Photo courtesy Luka Bezila (A)
Biographical notes
He started playing the guitar at the age of 12. In 1986 he published his first blues book “My Acoustic Blues Guitar.”
He collaborated as a journalist for the magazine’s Guitar Club, Chitarre, and Acoustic Guitar.
He is the author of CDs, books and videos based on his compositions on traditional Italian, blues, jazz and Celtic music.
In the United States, he received the GPJ Folk Awards for independent music for the Cd Italian Fingerstyle Guitar as the best album in the category of ‘solo guitar.’
Concerts and guitar courses
He performs in Europe, the United States and Japan. He has been teaching and organizing fingerstyle guitar workshops for about 30 years. In Italy, in the Marche region, he opened a teaching space with Raffaella Luna, the Acoustic Guitar Workshops.
Live Performances
He performed with John Renbourn, Leo Kottke, Tim Sparks, Alex De Grassi and many others. He performs solo or duo with the singer Raffaella Luna with traditional Italian songs and original songs.
Repertoire
His repertoire has solid foundations in blues, jazz, Celtic music and Italian folk. Languages deepened with absolute competence during continuous research, with a distinctive and personal sound.
Music labels
MBG Ariola, Carisch, Bèrben, Acoustic Music Records, Acoustic Music Books, are the labels and publishers that have produced his works. Currently, he publishes with his Acoustic Guitar Workshops label.
DISCOGRAPHY
- Strings of Heart
- Canti lontani nel tempo (with Raffaella Luna)
- Back to My Best
- Miles of Blues
- Songs We Love (with Raffaella Luna)
- The Road to Lisdoonvarna
- Italian Fingerstyle Guitar
- Running Home
- Melodies of Memories
- The South Wind
- Guitàrea
- Stranalandia
BIBLIOGRAPHY
- Strings of Heart
- Fingerstyle Blues Collection
- Fingerstyle Jazz
- Italian Fingerstyle Guitar
- Easy Fingerstyle Songs
- 10 Duets for Fingerstyle Guitar con Ulli Boergershausen
- Back to My Best
- Melodies of Memories
- Celtic Fingerstyle Collection (The South Wind)
- Guitàrea
- Stranalandia
Live concerts
Photo courtesy Patrizia Messeri (I)
Acoustic Franciacorta-I
Acoustic Guitar Meeting –Sarzana-I
All-Star Guitar Night-Nashville–USA
All Star Guitar Night–Opatija–HR
Bormio Guitar International Meeting–I
Castello dei Doria–Dolceacqua-I
Chet Atkins A. Convention-Nashville–USA
Chitarre dal mondo–Teatro-Corte–I
Consolato Italiano-Dortmund–D
Consolato Italiano-Houston–USA
Festival Internazionale Chitarra-20°Edizione–I
Festival Villa Celimontana–Roma–I
Fingerstyle Guitar Festival-Wien-A
Folk Frueling Festival–Venne–D
Folkest–Spilimbergo-I
Guitar Festival–Linz–A
Guitar Festival–Singapore
Healdsburg Guitar Festival–Ca–USA
Honolulu, Orvis Theater–Hawaii–USA
International Guitar Night–D
International Guitar Tour–HU
International Guitar Tour–Japan
Istituto Italiano di Cultura-Wolfsburg-D
Jurandvor–Baska–HR
KVMR Celtic Festival–Ca–USA
Madame Guitar–Udine-I
Montelago Celtic Festival-I
Musicastrada–Pisa–I
Musicultura–Macerata-I
Open Strings-Osnabrueck–D
Otor–Saragozza–ES
Posthof–Linz–A
Sentieri Acustici–Pistoia–I
Soave Guitar Festival-I
Sala Filarmonica–Rovereto-I
Schondorf Guitar Festival–D
Teatro Excelsior–Chiasso–CH
Teatro Filarmonica–Macerata-I
Teatro Puccini–Merano-I
The Acoustic Strings Fest– Raalte–NL
The Kirkmichael Int. Guitar Fest.UK
Zagreb Guitar Summit–HR
Reviews
I’ve known Franco Morone and his music for a long time: from the far-off days of his splendid album debut “Stranalandia” (the year 1990 was running), and I have always greatly appreciated his studio and his live sound, clean style, refinement and taste in constantly searching for the right notes for the “perfect melody.” It has been a while since Franco Morone released a new record. This “Strings of Heart” has amply repaid the expectations of fans and devotees of acoustic “fingerpicking” guitar. A must-have record.
Strings of Heart, a most inspired album, synthesizes all the flair and feeling that have spanned a brilliant discography. Never pure technicality, nor exercises in style, but the natural and genuine afflatus that Morone can translate so naturally on his guitar. A total musician, to be discovered, rediscovered and loved for his profound and constant message.
“Franco Morone is probably the guitarist who can conjure up the most beautiful sounds. The Italian with the good smile has such a refined tone and elegant touch that make us feel surrounded by the beauty of his interpretations. Franco Morone’s sound on Strings of Heart is beauty at the tip of a feather.”
“Every track on Strings of Heart communicates emotions from the first listen, instrumental songs so beautiful they take your breath away. The sound is fluid, powerful, rhythmic, and melodic. Every single note is so sweet, round and clear to the listener. Franco Morone reached a level far beyond anything we ever dreamed of when we approached guitar-solo music.”
Once on stage, he gives us a simply superb concert, fresh, inspired and intense enough to make the audience skin their hands: do not miss Franco Morone if, with his magic guitar, happens one day in your area: I assure you will not regret it!
Franco is an artist who brought the history of the acoustic guitar to Italy. A refined musician, an excellent arranger, and an attentive connoisseur of the Italian and European folk heritage, he has written music pages on which the latest generations of guitarists have worn out their fingers.
Franco Morone confirms himself as a very talented composer and guitarist. His composition ideas drive to the style, just like Villa Lobos or John Renbourn.
Franco is one of our favourite acoustic guitarists. He is also a great teacher and a brilliant ambassador for fingerstyle guitar.
When Franco Morone plays, you can feel a deep intensity. Mostly eyes closed, the artist is 100% inside his music. He is a master at work when the magic happens. Every note he plays is necessary. Every tone contains an Italian feeling of lightness and Mediterranean poetry garnished with precious ornaments. Franco is a wanderer between musical styles – Celtic sounds, jazz, blues and much more – which he masters entirely and perfectly.
Franco is not only an excellent and world-renowned artist; his numerous publications and workshop series prove that he is also a great teacher!
I was lucky enough to walk into the Taylor Guitars booth at the Winter NAMM Show and hear this artist for the first time. What an incredible performance! Franco plays solo acoustic guitar in a variety of styles. He has an impeccable “feel” and the ability to play lush chords and melody at a time.
There is no doubt that Franco Morone is an acoustic guitar genius, definitely one of our favourite musicians. His playing is always a miracle of solid grooves, great melodies and a killer tone. His repertoire is versatile, full of interest and delightful surprises.
Franco gently opened his heart, flipping through the most beautiful pages of a musical diary unparalleled for the stories and secrets it contains.
As the rather convincing result shows, if any needed, Franco Morone is one of the great fingerstyle guitarists of the moment. In short, an excellent, elegant, warm and colourful album to be enjoyed without moderation.
Franco Morone is one of the greatest guitarists of the so-called fingerstyle, a true master with his instrument.
Morone has one of the most identifiable sounds of anyone playing fingerstyle guitar today.
The round, warm note reveals the unmistakable signature of the pleasant southern lands: harmonic richness and great groove fill all the tracks. Rarely has the blues communicated as much joy to listeners as this recording.
Franco Morone captures the listener in a large colour of styles and excels at creating fantastic, rich moods in his modern approach to fingerstyle guitar.
Without taking anything away from your past works that, as you know, I appreciated, I believe that “Italian Fingerstyle Guitar” is your most successful and stimulating project, obviously also thanks to the chosen repertoire that shows an uncommon sensitivity and musical intelligence. I have devoured this Cd because I have listened to it repeatedly, something that happens to me very rarely – and at every opportunity, I have managed to find new suggestions and impressions. In addition to streaming many tracks of Italian Fingerstyle Guitar, I also chose it as Album of the Week.
