About

Hailing from Palermo, Italy, Francesco began his musical journey with piano lessons at the age of 5. His lifelong passion for music blossomed early, influenced by his father's extensive record collection and a particular interest in Jazz. Later, his natural affinity for the saxophone was apparent from the first time he held the instrument at the age of 11.

During his teenage years, he crossed paths with highly praised Italian jazz drummer Stefano Bagnoli, with whom he toured around Italy as a sideman for “We Kids” Trio, and recorded four albums for some major Italian jazz record companies, namely Ultrasound Records, Abeat Records, and Jazzit Records.

Francesco is the recipient of numerous national and international awards, such as the “International Jazz Award Massimo Urbani (2012)”, “Premio Marco Tamburini (2015)”, “Carinthian International Jazz Award (2018)”. He also was selected for "Air – Artist in Residence", a project promoted by the Association of Italian Jazz Musicians and supported by SIAE, which awarded him a residency in Lima, Peru, at the Italian Institute of Culture, where he performed concerts and gave masterclasses. In 2012, he earned a scholarship to attend the prestigious Berklee Five-Week Program at Berklee College of Music in Boston.

In 2016, Francesco’s path led him to the United States, dividing his time between Boston and New York, where he had the chance to meet and play with internationally acclaimed musicians, including the well-known saxophonist Harry Allen, with whom he undertook a tour in Italy. In 2023, he decided to move to New York City to bring his musical career a step forward and in the same year he recorded the album “A Sound In Common,” featuring the internationally acclaimed guitarist Peter Bernstein.

Over the year, Francesco had the opportunity to share the stage with internationally recognized musicians such as: Peter Bernstein, Harry Allen, Stjepko Gut, Michael Weiss, Justin Salisbury, Adam Arruda, Joey Ranieri, Emanuele Basentini, Dario Deidda, Salvatore Bonafede, Giuseppe Cucchiara, Francesco Cafiso, Stefano Bagnoli, Marcello Pellitteri, Flavio Boltro and many others.

He has also been invited to perform at some of the most important venues in the US, Europe, and Latin America such as, Mezzrow Jazz Club and Ornithology Jazz Club in New York City; Black Cat Jazz Club in San Francisco; Lima Jazz Festival in Peru’; Umbria Jazz Festival in Italy.