Gianfranco Continenza

GIANFRANCO CONTINENZA, guitarist and composer born in Turin (Italy) on the 1st of february 1968, he started to play guitar when he was 8 years old thanks to his father Nino Continenza, jazz guitar player.
He studied classical music for 5 years, then developping the study of the modern guitar (jazz, fusion, blues, rock...) and playing with local bands.
He is graduated with 100% score at G.I.T. (Guitar Institute of Technology) in Hollywood, California in september 1992 specialized in many music styles (jazz, fusion, blues, R&B, latin, funky, rock…) studing with Joe Diorio, Don Mock, Scott Henderson, Ron Eschéte, Howard Roberts, Peter Sprague, Gary Willis, Jennifer Batten, Steve Trovato, Jeff Berlin, Jamie Findlay, Jeff Richman, Tommy Tedesco, Mike Miller, ecc.
On 1994 he founded the P.M.I. (Professional Musicians Institute) and later on 1998 the C.M.A. (Contemporary Music Academy) in Pescara, with students coming from all the parts of Italy where he’s teaching Jazz/Fusion guitar. Gianfranco is professor of “Jazz Guitar” and “Music Theory” at the “L.D’Annunzio” Conservatory of Pescara (Italy)
He performed and recorded with many world famous artists like Bill Evans, Joe Diorio, Mark Egan, Don Mock, Bob Mintzer, John Beasley, Michael Manring, Tetsuo Sakurai, Jeff Richman, Scott Kinsey, Jamie Findlay, Barrett Tagliarino, Richard Smith, John Stowell, Cathy Segal-Garcia, ecc.
He produced two solo Albums as a leader for ESC Records (one of the label leader of Jazz/Fusion in the world): “The Past Inside The Present” – 2008 with Bill Evans (Miles Davis, John McLaughlin) on sax and Scott Kinsey (Tribal Tech, Joe Zawinul) on keyboards. This Album was the 2nd bestseller Album of ESC Records of the 2008 and it was at the 1st position on the list of the top 100 Cd of jazz guitar album on Tower Records USA in 2008 and the new born CD “Face The Truth” - 2010 with Don Mock, Bob Mintzer (Yellowjackets), John Beasley (Steely Dan, John Patitucci), Michael Manring, Tetsuo Sakurai (Casiopea), Walter Martino, Alessandro Centofanti, Sergey Boykov, Ernesttico, Dino D’Autorio and many others.
Also for ESC Records he appeared as a leader on two Albums tribute to Mahavishnu Orchestra recording his arrangement of the famous John McLaughlin’scomposition“One Word”for the double Cd "MAHAVISHNU RE-DEFINED” with Mark Egan on bass, Alessandro Centofanti on electric piano and organ and Walter Martino on drums and his original track “Mahavishnology” for the double Cd "MAHAVISHNU RE-DEFINED II” with Michael Manring on bass, Alessandro Centofanti electric piano and organ and Walter Martino on drums.
He played in many International Jazz festivals like the Bratislava Jazz Days 2008.
Gianfranco is endorsing Jacoland with the guitar Heaven Jazz “Gianfranco Continenza Signature”, Dean Markley Strings and Wegen Picks.
Since 2010 he is writing Jazz guitar lessons on the famous american magazine Just Jazz Guitar.