Francesco Buzzurro plays standards: "Donna Lee" (Charlie Parker)
Francesco Buzzurro's lifelong privileged connection with guitar started at the tender age of six when his father gave him his first guitar, which will then lead him to study classical guitar. After earning his Diploma at "Conservatorio Scontrino" in Trapani he perfected himself at the "Arts Academy" in Rome under the guidance of big concert performers like David Russell, Alberto Ponce, Hopkinson Smith and John Duarte. After taking his Degree in Foreign Languages and Literatures, he started an intense concert activity that brought him to travel all over the world: from America, to Mexico, to Germany, to Spain and Turkey. As a classical guitarist he won three national competitions and on top of his studies of classical music and of his passion for folk music, he soon develops an interest in jazz music, which bring him to graduate in Jazz Music with Honourable Mention. Thanks to a deep search about this specific genre of music, he finds his individual and unique style of improvisation, which show influences from bossanova, ethnic music and latin jazz. Because of his distinctive technique of improvisation on classical guitar and to his recognition as a mould breaker guitarist, he is regularly invited each year from the "University of Southern California" in Los Angeles as a teacher for seminars available for both classical and jazz guitar departments. His talent and abilities lead him to become a member of three prestigious Sicilian orchestras: the "Sicilia Jazz Big Band", the "Orchestra Jazz Siciliana", as a first guitarist, and later the "Orchestra di Musica Contemporanea Città di Palermo". Within this well known ensembles, he has performed with some of the international and national jazz and pop greats such as Toots Thielemans, Diane Schurr, Arturo Sandoval, Peter Erskine, Phil Woods, Richard Smith, Antonella Ruggiero, Renzo Arbore, Lucio Dalla, Joe Bowie, Bob Mintzer, Bill Russo, Vince Mendoza, Frank Foster, Bireli Lagréne, Mickey Howard, Richard Smith and Francesco Cafiso. In 2010 he was awarded by the President of the Italian Republic Giorgio Napolitano for composing the soundtrack of the documentary film "Io ricordo". He recently recorded two new cds under his name, One world two guitars in duo setting with Richard Smith and One man band in solo version for the German Label Acoustic music records. Today he is one of the most appreciated and multifaceted Italian guitarists and teaches Jazz Guitar at "Conservatorio Martucci" in Salerno.
