| Biography | Antonio Forcione (born is an Italian-born guitarist-composer. Winner of numerous awards, he has released 17 albums of largely original material. He tours internationally in festivals and for charity performances and masterclass workshops.
Forcione was born in a village on the Adriatic shore of Molise in southern Italy. He first drew public attention at 13 when he toured Italy with his own band as a guitarist, mandolinist and drummer. 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 2 months he had won an award which led to a BBC television appearance before being whisked off to open for Barclay James Harvest on a major European tour, culminating in a concert at Wembley Arena. Since then 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, double-billed/supported and recorded with artists such as Bobby McFerrin, Phil Collins, Jools Holland, Zucchero, Pino Daniele, Charlie Haden, John McLaughlin, Trilok Gurtu, Steps Ahead, Leo Kotke, Bireli Lagrene, Eduardo Niebla amongst others. 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.
Antonio's constant search for outlets to his creativity led him to collaborate and tour 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 a prolific composer, and most of the pieces performed are his own. His compositions are a tapestry of influences from African and the Latin countries, interwoven with classical, flamenco and Indian rhythms. The result is a unique and personal sound, meticulously wrought. His live performances are known for their dynamic and original delivery, and for the charisma of the man himself.
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" |