of bassist Jean-François Jenny-Clark and drummer Daniel Humair (after Jenny-Clarks untimely death, Rémi Vignolo took his place). In 2001, Dreyfus released Gallianissimo, a compilation drawing from his seven albums for the label.