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Franco Cerri

Cerri was born in Milan and learned to play guitar when he was 17. In 1945 he became a member of the group led by Gorni Kramer and joined the orchestra of the television show Buone vacanze. He played double bass in addition to guitar starting in the 1950s, such as with Chet Baker and Buddy Collette. He has also played with Dizzy Gillespie, Johnny Griffin, Stéphane Grappelli, Lars Gullin, Billie Holiday, Lee Konitz, Gerry Mulligan, Lou Bennett, Bud Shank, Tony Scott, Django Reinhardt, Phil Woods, and the Modern Jazz Quartet. He cited as influences Django Reinhardt, Barney Kessell, and René Thomas.

Cerri has led quartets and quintets with Tullio De Piscopo, Pino Presti, Gianluigi Trovesi, Flavio Ambrosetti, and Jean-Luc Ponty.

In 1980 he formed a duo with pianist Enrico Intra, with whom he founded the "Civica Scuola di Jazz" in Milan.

On 1 January 2006, he was knighted by President Carlo Azeglio Ciampi.

Franco Cerri: Barber Shop 2

Read "Barber Shop 2" reviewed by Angelo Leonardi

by Angelo Leonardi
September 23, 2016

Franco Cerri è uno dei pochi jazzisti italiani che mette tutti d'accordo, critica e pubblico: un magnifico artista e un uomo d'innata simpatia, che ha divulgato il jazz in Italia quando non esistevano i festival estivi e questa musica era un fenomeno marginale. I novant'anni d'età e i settanta di carriera artistica sono stati festeggiati a fine gennaio al Teatro Dal Verme di Milano, in un concerto di grande successo che annunciava quest'incisione, secondo capitolo del disco Barber ...

Album Review

Franco Cerri: One, Two, Three, Quartet

Read "One, Two, Three, Quartet" reviewed by Angelo Leonardi

by Angelo Leonardi
March 16, 2016

Ascoltare Franco Cerri è sempre un grande piacere. L'uscita di questo disco coincide con il suo novantesimo compleanno e celebra i 70 anni di una carriera prestigiosa, che l'ha visto affermarsi tra i massimi chitarristi europei e lasciare un segno profondo nel nostro panorama musicale, anche oltre l'ambito del jazz. L'incisione è stata propiziata da Stefano Coppari, giovane chitarrista marchigiano che collabora con Cerri da qualche anno dopo averlo conosciuto in occasione della sua tesi di laurea. Il ...

Obituary

Franco Cerri (1926-2021)

Source: JazzWax by Marc Myers
October 20, 2021

Franco Cerri, one of the world's finest jazz guitarists whose records and reputation have escaped most American jazz aficionados due to his desire to spend his career in Italy, died on October 18. He was 95. Ruggedly handsome with a joyous sense of swing and impeccable taste, Cerri (pronounced “Cherry") made nearly all of his recordings in Milan, starting in 1945. Touring American jazz stars knew him well and that he could play bass as proficiently as the guitar. Over ...
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