News
Releases, reviews, interviews and radio, awards.
Review
skJazz.sk (SK), Patrick Španko
“A long-awaited work! (…) Fragile beauty!” (translated)
Interview and radio
Take 5 Jazz (NL), Jan Klein, programme 1327
Review
All About Jazz (US), Ieva Pakalniškytė
“The Value of Choices is ambitious in scope and realised with precision. Big-band and chamber-like sounds give the album a distinctly contemporary European aesthetic.”
Review
Jazz’halo (BE), concert report, photos by Jean Schoubs
“He operates in the undefined space between jazz, classical and world music.” (translated)
Review
JazzMania (BE), Philippe Thirionet
“Narration, song and music become one.” (translated)
Review
Hören und Fühlen (DE), Claus Volke
“Incredibly exciting, and sonically outstanding!” (translated)
Review
Sound Contest (IT), Diego Librando
“Di Franco demonstrates precise control over sectional balance, confirming a writing style that rejects the obviousness of volume in favor of the intelligence of space.” (translated)
Review
er-em-online.de (DE)
“This hybrid of jazz and classical elements is rarely found in jazz orchestra recordings. Highly recommended.” (translated)
Review
Jazz Thing (DE), Maxi Broecking, April/May 2026 issue
“A sonic narrative, a true cinematography of sound. The music is written with open spaces, like a commedia dell’arte of jazz.” (translated)
Interview and radio
France Musique (FR), Au Cœur du Jazz, Nicolas Pommaret
News
My new album for jazz orchestra is released on Challenge Records: eight original compositions, with Lieselot De Wilde, Vanesa Diaz Gil, François Vaiana and Sarah Klenès as guests.
Review
Musik an sich (DE), Wolfgang Giese
“A complex, masterfully crafted work with a vivid narrative voice.” (translated)
Review
Music Emotion (NL), Ruud Jonker
“Great music. Resembles the classic big bands of the swing era, but enriched with contemporary musical elements and themes from folk and classical music.” (translated)
Review
QuiSalento (IT), Matteo Tangolo
“An organic form that holds together the grammar of jazz, the breath of classical music, and a clear contemporary sensibility.” (translated)
Review
Jazz & Mo (BE), MVDW, print
“Schoonheid, rust en onrust, leven en dood: het krijgt vorm op dit ingetogen werk.”
Review
Jazzmania (BE), Jacques Prouvost
“Di Franco et Negro maîtrisent les tensions et les reliefs, confondent avec esprit les harmonies.”
Interview and radio
BRF1 (BE), Jazztime, Markus Will
“Ein magisches Duo-Album von soghafter Ruhe und Kraft.”
Award
Finalist in category B of the international composition competition of the Orchestra Jazz della Sardegna, Teatro Verdi, Sassari.
News
In July I recorded my album The Value of Choices with my jazz orchestra. Mixing, mastering and release to follow.
Review
Rootstime (BE), Dani Heyvaert
“Voorwaar, er is nog hoop voor deze wereld!”
Award
Third prize for my piece for symphony orchestra, out of more than 100 entries, in the competition of Jam Music Lab and the ORF Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra. Jury: Marin Alsop, Angelika Möser, Christoph Becher, Bill Dobbins, Marcus Ratka.
News
Five etudes and one interlude for classical guitar, recorded by Jasper Iturrospe, out on Etcetera on 10 March 2023. The scores are free to download.
Award
Special prize at the Ise-Shima International Popular Music Composition Competition, Japan.
Award
First prize (category A) at the international composition competition for jazz orchestra of the Orchestra Jazz della Sardegna.
Award
At the first Ise-Shima International Popular Music Composition Competition (Japan), Berlin received a special prize and a special mention, Acqua a special prize.
Award
The book LULELA (Albatros il Filo) won the critics’ prize at the 10th Nero su Bianco literary prize Mino De Blasio.
News
On 23 June I was a panelist at Café Connect Futuur, organised by Cultuurconnect at De Bijloke in Ghent: new technologies, new stages, and what they open up for the arts.
Review
QuiSalento (IT), Matteo Tangolo, print
“Un colpo di spugna sul globo terraqueo, per ripulirlo del superfluo, prima di dipingere l’essenziale.”
News
LULELA is performed on 27 May 2022 at O. Festival in Rotterdam.
Review
Music Map (IT), Piergiuseppe Lippolis
“Without ever resorting to virtuosity for its own sake, the two musicians have created a jewel at the compositional level.” (translated)
News
Out on 25 March 2022 on Workin’ Label: songs, free improvisation, classical music and jazz.
News
My piece commissioned by the Subway Jazz Orchestra Cologne, premiered at Club Subway on 8 December 2021 in the European Composers project.
Award
Second prize in the published books category of the literary award Canti… di versi, second edition.
Award
One of five young European composers selected out of 54 for Sound of a Generation, writing a new piece for the Subway Jazz Orchestra, premiered on 8 December 2021.
Review
QuiSalento (IT), Matteo Tangolo, October 2021
“Lulela. Lui, lei, l’altro” non è solo un libro, ma una lucida follia.”
Award
Second prize in the published fiction section of the international award Europa in versi e in prosa 2021.
Award
Finalist in the originals section of the 22nd international arranging and composition contest for jazz orchestra, final in Barga on 21 August 2021.
News
The premiere of LULELA, with LOD muziektheater, on 27, 28 and 29 August 2021 at the Bijloke Wonderland festival in Ghent.
Review
Libriamociblog.it (IT), Chiara
“Un libro decisamente fuori dagli schemi per chi vuole provare un’esperienza di lettura davvero diversa.”
Award
Ten finalists out of 76 entries, played by the UMO Helsinki Jazz Orchestra at the Savoy Theatre on 4 June. Jury: Bob Mintzer, Iro Haarla, Ed Partyka, Antti Rissanen.
Review
Libri e Recensioni (IT), Tatiana Vanini
“Questo libro è così: meditato, curioso, avvincente e sorprendente.”
Review
Amanti dei libri (IT), Antonella Covelli
“Lulela” rappresenta un’esperienza di lettura unica nel suo genere.”
Award
High mention for cultural merit at the Mr. Hyde Awards 2021.
News
With Cybernetic Walrus and LOD muziektheater, a new version of LULELA between theatre and virtual reality. The Flanders Audiovisual Fund supports its pre-production.
News
The text of LULELA will be published by Albatros, in the Nuove Voci / Confini Sperimentali collection.
News
The first EP of Tesseract trio, with Otto Kint and Egon Loosveldt: some of my compositions, some of theirs, and standards.
Review
Jazz’halo (BE), Ferdinand Dupuis-Panther, “Jazz the Italian way #2”
“Subconscious-Lee” is like a spring ripple in a soft green.”
News
Two weeks away from the world to write new music: a few scenes from the residency, over an improvisation recorded in 2018.
News
A new generation of Belgian composers and big band players on tour with the new album Dreamin’, March 2020.
News
A short pitch of LULELA, an interactive concert co-produced by LOD muziektheater.
Award
My pitch for LULELA won the first Elevator Jazz Pitch at inJazz in Rotterdam, with Berthold Records.
Interview and radio
Jazzhalo Radio (BE), Ferdinand Dupuis-Panther, Jazz Now
News
More than 30 hours of harmony, analysis, orchestration and composition with Francesco Negro, from 3 February 2019 at the Associazione Culturale Jazz Bud Powell.
News
New auditions for the orchestra I direct in Maglie, after the release of Dedalo.
News
From 14 to 26 November 2018, with Wen Hui Tsai on voice and Marco Puzzello on trumpet and flugelhorn.
Review
Strategie Oblique (IT), Roberto Paviglianiti
“Tanti spunti di interesse per un ascolto che conosce melodie cantabili, riferimenti al repertorio mainstream del jazz orchestrale, e lampi di contemporaneità.”
Review
Jazznu.com (NL), Rinus van der Heijden
“Creativiteit, intimiteit en impressionisme overtuigen veel meer.”
Review
Jazzitalia (IT), Alceste Ayroldi
“La scrittura di Gabriele di Franco è costruita intorno ai rocciosi segmenti del passato, ma guarda con occhio vigile e purpureo verso l’irrequietezza del free jazz.”
News
Coached by Joeri Smet (Ontroerend Goed) and Koen Haagdorens on dramaturgy, Joris Blanckaert on composition, Wannes Gonnissen and SPECTRA on music. Photos by Michiel Devijver.
Review
Jazzflits n. 302 (NL), Sjoerd van Aelst
“Het is een uur eigentijdse jazz met duidelijke wortels in de historie, die zich graag laat herbeluisteren.”
News
LULELA is one of five projects selected out of 88 for the Bijloke Summer Academy, with LOD muziektheater, De Bijloke, KASK and the Royal Conservatory Ghent, SPECTRA Ensemble and JazzLab.
News
I lead the Summer School Jazz Orchestra, with Marcello Allulli, Greg Burk, Paola Arnesano, Francesco Diodati, Matteo Bortone and Ermanno Baron in the teaching team.
News
Gottfried di Franco on tour in May 2018 with Stefan Gottfried, Raul Santana, Diederik Billiet, Joao Sousa and Lucas Vanderputten: Graz, Vienna, Drosendorf.
News
On 19 February I played two of my arrangements, after Monk and Ellington, coached by members of the Lincoln Jazz Orchestra with the support of Kris Defoort. Photos by Pepa Niebla.
Interview and radio
Salento Dove (IT), Eliana Degennaro
“C’è attesa, fiducia, pazienza in “Aspetta”.”
Award
Second prize as best composer for big band at the triennial competition of the Jazz Institute of the Kunstuniversität Graz, artistic direction Ed Partyka.
Award
More than 1,100 votes from the audience at the Sibiu Jazz Contest 2017, Romania.
News
Concerts and a workshop with Wen Hui Tsai at the Salento Jazz Festival, August 2017.
Award
Winners of the sixth edition, artistic direction Alceste Ayroldi.
News
My song Fida, with lyrics by Antonella Chionna, on her album Rylesonable with Pat Battstone (Dodicilune). The big band version is dedicated to my father; Antonella dedicated this one, for solo voice, to my mother.
News
Bija and the American trumpeter and singer Benny Benack III at the OdA music fest in Taurisano, 19 January 2017.
Award
Scholarship of SIAE, the Italian society of authors and publishers, for authors and composers under 35.
News
The second edition of the Bud Powell Orchestra in Maglie, under my direction, with a new repertoire of original compositions and arrangements.
Review
JazzConvention.net (IT), Flavio Caprera
“Il nord che incontra il sud, le radici e le ali, la mistura di jazz e world music.”
News
A video from the 2016 tour, on Maggiore e Vitale from Intro. Editing by Federico Fiordigiglio.
Review
Rockshock.it (IT), Max Sannella
“Un disco libero dai cliché e esente da ruffianerie.”
Review
Musica Jazz n. 783 (IT)
“Uno spiccatissimo senso della costruzione e della calibratura dei ruoli, timbrica e dinamica.”
Interview and radio
la Repubblica (IT), 12 August 2015
On the Mynah trio at the Sabina Summer Music Festival, Farfa.
Videos and music players
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