As early as nine years old, he took his first steps by gaining experience with internationally renowned musicians such as Bob Mintzer, Maria Schneider, George Gruntz, Gianni Basso and many others.
Decisive for his career is his meeting, in July 2002, during the Pescara Jazz Festival, with Wynton Marsalis who, amazed by his musical qualities, took him with him on the 2003 European tour.
Since then, Francis has been playing in the world’s leading jazz festivals, theaters and jazz clubs.
He won several prestigious awards, including the Massimo Urbani National Award in Urbisaglia, the EuroJazz Award in Lecco, theInternational Jazz Festivals Organization Award in New York, the World Saxophone Competition in London, the Django d’Or in Rome, and received many other important awards.
To gain new musical experiences, he goes to New Orleans, where he plays with Ellis Marsalis and many other prominent local musicians.
In 2004 he participated as a guest at the Sanremo Festival.
In 2005, the Swing Journal, Japan’s influential jazz music magazine, gave him the New Star Award, an award reserved for emerging foreign talent, and soon after, he was featured in Top Jazz, a referendum by the Italian magazine Musica Jazz, which recognized him as the best new talent of the year.
He plays with such great musicians as: Hank Jones, Dave Brubeck, Cedar Walton, Mulgrew Miller, Jimmy Cobb, Ben Riley, Ray Drummond, Lewis Nash, James Williams, Joe Lovano, Christian McBride, George Mraz, Kenny Wheeler, Gonzalo Rubalcaba, Enrico Rava, Stefano Bollani and many more.
In 2006, he obtained a Level I Diploma in Flute Traverso at theIstituto Superiore di Studi Musicali V. Bellini in Catania.
Since 2008, he has been the Artistic Director of the “Vittoria Jazz Festival” in Vittoria, his hometown.
On Jan. 19, 2009, he played in Washington, D.C. during the celebration in honor of President Barack Obama and Martin Luther King Jr. day.
On July 17, 2009, Umbria Jazz named him “ambassador of Italian jazz music in the world.”
In 2010, he received his Master’s degree in Jazz from the Corelli Conservatory of Messina and soon after performed in China during “The best of Italian Jazz” festival at the Expo in Shanghai.
In 2012 he arranges “Don’t Stop,” the background music for the ENI Station commercial.
In July 2012, on the occasion of the Olympic Games, he was invited to perform in London, at the Casa Italia venue, in the presence of the Italian Ambassador to London and the CONI leadership.
In September 2012, during an extended stay in the United States, he gave a series of saxophone masterclasses at UPenn, the prestigious University of Philadelphia.
In early June 2013, at the behest of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the express choice of the Consul General of Philadelphia, in collaboration with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, Francesco was chosen to represent Italy to play as part of the celebrations for theYear of Italian Culture in the United States.
On February 20, 2014, in New York, he received the “Grand Award of Merit” from theAmerican Society of the Italian Legions of Merit for Francesco’s contribution, representing Sicilian musicians, to the development and spread of jazz around the world.
March 2015 saw the release of the ambitious record work called “3”(Alfredo Lo Faro Productions), consisting of three profoundly different albums, “La Banda,” “Contemplation” and “20 Cents Per Note.” Released simultaneously, the three records feature Cafiso in the roles of composer, arranger and performer.
In 2016 he created his own record label named “EFLAT records.”
In 2017 he recorded “We play for tips” at the Vittoria Jazz Festival, an album to be released in 2018 under his own record label EFLAT Records, gaining numerous acclaim and recognition from specialized critics.
In 2019 she again entered the recording studio with the prestigious London Symphony Orchestra to bring to life her project “Irene of Boston – Conversation avec Corto Maltese” which is released in 2020.
On December 27, 2022, President of the Republic Sergio Mattarella awarded him the honor of Knight of the Order “Al Merito della Repubblica Italiana.”
On May 19, 2023, Francis received theArtist Diploma in Jazz Music from The Juilliard School of Music in New York City.
In 2024, the website JazzTokyo selects Francesco’s concert, held at theItalian Cultural Institute in Tokyo, as the best performance of the year.
Francis continues to give concerts around the world with a variety of musical ensembles he directs.
