BIO
Guitarist Francesco Lo Castro fuses his Italian melodic sense with funk, drum & bass, jazz harmonies and improvisation for a totally original experience.
Either in Trio or Quartet formations he plays his original music bringing together his Italian background and love of jazz with contemporary funk, soundscape and drum & bass influences.
Aside from his solo work Francesco has a long standing collaboration as guitarist and musical director with international multi-platinum recording artist Patrizio Buanne with whom he has toured the USA, Australia, Asia, Europe and Sounth Africa.
He has also recorded for Geoff Wilkinson (Us3), Joel Colpepper and Kay Young and performed with Jim Mullen, Francesco Mendolia (Incognito), great italian trumpeter Fulvio Sigurta’, Roberto Manzin (James Brown), two times Grammy Award Winner Eric DeFade, Matteo Becucci (XFactor Italy winner 2009), jazz award winner singer Michela Lombardi, Maurizio Minardi and Bruno D’Ambra among others.
In his career he has performed in prestigious venues and festivals. Among others the Montreal Jazz Festival, Hamer Hall (Melbourne), The State Theater (Sydney), The Concert Hall (New York), the Expo Center (Singapore), The Berklee Performance Center (Boston), the Benedum (Pittsburgh), Barbican Center (London), O2 Arena (London), the Pisa Jazz Festival, Palatrussardi Arena (Milan), Ronnie Scott (London), 606Club (London) and Pizza Express (London).
Francesco is a prolific composer and, to date, has released 14 albums of original music all with his own record and publishing label FLoCastro Records.
Contact: info@flocastro.com
To stream music from any of the albums follow this link : https://francescolocastro.bandcamp.com
BAND LINE UPS
Francesco’s live band includes some of the best musicians on the UK and Italian music scene including:
Keys/Organ/Piano
Sam Leak
Marco Marconi
Andrew Young
Anita Lazinska
Claudio Corona
Bass
Rob Statham
Johnny Wickham
Drums
Cosimo Keita
Neil Bullock
Eric Ford
Sax
Roberto Manzin
Plus occasional guests
SOCIAL
PHOTOS
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VIDEOS
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PRESS QUOTES
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“Lo Castro’s guitar soared into the musical stratosphere”
Ian Mann – The JazzMan
“It has been my pleasure to play and record with Francesco Lo Castro. He plays beautifully, swings with authority and is always in the moment as an improviser and accompanist. I look forward to more collaborations with him and expect great things from him in the future”
John Stowell
“…chases beauty throughout his engaging album, and also captures beauty, like lightning in a bottle.”
Jeffrey Uhrich – All About Jazz
“Songs for duke” captures the true spirit of Ellington with beautiful original melodies and superb interplay between these two fine musicians”
Trudy Kerr – Broadcaster BBC Radio across the south
“There is no doubting Francesco’s prowess on both acoustic and electric guitar”
Mary James – Only Jazz
“For a Duo, Bruno and Francesco produce a big warm sound on this delightful set of original compositions inspired by Duke Ellington…highly recommended”
Jim Mullen
“Pin Sharp Melodies”
Adrian Pallant – AP Reviews
“Quality interplay of the highest order”
Enza Moscaritolo – Jazz Convention
“The playing and musicianship all round are outstanding”
Rich Rainlore – World of Music
“Incredibly Poetic”
Joseph F. Pagano, Roberta Russo – Radio Eco
“A concert where technique and refinement go hand in hand in perfect harmony”
Gianfranco Morisco – Puglia Live