Throughout his career, Franco D'Andrea has played with musicians such as Pepper Adams, Barry Altschul, Gato Barbieri, Don Byas, Conte Candoli, Jon Christensen, Palle Danielsson, Joe Farrell, Dexter Gordon, Johnny Griffin, Slide Hampton, Mark Helias, Daniel Humair, Jimmy Knepper, Lee Konitz, Steve Lacy, Dave Liebman, Albert Mangelsdorff, Hank Mobley, Jean Luc Ponty, Enrico Rava, Frank Rosolino, Max Roach, Aldo Romano, MartialSolal, John Surman, Toots Thielemans, Charles Tolliver, Miroslav Vitous, Kenny Wheeler, Fodé Youla (Africa Djolé), Ernst Reijseger, Han Bennink and many others.

He has toured in France, Switzerland, Austria, Germany, Denmark, Great Britain, Spain, Holland, Belgium, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Poland, Yugoslavia, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, Russia, Canada, USA, Tunisia, Cameroon, Israel, Japan, Australia, Indonesia, Ethiopia and Mexico.

He has been teaching since 1978: as a teacher of jazz piano and ensemble music, he teaches at the National Jazz Academy of Siena, directs the Mittel-European Jazz Workshop in Merano and collaborates with the Scuola Civica di Musica in Milan, as part of the Civic Jazz courses.