Goodbye to Antonio “Cicci” Foresti

Antonio “Cicci” Foresti’s passing leaves a great void in the world of Italian jazz: he was a great music lover, a devoted presence at Umbria Jazz, and a longtime friend to Carlo Pagnotta (in the picture with him). He founded the Bologna Jazz Festival with Alberto Alberti in 1958. Over the years, Cicci presented Bologna with artists such as Chet Baker, Charlie Mingus, Don Cherry, Steve Lacy, Paul Bley, Dexter Gordon, Bill Evans, Oscar Peterson, Lee Konitz, Phil Woods, Cecil Taylor, Keith Jarrett, Gary Burton, Ornette Coleman, Ray Charles, Dave Brubeck, Gerry Mulligan, Paul Desmond, Elvin Jones, Dizzy Gillespie, Thelonius Monk, Art Blakey, Cedar Walton, B.B. King, Sarah Vaughan, Miles Davis, McCoy Tyner, Lionel Hampton, Ella Fitzgerald, and many others. These names fully explain how much he did for music and jazz, which he loved as much as his lifelong partner Alberta, to whom we express our deepest condolences.

We are sure that Cicci will keep doing what he has always done and loved: listening to music and organizing concerts… Keep up the good work.