Born in 1982 in the land of Bari. At the age of 10 he began studying the piano with Professor Francesco de Santis and in October 2004 he finally graduated from the “Niccolò Piccinni” Conservatory in Bari after completing his studies with Professor Valfrido Ferrari.
In 2007 he also got the Diplome in Jazz - arrangements and composition, with a thesis on Cecil Taylor.

In 2003 he joined Canto General, a music ensemble including V. Curci, R. Ottaviano, P. Minafra, F. Mezzina and V. Mazzone and whose name was inspired by Pablo Neruda’s epic poem.
From 2003 to 2007, though turning his hands to the accordion, he took part in the Municipale Balcanica from Terlizzi, a music ensemble that has given 200 concerts in Italy, in Germany, in France, in Bulgaria realizing in 2005 “Fòua”, the first CD of the Municipale Balcanica.
In October 2006 they met in Ancona the famous Kocani Orchestra in a project called ‘Tra sponde’ with guests P. Minafra and R. Ottaviano and arrangements by Livio Minafra.
On the contrary “La dolcezza del Grido” is the title of his own first cd, a piano solo recording of all original compositions, was released in 2003 by Leo Records, the prestigious record label based in London and producing “Music for the Inquiring Mind and the Passionate Heart”. This piece of work has already received wide recognition. In 2005 he released “Terronia”, the latest CD of Pino Minafra’s Sud Ensemble (with the female choir “Faraualla”, the poet Vittorino Curci and the Meridiana Multijazz Orchestra as guests), produced by the German recording label Enja. With “Terronia” and the Pino Minafra Sud Ensemble he has won the important prize “Top Jazz 2005” with the Italian Magazine Musica Jazz as the best cd and the best group of the year.

In 2007 he created with his father Pino the MinAfric Orchestra playing in Italy and French. With this orchestra he played also with Louis Moholo, Keith and Julie Tippetts in Grenoble and Paris (Fr) and Sant’Anna Arresi (It).

In 2008 he composed the “Concerto a colori, for unprepared piano and orchestra“ played the 19th and 21th July in Bari by the Orchestra Sinfonica della Provincia di Bari. Conductor: Massimiliano Caporale. Arrangements: Livio Minafra and Bruno Tommaso. Piano, accordeon and improvvisation: Livio Minafra.

In 2009 he won the Italian Prize Top Jazz as the best new talent in Italy!