Guido Di Leone, the guitarist who made Italian jazz history, has died.

He passed away suddenly, leaving a silence that weighs more than a thousand notes, we are talking about Guido Di Leone , jazz guitarist from Bari, he was 61 years old.

Guido Di Leone and music as a mission

La Repubblica reports the news : a heart attack, in his home, took his life a few hours before going on stage at the Mangiatordi Theatre in Altamura.

There, together with his wife Francesca Leone, Guido Di Leone was supposed to pay homage to Bruno Martino.

Di Leone was one of those musicians who didn't talk much, but when they did, you could listen to him. He had been breathing jazz music since he was a child, thanks to his father Nino, a pianist and charismatic figure, who had taught him the freedom of sound.

Not virtuosity as an end in itself, but music as dialogue? Yes, as an improvisation of life...

A great musician who, throughout his career, played with some of the most important names in the jazz scene, not just on his resume but also on his memory: Paolo Fresu, Franco Cerri, Mark Murphy, Jerry Bergonzi. His collaborations are numerous, but always with the natural ease of someone who doesn't seek applause, just music.

The Pentagramma , the school he founded in Bari, was his refuge and his legacy… Generations of young people have passed through there who today remember his lessons, often improvised, always decidedly intense.

Over the years, he also created the Duke Club—a tribute to the great Ellington—and later transformed it into a small laboratory of sounds and encounters. Those who knew him say that just one evening there was enough to understand what "being jazz" truly meant.

Guido Di Leone, the memory of the city of Bari

The news of Guido Di Leone 's death has shocked everyone, not just fans... The mayor of Bari, Vito Leccese, in the Gazzetta del Mezzogiorno , spoke of a "grave loss for the entire musical community", recalling how Di Leone had made "his love for music a mission", simple but undoubtedly very true words.

The Pentagramma, which Guido felt was his creation, is today definitely a symbol of the city... A place where music has shaped talents, friendships, stories and Guido was always there: behind a counter, a cup of coffee, a guitar leaning against it!

On November 13, 2025, at 10 a.m., in the Church of the Sacred Heart on Via Cardassi, Bari will bid him farewell…