Years active ?-present Name Antonio Forcione | ||
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Website www.antonioforcione.com Role Guitarist · antonioforcione.com Albums Meet Me in London, Heartplay, Sketches Of Africa, Ghetto Paradise, Vento Del Sud Similar People Sabina Sciubba, Eduardo Niebla, Charlie Haden, Trilok Gurtu, Rossana Casale Profiles | ||
Occupation(s) Guitarist, composer | ||
Antonio forcione alhambra
Antonio Forcione is an Italian guitarist. He has released 18 albums of largely original material and won several awards. Forcione tours internationally in festivals and for charity performances and masterclass workshops.
Contents
- Antonio forcione alhambra
- I heard it through the grapevine antonio forcione live
- Early life
- Career
- Awards and recognition
- Discography
- References
I heard it through the grapevine antonio forcione live
Early life
Forcione was born in a village on the Adriatic shore of Molise in southern Italy. He first toured Italy at age 13 in the 1970s. A few years later he obtained a diploma in art and sculpture from the Art Institute in Ancona where he also studied percussion. For a further two years he studied harmony and mime in Rome, before moving to London in 1983. Unable to speak English, he initially made ends meet by busking in the streets of London's Covent Garden. Within two months he had won an award which led to a BBC television appearance before being whisked off to open for the rock band Barclay James Harvest on a European tour, culminating in a concert at Wembley Arena.
Career
Since his first European tour he has collaborated with many artists, touring the world and performing both solo and with other artists in duo, trio or quartet. He has performed or recorded with artists such as Bobby McFerrin, Phil Collins, Jools Holland, Zucchero, Pino Daniele, Charlie Haden, John McLaughlin, Trilok Gurtu, Steps Ahead, Leo Kottke, Biréli Lagrène, and Eduardo Niebla. Other groups have included the Antonio Forcione Quartet, and duos with Brazilian percussionist Adriano Adewale. His latest group is AKA, a trio with Seiku Keita and Adriano Adewale.
Forcione collaborated and toured with various comedians such as Boothby Graffoe, Django Edwards, Stephen Frost, Tanderika and Ursus & Nadeschkin. Between 1992 and 1996 he performed with, and was musical director for, the award-winning musical flamencomedy group Olé.
Forcione is also a composer, and most of the pieces performed are his own. His compositions show influences from African and the Latin American countries, interwoven with classical, flamenco and Indian rhythms. Forcione currently lives in London.
Awards and recognition
His awards include Best Spirit of the Fringe Award at the Edinburgh Festival with a resulting tour of Australia, doing both straight music and music-comedy. Other awards include the Award for Excellence in Adelaide, the Premio Enriquez in Italy for best musician of the year, and the Premio Internazionale di Cultura Re Manfredi for his unique and innovative approach to music. Reviews of his albums have included his being dubbed "21st century 'Jimi Hendrix' of acoustic guitar"