Franco Cerri, born on January 29, 1926, in Milan, Italy, was a guitarist and bassist. He began playing guitar at age 17 and joined Gorni Kramer's group in 1945. In 1950, Cerri collaborated with Bruno Martino, followed by notable artists such as Renato Carosone, Peter Van Wood, Johnny Dorelli, and Chet Baker. His collaborations extended to Dizzy Gillespie, Billie Holiday, Lee Konitz, Gerry Mulligan, and the Modern Jazz Quartet. Cerri's discography includes International Jazz Meeting (1961), Franco Cerri (1964), and La Sera A Casa Con Te (1965). He formed a duo with pianist Enrico Intra in 1980, co-founding the Civica Scuola di Jazz in Milan. In 2005, he was made a Commander of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic. Franco Cerri passed away on October 18, 2021, at age 95.
