Ettore Fioravanti was born in Rome on May 18, 1958. His earliest musical influences were Lucio Battisti's songs, followed by a full immersion in progressive rock, before Sonny Rollins and Ornette Coleman showed him the connection between great jazz and melody, with Max Roach as his reference point on drums.

He studied with Fabio Marconcini of the Orchestra di Santa Cecilia, historic jazz drummer Gegè Munari, and Bruno Biriaco of the jazz-rock band Perigeo, was among the first students at Rome's Testaccio School of Music in 1975, and earned his percussion diploma from the Conservatory of L'Aquila in 1984. A brief 1990 stay in the United States got him lessons with Alan Dawson and Bob Moses.

Since 1975 he has recorded with dozens of artists, including Gianluigi Trovesi and Paolo Fresu, both already profiled on jazzprofiles.com, plus Dave Liebman, Steve Swallow, and Kenny Wheeler. His discography runs past 60 titles, twelve as leader, including his long-running Belcanto project, built specifically to showcase emerging musicians. He has taught at Siena Jazz from 1990 to 2022, coordinated the Jazz Department at the Frosinone Conservatory from 2003 to 2014, and has taught at Rome's Santa Cecilia Conservatory since 2014.

Fioravanti's playing sits in a post-bop and contemporary jazz tradition, shaped by Sonny Rollins, Ornette Coleman, and Max Roach after an early background in progressive rock. His Belcanto project reflects a career-long commitment to jazz education alongside performance.