Antonio drums.

While he is currently working and living in the US, Antonio Cerfeda was born and raised in Diso: a small village on the southern coast of Italy. In his early years, he was surrounded by both classical and local cultural music, particularly at home where his father, a guitarist, carried on the tradition of Apulian ritual song and dance. At 2 years old, Antonio was introduced to the tamburello, and at 3, he was gifted his first drum kit. His love for rhythmic sounds and styles grew from there, and at age 10, he listened to his first American jazz record: Ella and Louis. Despite not knowing the language, he was moved by the feeling, and after hunting down as many jazz records he could find— no easy task in such a remote part of the world— he knew he wanted to devote his life to the study and playing of jazz drums. 

Without any direct access to a jazz instructor, he continued with classical percussion and music theory with Paolo Colazzo, under the guidance of Maestro Contaldo. At 18, he attended The Conservatory of Music Nino Rota di Monopoli where he studied under Maestro Mazzone, a classical instructor and career jazz drummer. While in attendance, Antonio also toured regularly with world music group, Zimbaria. He was then admitted to the conservatory’s jazz program and continued his education with Francesco Angiuli, and In 2015, he was selected to perform with fellow rising starts from the Salento area at The Roman Amphitheater of Lecce as part of The Locomotive Jazz Festival.

Antonio relocated to Bologna, where he began to work alongside the likes of Piero Odorici, Eddie Henderson, and Joe Farnsworth. His career ultimately led him back to the south of Italy where his talents were in high demand, but his commitment to excellence compelled him to continue his studies. Antonio took the train twice a month from Diso to Rome— 6 hours there, 6 hours back— to work with jazz drumming expert, Marco Valeri. 

In 2017, Antonio was selected by Berklee College of Music to participate in their summer workshop at Umbria Jazz Festival where he received an award for Outstanding Musicianship on Drums, and performed with The Fernando Huergo Ensemble. He continued to perform in Rome and throughout Italy, and in 2018 was awarded a full scholarship to Siena Jazz University where he had the opportunity to work with world-class musicians Seamus Blake, Logan Richardson, Joe Sanders, Gilad Hekselman, Kevin Hays, and Avishai Cohen. It was there that legendary jazz drummer Gregory Hutchinson heard him playing and gifted him with the right cymbal from his personal collection, calling Antonio “the future of jazz music”. This honorable recognition earned him a place in the Masters of Music program at City University of New York and, under the direction of Steve Wilson, the 2024 Downbeat Award for Outstanding Performance in a Small Jazz Combo Ensemble. 

Antonio has gone on to perform at Jazz at Lincoln Center, Dizzy’s Club, Smalls Jazz Club, Minton’s Playhouse, and The Peperoncino Jazz Festival NY with notable collaborators Ed Cherry, Eric Wyatt, Ron Blake, Alan Bartus, Benito Gonzalez, Jason Clotter, Joe Block, Stan Killian, Tim Armacost, and Steve Wilson. 

Antonio is featured on the jazz trio album, Perspectives, with bassist John Patitucci, set for release in 2026.