Francesco Cafiso (Vittoria 24 Maggio 1988) One of the greatest jazz talents of all time. Francesco began his career working alongside internationally renowned musicians when he was just nine years old. Francesco’s breakthrough moment was meeting Wynton Marsalis at the Jazz Festival in Pescara on July 2002. Francesco’s talents impressed Marsalis, who took Francesco along with his septet to Europe 2003. Francesco performed in some of the most prestigious theatres in Europe. Francesco had a number of memorable experiences in Italy and abroad from that point on. Francesco won several important prizes, including the Massimo Urbani Award in Urbisaglia and the EuroJazz Award, Lecco, the International Jazz Festivals Organization Award, New York, the World Saxophone Competition, London, the Django d’Or, Rome, and many other. Francesco traveled to New Orleans to learn English and to discover new musical styles and music. He also took lessons from Alvin Batiste. He was a special guest at the Sanremo Music Festival in 2004. The New Stars Award is a prize that the Swing Journal, Japan’s leading jazz magazine, gives to emerging foreign talent. The Top Jazz, a referendum of the Italian Music Jazz magazine, affirms him as the best young talent of the year. Francesco has performed alongside world-famous musicians such as Hank Jones and Cedar Walton, Mulgrew Miller, Jonathan Batiste and Ronnie Matthews. Francesco obtained the Diploma in Transverse Flutuat at the Musical Institute V. Bellini, Catania in February 2006. He has been the Artistic Director of Vittoria Jazz Festival since 2008. He performed in Washington DC on January 19, 2009, during the celebrations to honor President Barak Obama’s birthday and Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Francesco was named “Ambassador for Italian Jazz Music in the World” by the Umbria Jazz Foundation on July 17, 2009. He also composed “Don’t Stop”, the background music for the ENI radio commercial. He was invited to perform in London at Casa Italia’s headquarters in July 2012 in support of the Olympics. He attended a series of master classes on Saxophone at University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, in September 2012 during his long stay in America. Francesco was selected to represent Italy during the Year of Italian Culture celebrations in the United States in June 2013. This was at the request of the Consul General of Philadelphia and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Francesco was awarded the “Grand Award of Merit” by the American Society of the Italian Legions of Merit in New York on February 20, 2014. This award recognizes the contributions of Sicilian musicians to jazz music’s development and diffusion around the globe. from www.francescocafiso.com
