Francesco Amenta

I discovered my passion for the saxophone at the age of 16 in a small music school in Bologna. Later I studied with Piero Odorici and attended jazz seminars at "Siena Jazz" and "Jazz Urbino". The seminars were a great opportunity to play in a big band scenario, with musicians such as Paolo Fresu, Enrico Rava, Marco Tamburini, Roberto Rossi, Eddie Henderson and George Garzone. I continued my studies at the Conservatory of Verona with Barry Harris, at the American School of Modern Music in Paris with Johnny Griffin and Charles Lloyd, at the Conservatory of Music "G.B. Martini" in Bologna with Barend Middelhoff and Tomaso Lama, in the same period I also had the opportunity to study with Tom Kirkpatrick and especially with Bob Franceschini. Then I moved to The Hague, Holland, where I attended the Royal Conservatory (Koninklijk Conservatorium Den Haag) learning from musicians like Toon Roos, Eric Gieben, Erik Ineke, Rolf Delfos, and I had the opportunity to attend master classes with Gwilym Simcock, Dave Glasser, Dave Libman, Joshua Redman, Aron Parks. ​ I currently live and work in New York City. In New York I play regularly in jazz clubs, restaurants, and I also work with dance companies such as Sue Samuel's "Jazz Roots Dance Company".

Professionally I have collaborated with Italian actor Edoardo Siravo in some theatre projects for prose, and with Lucio Caliendo in the soundtrack of the film "Dreaming by Number", produced for Dutch television and nominated for the International Documentary Film Festival in Amsterdam.

Since 13 years I have been collaborating, and I have collaborated as a lead and sideman with several international musicians, including Bobby Durham, Andrea Burani, Alessandro Altarocca, Flavio Davanzo, Francesca Tandoi, Bruno Cesselli, Jacopo Zanette, Katja Hyunjung, Nico Menci, Giani Lincan, Tony Davis, Marco Panascia, Cyrus Chestnut, Brian Charette, Gary Kerkuzou, Marius Van Den Brink, Kimon Karoutzos.

My discography as composer and leader includes the albums : "Colors Ties", released in 2015, recorded in Holland and produced by the label " To Be Jazz" and distributed by Self Music (IRMA RECORD) . "Midtown Walk" with Cyrus Chestnut, will be released in January 2021, recorded in New York (USA), under the direction and co-production of John Lee, legendary Dizzy Gillespie double bassist Sonny Rollins and many other great musicians. The album will be released on the Amenta Music International (A.M.I) label, published by BMI. Since 2015 I have been performing at various jazz festivals and jazz clubs in the Netherlands, Italy and Belgium and the US.

In Europe I have played at "Jazz It", "Jazz di Marca", "Biennale" in Venice and the "Leiden Jazz Festival", Den Haag Jazz Festival and many others. Show less