Franco Luciani
Instrumentista, intérprete de armónica, compositor y cantante, es considerado por la crítica y prensa argentina como uno de los músicos más notables y talentosos de la nueva generación. Comenzó sus estudios como percusionista, formado académicamente en Rosario (Prov. de Santa Fe), donde nació en 1981. Estudió en la Escuela Municipal de Música, en la Universidad Nacional de Rosario y en la Escuela Provincial de Música de la misma ciudad donde se recibió con el titulo de Maestro Nacional de Música, con especialidad en Percusión (Sinfónica y Batería), pero encontró su camino profesional a través de la armónica, en especial la cromática.
Es cultor de la música popular argentina, tanto rural como urbana (folklore y tango). Esa inclinación, lo llevó, en el año 2002 a competir en el Certamen Pre Cosquín del Festival Nacional de Folklore donde fue ganador en el rubro Solista Instrumental y luego galardonado con el Premio Revelación Cosquín 2002 (festival del que ha participado en forma ininterrumpida hasta la actualidad). Con sus propuestas ha recorrido todo su país, como así también presentaciones y giras por el exterior con sus propias formaciones en Uruguay (Montevideo), Brasil (Bello Horizonte, Curitiba y San Pablo), Paraguay (Asuncion), España (Madrid y Cataluña, entre otros) , Bélgica (Bruselas), Francia (Paris, Lyon, Niza, Tarbes y Albi, entre otros), Inglaterra (Londres), Gracias (Patras), Canadá (Vancouver y Montreal), China (Shanghai), Australia (Brisbane) e Indonesia (Bali), como invitado especial, en Italia e Inglaterra (junto a Mercedes Sosa en sus presentaciones en Milán, Roma y Londres 2008) y en EEUU, Perú y Chile (con la cantante peruana Eva Ayllon en un gira homenaje a Chabuca Granda por la ciudades mas importantes de ese país), entre otros. Actualmente cuenta con ocho producciones discográficas: Armusa (Franco Luciani Grupo, Tango y Folklore instrumental, 2002, reedición Acqua Records 2010). Armónica y Tango (Franco Luciani Dúo, Tango instrumental – Acqua Records, 2006), Acuarelas de Bolsillo (Franco Luciani Grupo, Tango y Folklore instrumental – Acqua Records, 2007), Proyecto Sanluca (Proyecto Sanluca, Folklore y Tango – Acqua Records, 2009), Falsos Limites (Franco Luciani y Federico Lechner, Acqua Records, 2010), Franco Luciani Tango Trío (Tango Instrumental – Acqua Records, 2012) y Franco Luciani Grupo Folklore (Folklore instrumental – Acqua Records, 2012) y Gardelería (Franco Luciani y Federico Lechner, Acqua Records, 2014) produccion galardonada con el Premio Gardel 2015 rubro “Tango alternativo”. Forma parte del CD homenaje al maestro de la armonica del jazz Toots Thielemans, “We Do it out of love”, junto a otros destacados armonicistas del mundo entero. Forma parte de la galería de vídeos “Masters of the Harmonica” de la marca más prestigiosa del instrumento del mundo, la alemana Hohner, de la cual es endorser internacional, como uno de los mas destacados interpretes del instrumento en el mundo.
Ha compartido escenarios, realizado giras y participado en grabaciones de un extenso abanico de reconocidos artistas nacionales e internacionales (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, Dúo Coplanacu, Víctor Heredia, Eva Ayllon, Juan Carlos Baglietto, Jairo, Gotan Project, Lila Downs y Tomatito, entre otros). Ha sido receptor de múltiples premios nacionales, se destacan: Premio Clarín Espectáculos 2005, Trimarg 2007 (UNESCO), Atahualpa 2008, Premios Clarín 2009 Nominación “Figura del Folclore” (integrando la terna junto a Mercedes Sosa y Teresa Parodi) y Premio “Consagración” 2010 Festival Nacional de Folklore de Cosquín en su edición de oro, Premio Atahualpa 2010 y 2011 (Mejor solista instrumental Folklore), Premio Gardel 2015 por su CD ¨Gardeleria¨ (Mejor Album de Tango Alternativo) y Premio Konex “Diploma al mérito” 2015 (como uno de los 5 mejores Instrumentistas de la decada 2005-2015).
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, he started out studying drums and percussion. He attended the National University of Rosario [Universidad Nacional de Rosario], the Municipal School of Music [Escuela Municipal de Música], and the Provincial School of Music [Escuela Provincial de Música] 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 granted the 2002 Cosquín Best New Artist Award [Premio Revelación Cosquín]. 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. He has also performed in Italy and England as a special guest of the leading Argentine folk singer Mercedes Sosa (in her concerts in Milan, Rome and London, in 2008), and in the USA with Peruvian singer Eva Ayllón (on a tour organized as a tribute to Chabuca Granda, and which included major US cities). Franco has released nine records: Armusa (Franco Luciani Grupo, tango and folk music, 2002, re-released by Acqua Records in 2010), Armónica y Tango (Franco Luciani Dúo, tango – Acqua Records, 2006), Acuarelas de Bolsillo (Franco Luciani Grupo, tango and folk music – Acqua Records, 2007), Proyecto Sanluca (Proyecto Sanluca, folk music and tango – Acqua Records, 2009), Falsos Límites (Franco Luciani and Federico Lechner, Acqua Records, 2010), Franco Luciani Grupo Folklore (Acqua Records, 2012), Franco Luciani Tango Trío (Acqua Records, 2012) and Gardeleria (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 large number of renowned Argentine and foreign artists, such as Mercedes Sosa, Fito Páez, Raúl Carnota, Chango Spasiuk, Pedro Aznar, Jaime Torres, Divididos, Guillermo Fernández, León Gieco, Luis Salinas, Teresa Parodi, María Volonté, Horacio Molina, Maria Graña, Amelita Baltar, Dúo Coplanacu, Víctor Heredia, Eva Ayllón, Juan Carlos Baglietto, Jairo, Gotan Project and Lila Downs, among others. Franco has been honoured with many prizes, the most prestigious being the 2005 Clarín Entertainment Award [Premio Clarín Espectáculos], 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 [Premio Consagración Cosquín] in the golden edition of the Cosquín National Folklore Festival, the 2010 and 2011 Atahualpa Award for ‘Best Instrumental Soloist’, “Gardel Prize” 2015 to his album “Gardeleria” with Federico Lechner and “Diploma al merito -Konex Award-” as one of the 5 (five) best Instrumentalist of the decade.
He is considered a master of the harmonica by the world’s most prestigious brand of the 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 takes 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.
