Amazed by Francesco’s qualities, Marsalis took him along with his septet on his European tour 2003, where Francesco performed in prestigious theaters in Europe. From that moment on his career has been a crescendo, both in Italy and abroad. He has been awarded several important prizes and has been performing with a long list of musicians.

In 2004, he participated as special guest in the Sanremo Music Festival. In 2005 the Swing Journal, the authoritative Japanese jazz music magazine, presents him with the New Stars Award, a prize reserved to the emergent foreign talents. Immediately after,  Top Jazz, of the Italian Music Jazz magazine, recognizes him as the best new talent of the year.

 

Since 2008 he has been Artistic director of the “Vittoria Jazz Festival” in Vittoria his native city. On January 19, 2009 he played in Washington DC during the celebrations in honor of President Barak Obama and Martin Luther King Jr. day. On July 17, 2009 the Umbria Jazz Foundation named Francesco “Ambassador of the Italian jazz music in the world.”

 

In September of 2012, during a long stay in the United States, he has held a series of master classes in Saxophone at the prestigious University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. In June 2013, at the behest of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Consul General of Philadelphia, in collaboration with the American Secretary of State John Kerry, Francesco was chosen to represent Italy  during the celebrations of the Year of Italian Culture in the United States.



On February 20, 2014 Francesco, received in New York the “Grand Award of Merit” by the “American Society of the Italian Legions of Merit”, for the  contribution to Sicilian jazz and the development and diffusion of jazz music in the world.

 

In March 2015, the ambitious musical work called "3" (Alfredo Lo Faro Productions) was released. It consists of three albums which are profoundly different from each other: “La Banda", "Contemplation" and "20 Cents per Notes.” Published simultaneously, the three albums see Cafiso in the role of composer, arranger and performer.


About the Artist:

Francesco Cafiso (born in Vittoria [2], Sicily [3] on May 24, 1989) is an Italian jazz musician who plays alto saxophone [4]. He began playing at age nine and premiered in 2001. In 2003 he toured Europe with Wynton Marsalis [5]. In 2005, at age sixteen, he won Italy's version of the Golden Django [6]. He has recently received a diploma for flute.

On 19 January 2009 he played in Washington DC [7] during the festivities in honor of President Barack Obama [8] and Martin Luther King Jr. day.

Thursday, June 9th

Italian Cultural Institute, 686 Park Avenue (at 68th st.)

6:30 pm
RSVP [9]

Produced by Enzo Capua