Luca Flores

The Profile

Luca Flores (born 1956 in Palermo — died March 1995, Montevarchi) was an Italian jazz pianist. He lived part of his childhood in Mozambique, studied at the Cherubini Conservatory in Florence, collaborated with Lee Konitz, Dave Holland and Chet Baker, and was a teacher of Stefano Bollani. He recorded the posthumous solo album For Those I Never Knew.

Born 1956 in Palermo; lived eight years in Mozambique; graduated from the Cherubini Conservatory in Florence; began playing jazz in 1974; collaborated with Lee Konitz, Dave Holland and Chet Baker; died by suicide in March 1995 in Montevarchi; posthumous album For Those I Never Knew (1995).

Two DeBaser reviews praise Luca Flores' posthumous solo album For Those I Never Knew and highlight his technical virtuosity and melancholic lyricism. Reviewers recount his ties to the Florence jazz scene (Salt Peanut), collaborations with Lee Konitz, Dave Holland and Chet Baker, and his role as Stefano Bollani's teacher. Flores died by suicide in March 1995 in Montevarchi. The album is presented as a musical testament.