Franco d'Andrea

Franco D'Andrea, an Italian pianist and keyboardist, has stayed active since the 1960s through collaborations with visiting American musicians and by recording free-jazz and jazz-rock dates. His first sessions took place alongside Nunzio Rotondo and Gato Barbieri. Additional recording work followed with Franco Ambrosetti, Giorgio Azzolini, Giovanni Tommaso, Gianni Basso, and Enrico Rava. D'Andrea formed the Modern Art Trio in 1968 and four years later joined the jazz-rock group Perigeo. A steady stream of American jazz figures passed through his orbit, among them Dexter Gordon, Slide Hampton, Max Roach, and Lucky Thompson, while further sessions paired him with Lee Konitz, Conte Candoli, and Johnny Griffin. He entered Rava's quartet in 1979 and launched his own ensemble in 1983.