Sicilian sax player Francesco Cafiso, one of the most precocious talents in the history of jazz music, performed at President Barack Obama’s inauguration ceremony.

20-years-old young jazz player from Vittoria (Ragusa, Sicily) will be guest of Wynton Marsalis’ “Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra” to play the “Inauguration and Martin Luther King Jr. Day” that will be held next January 19th, at the Eisenhower Theater at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C..

Artist Background:

One of the most precocious talents in the history of jazz is young saxophone player Francesco Cafiso. When he was barely nine years old, Francesco took his first steps, working with internationally famous musiciains. Meeting Wynton Marsalis in Pescara at a jazz festival held in July of 2002 was a decisive moment for Francesco’s career.

Amazed by Francesco’s qualities, Marsalis took him along with his septet on his European tour 2003, where Francesco performed in prestigious theaters in the largest cities in Europe. From that moment on, Francesco went through a series of important experience both in Italy and abroad.

He won various important prizes: the Massimo Urbani National Award in Urbisaglia, the Euro Jazz Award in Lecco, the International Jazz Festival’s Organization Award in New York, the World Saxophone Competition in London, the Djangod’Or in Rome and many others.

In order to improve his English, but most of all, in order to experience new musical styles and genres, Francesco went to New Orleans where he played with Ellis Marsalis, Jason Marsalis, Thadeus Richard, Bob Franch, Maurice Brown, and many other important local musicians while taking special lesson from Alvin Batiste. In 2005 Swing Journal conferred upon him the New Stars Award,a prize reserved for emerging foreign talents.

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For more information about Cafiso, please visit his site.
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