Franco Luciani
I feel Franco Luciani is likely the finest chromatic harmonica player living today. His artistic interpretations are sublime, and his control of the chromatic harmonica at the highest levels. Originally from Argentina, he is able to play Astor Piazzolla’s modern tangos with the energy and timing which would fully satisfy the composer Piazzolla, and this is a rare accomplishment indeed.
The following is from his website…Francoluciani.com.ar
Instrumentalist, harmonica player, composer and singer, he is considered by Argentine critics and press as one of the most notable and talented musicians of the new generation. He began his studies as a percussionist, trained academically in Rosario (Province of Santa Fe), where he was born in 1981. He studied at the Municipal School of Music, at the National University of Rosario and at the Provincial School of Music of the same city where Received with the title of National Maestro of Music, with specialty in Percussion (Symphony and Drum), but found his professional way through the harmonica, especially the chromatic one.
He is a cultist of Argentine popular music, both rural and urban (folklore and tango). This inclination led him to compete in the Pre Cosquín Contest of the National Folklore Festival in 2002, where he won the Instrumental Soloist competition and then won the Cosquín Revelation Prize in 2002 (a festival he has participated in uninterruptedly until present). With his proposals he has traveled throughout his country, as well as presentations and tours abroad with his own formations in Uruguay (Montevideo), Brazil (Bello Horizonte, Curitiba and San Pablo), Paraguay (Asuncion), Spain (Madrid and Catalonia, Among others), Belgium (Brussels), France (Paris, Lyon, Nice, Tarbes and Albi, among others), England, London, Patras, Canada and Vancouver, ) And Indonesia (Bali), As a special guest, in Italy and England (along with Mercedes Sosa in its presentations in Milan, Rome and London 2008) and in the USA, Peru and Chile (with Peruvian singer Eva Ayllon on a homage to Chabuca Granda for the most important cities Of that country), among others. Currently has eight record productions: Armusa (Franco Luciani Group, Tango and instrumental Folklore, 2002, reprint Acqua Records 2010). Tango and Instrumental Folklore – Acqua Records, 2007), Sanluca Project (Sanluca Project, Folklore and Tango – Acqua Records, 2009). ), False Limits (Franco Luciani and Federico Lechner, Acqua Records, 2010), Franco Luciani Tango Trio (Tango Instrumental – Acqua Records, 2012) and Franco Luciani Grupo Folklore (Instrumental Folklore – Acqua Records, 2012) and Gardelería (Franco Luciani and Federico Lechner, Acqua Records, 2014) production awarded with the Gardel 2015 “Alternative Tango” award. It is part of the CD tribute to the master of the harmonica of the jazz Toots Thielemans, “We Do it out of love”, along with other outstanding harmonists of the whole world. It is part of the “Masters of the Harmonica” video gallery of the world’s most prestigious instrument, the German Hohner, of which it is an international endorser, as one of the most outstanding interpreters of the instrument in the world. It is part of the CD tribute to the master of the harmonica of the jazz Toots Thielemans, “We Do it out of love”, along with other outstanding harmonists of the whole world. It is part of the “Masters of the Harmonica” video gallery of the world’s most prestigious instrument, the German Hohner, of which it is an international endorser, as one of the most outstanding interpreters of the instrument in the world. It is part of the CD tribute to the master of the harmonica of the jazz Toots Thielemans, “We Do it out of love”, along with other outstanding harmonists of the whole world. It is part of the “Masters of the Harmonica” video gallery of the world’s most prestigious instrument, the German Hohner, of which it is an international endorser, as one of the most outstanding interpreters of the instrument in the world.
He has shared stages, tours and participated in recordings of a wide range of renowned national and international artists (Mercedes Sosa, Fito Paez, Raúl Carnota, Pedro Aznar, Jaime Torres, Divididos, Guillermo Fernández, León Gieco, Luís Salinas, Maria Graña, Teresa Parodi, Horacio Molina, Amelita Baltar, Duo Coplanacu, Víctor Heredia, Eva Ayllon, Juan Carlos Baglietto, Jairo, Gotan Project, Lila Downs and Tomatito, among others). She has been a recipient of several national awards, including: Clarín Awards 2005, Trimarg 2007 (UNESCO), Atahualpa 2008, Clarín Awards 2009 Nomination “Figura del folclore” (integrating the contest with Mercedes Sosa and Teresa Parodi) and Prize “Consecration “2010 Cosquín National Folklore Festival in its gold edition…
A link to one of the finest videos on a chromatic harmonica player I’ve ever viewed…Franco Luciani visits a private studio to perform Astor Piazzolla’s OBLIVION
www.youtube.com/watch?v=NQC7ZsVblus
more…
Franco Luciani
Instrumentalist, composer, vocalist and harmonica interpreter Franco Luciani is considered by Argentine critics and the media to be one of the most remarkable and talented musicians of the new generation. Born in Rosario (Santa Fe, Argentina), in 1981, I started out studying drums and percussion. He attended the National University of Rosario, the Municipal School of Music, and the Provincial School of Music in his hometown, graduating from this last institution with the nationally Validated degree of Music Teacher Specialized in Symphonic and Drum Percussion. However, he ultimately carved out a professional career as a harmonica player, covering all types of harmonicas, but specializing in the chromatic one. He is an exponent of Argentine popular music, Both rural and urban (folk music and tango, respectively). This inclination led him to compete in the Pre-Cosquín Contest of the Cosquín National Folklore Festival in 2002, where he was the winner in the ‘Instrumental Soloist’ category, and then awarded the 2002 Cosquín Best New Artist Award. This festival, in which Franco has taken part non-stop since then, is considered to be the most important festival of Argentine folk music, and one of the main folklore festivals in Latin America.
That was the beginning of his professional career, which is growing constantly and has led him to perform extensively with his various groups, both throughout his native country and abroad in countries like Uruguay, Brazil, Paraguay, Chile, Peru, Spain, Belgium, Germany , Austria, Canada, France (Paris and other cities), Germany, Luxembourg, Greece, Bulgaria and China (Shanghai), Australia (Brisbane), Indonesia (Bali), among others. She has also performed in Italy and England as a guest of the Argentinean folk singer Mercedes Sosa (in her concerts in Milan, Rome and London, in 2008), and in the USA with Peruvian singer Eva Ayllón A tribute to Chabuca Granda, and which included major US cities). Franco has released nine records: Armusa (Franco Luciani Group, tango and folk music, 2002, Re-released by Acqua Records in 2010), Harmonica and Tango (Franco Luciani Dúo, tango – Acqua Records, 2006), Acqua Records (Franco Luciani Group, tango and folk music – 2007), Sanluca Project , Folk Music and Tango – Acqua Records, 2009), False Limits (Franco Luciani and Federico Lechner, Acqua Records, 2010), Franco Luciani Group Folklore (Acqua Records, 2012), Franco Luciani Tango Trío (Youkali 2013-Spain, Acqua Records 2014), Anda en el aire (Acqua Records, 2017). He has taken part in the CD homage to the CD jazz harmonica master Toots Thielemans, “We do it out of love” along with other world class harmonica players. He has also shared the stage, toured and taken part in recordings with a great number of renowned Argentine and foreign artists, such as Mercedes Sosa, Fito Páez, Raúl Carnota, Chango Spasiuk, Pedro Aznar, Jaime Torres, Divided, Guillermo Fernández, Leon Gieco, Luis Salinas, Teresa Parodi, Maria Volonté, Horacio Molina, Maria Graña, Amelita Baltar, Duo Coplanacu, Víctor Heredia, Eva Ayllón, Juan Carlos Baglietto, Jairo, Gotan Project and Lila Downs, among others. Franco has been honored with many prizes, the most prestigious being the 2005 Clarín Entertainment Award, the 2007 Trimarg award (UNESCO), the 2008 Atahualpa Award (given to Argentine folk music), the ‘Folk Figure’ nomination for The 2009 Clarín Entertainment Award (alongside Mercedes Sosa and Teresa Parodi in the shortlist), the 2010 Cosquín Established Artist Award in the golden edition of the Cosquín National Folklore Festival,
He is considered a master of the harmonica by the world’s most prestigious brand of instrument, Hohner of Germany, and he is honored by membership in the Hohner online gallery, Masters of the Harmonica. Franco is an international endorser of Hohner. Currently, he has taken part in various musical groups with which he is performing extensively on both national and international tours. In addition to this, he is now working on the recording of subsequent records.
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