Furio di Castri was born in Milan in 1955. Initially self-taught, he started studying music in 1966, and has been playing bass professionally since 1977.
Between 1978 and 1986 his main collaboration was with Lingomania, a group with tenor saxophonist Maurizio Giammarco and drummer Roberto Gatto.
From 1981 onwards, he was member of the Enrico Rava Quartet, touring Europe for seven years, recording 4 albums and many radio and TV broadcast. Around the same time he worked on original productions with Steve Lacy, Dino Saluzzi, Dave Liebman, Ray Anderson , Albert Mangelsdorff, simphony orchestra.
He played in the Michel Petrucciani Trio between 1981 and 1983, and worked with John Taylor (1986/87), Joe Henderson (1988), Paul Bley (1988/1990) and many groups led by Chet Baker (from 1979 to 1986). Concurrently he worked with Joe Lovano, Charles Lloyd, Steve Lacy, Dave Liebman, Pharoah Sanders, Sal Nistico, Lee Konitz, Michel Portal, Kenny Wheeler, Art Farmer, Charles Tolliver, Albert Mangelsdorff, Muhal Richard Abrams, Gordon Beck, Franco D'Andrea, Don Friedman, Enrico Pieranunzi, Rita Marcotulli, Jon Balke, Stan Tracey, John Abercrombie, Ralph Towner, Philip Catherine, Dave Samuels, Paul Motian, Tony Oxley, Barry Altschul, Daniel Humair, Billy Elgart, Jon Christensen, Joe La Barbera, Bruce Ditmas.
His composition work for lead bass, from 1986 to 1989, lead to performances as a soloist, in duos (Lee Konitz, Gary Smulyan, Luca Flores, Marco Micheli) and trios (with trumpetist Flavio Boltro and drummer Manhu Roche).
In 1989 Furio Di Castri recorded Unknown Voyage with Joe Lovano, Franco D'Andrea and Paul Motian, his first record in a quartet.
1988 saw the creation of Ritual, a quartet with Aldo Romano, Franco D'Andrea and Paolo Fresu, with whom five albums has been recorded. The quartet played festivals in Paris, Boulogne Billancourt, Le Mans, Amiens, Angouleme, Geneva, Nancy, Nevers, Toulouse, and toured Canada, the Middle East and Japan.
Since 1990, Furio Di Castri has been performing with Paolo Fresu in duo combining acoustic and electronic music and contributing their compositions to theatre, dance, films, contemporary art, ethnic music research.
Furio Di Castri has recorded more than 50 albums, 7 of them as a leader.
Since 1989 he teaches bass and improvisation at the EC Master Classes and in the Summer Jazz Clinics in Siena.

SELECTED DISCOGRAPHY

As a leader

Things - Furio Di Castri, Flavio Boltro, Enrico Rava, Maurizio Giammarco, Rita Marcotulli, Maurizio Lazzaro, Roberto Gatto, Aldo Romano, Carla Marcotulli (Fonit Cetra 1985)

Solo - Furio Di Castri (Splasch 1987)

Unkonwn Voyage - Furio Di Castri, Joe Lovano, Franco D'Andrea, Paul Motian (A Tempo 1989)

Evening Song - Furio Di Castri, Paolo Fresu (OWL 1992)

What Color for a Tale - Furio Di Castri, Ramberto Ciammarughi, Stefano Cantini, Manhu Roche (Splasch 1992)

Urlo - Furio Di Castri, Paolo Fresu (YVP 1993)

Contos - Furio Di Castri, John Taylor, Paolo Fresu (Quadrivium 1994)

As a sideman

Isis - Enrico Pieranunzi, Art Farmer, Massimo Urbani, Furio Di Castri, Roberto Gatto (Soul Note 1981)

Estate - Michel Petrucciani, Furio Di Castri, Aldo Romano (IREC 1982)

Volver - Enrico Rava, Dino Saluzzi, Harry Pepl, Furio Di Castri, Bruce Ditmas (ECM 1987)

Secrets - Enrico Rava, John Taylor, Augusto Mancinelli, Furio Di Castri, Bruce Ditmas (Soul Note 1987)

Animals - Enrico Rava, Augusto Mancinelli, Furio Di Castri, Mauro Beggio (Gala 1988)

Ritual - Aldo Romano, Franco D'Andrea, Paolo Fresu, Furio Di Castri (OWL 1989)

To be Ornette to be - Aldo Romano, Franco D'Andrea, Paolo Fresu, Furio Di Castri (OWL 1990)

Dreams and Waters - Aldo Romano, Franco D'Andrea, Paolo Fresu, Furio Di Castri (OWL 1991)

Opening Night - Enrico Rava, Franco D'Andrea, Furio Di Castri, Aldo Romano (ECM 1992)

All the more - Kenny Wheeler, John Taylor, Furio Di Castri, Joe La Barbera (Soul Note 1994)