Wikipedia

Matteo Mancuso

Matteo Mancuso (born 22 November 1996) is an Italian jazz and rock guitarist and composer from Palermo, Sicily. Mancuso is known for adapting a quasi-flamenco/classical right-hand technique to the electric guitar and improvised solos without the use of a pick. Steve Vai, Al Di Meola, Joe Bonamassa and others have publicly praised him, with Vai calling him "the future" of electric guitar.[1][2]

Matteo Mancuso
Matteo Mancuso (2023)
Matteo Mancuso (2023)
Background information
Born (1996-11-22) 22 November 1996 (age 28)
Palermo, Sicily, Italy
Genres
OccupationGuitarist
Years active2006–present
LabelsMascot Label Group
Websitematteomancuso.net

In 2023 he released his first studio album, The Journey.

Education

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Mancuso was born in 1996 in Palermo. He started playing the guitar at the age of 10 with his father Vincenzo, an experienced professional guitarist and music producer who performed with many well-known Italian artists. Mancuso began performing live on stage at the age of 11.[3][4]

In 2017, following his performance at the Umbria Jazz Festival, he was awarded a scholarship to the Berklee College of Music in Boston.[5]

After obtaining a diploma from the music high school, where he studied classical guitar and transverse flute,[6] in June 2022 he graduated with honours in jazz guitar from the Palermo Conservatory of Music.[4][7]

Career

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In 2009, at the age of 12, Mancuso performed at the Castelbuono Jazz Festival in Sicily[5] and in 2017 at the Umbria Jazz Festival in Perugia.[4][5]

Mancuso performed at the NAMM Show in Anaheim, California in 2019[8] and 2024.[9] In 2019 he participated in the Asia International Guitar Festival in Bangkok, the Hard Rock Guitar Battle in Pattaya and the NAMM Musikmesse Russia, and held a series of guitar clinics in Moscow, St. Petersburg and Perm.[4][5]

In 2022, he was invited by Al Di Meola in the thirty-first edition of Eddie Lang Jazz Festival, to duet with him on stage.[10] He was also chosen by Italian progressive rock band PFM to perform live in Lugano Estival Jazz, replacing their guitarist, who was busy on that day.[11] PFM then released a 16-track double album called The Event – Live in Lugano, which is the first live record to feature Matteo Mancuso on guitar.[12]

In 2024 Mancuso was a featured artist at Steve Vai's "Vai Academy 7.0" guitar camp in Orlando, Florida.[13] He conducted clinics, performed in concert and jammed with Steve Vai and his band, joined by keyboardist Jordan Rudess.

SNIPS

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In 2017, Mancuso founded a trio called "SNIPS", which includes Salvatore Lima, on drums and Riccardo Oliva on bass. SNIPS is a jazz fusion band and their music is based on rearrangements of popular fusion standards and original compositions. Their version of The Chicken hit 2.2 million views on YouTube.[4][14] In the following year the trio has played at the Musika-Expo in Rome and at Musikmesse in Frankfurt.[8][15]

Matteo Mancuso Trio

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The trio was formed in 2020 with Stefano India on Bass and Giuseppe Bruno on Drums.[16][17] When Mancuso uploaded their performance of 'Havona' by Jaco Pastorius to YouTube, the trio received recognition for their "killer lineup"[18]

In 2022, Matteo Mancuso Trio performed at the Bremen International Festival; the Auditorium Parco della Musica in Rome; Uppsala Jazz Festival in Sweden; Spoleto Jazz Festival, in Italy.[19]

North America 2024

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Matteo toured from January 25 - February 4 in the following US cities: Agoura Hills (Los Angeles), San Pedro, Bakersfield, Orangevale (Sacramento) and Chicago.[20]

Style

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Mancuso switches to using a free stroke with his index finger and middle finger to pick the strings like a classical guitar player,[21] a finger-style right hand technique reminiscent of flamenco.[22][1] He is considered a very talented guitarist and has been described as a virtuoso of the instrument by renowned guitarists such as Al Di Meola, Steve Vai, Joe Bonamassa,[1] Tosin Abasi[23] and Trevor Rabin.[24]

Discography

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The first albums he is credited with, were published in 2023.[25]

Studio

Live

References

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  1. ^ a b c Milkowski, Bill (19 October 2023). "Steve Vai was stunned when he heard him, Joe Bonamassa says he's reinvented the guitar, and Al Di Meola says that it "would take lifetimes to catch up with him." Meet Matteo Mancuso the man who's light years ahead of us all". Guitar Player. Retrieved 4 March 2024.
  2. ^ "This guitarist is SHOCKING pro players". Face Melters. YouTube. Retrieved 23 February 2024.
  3. ^ Lamorte, Antonio (25 October 2023). "Matteo Mancuso, l'enfant prodige della chitarra che ha sconvolto il mondo: "La tecnica è un mezzo non un fine"". L'Unità (in Italian). Retrieved 29 February 2024.
  4. ^ a b c d e "Matteo Mancuso's Biography and Music Influences". Matteo Mancuso. Retrieved 29 February 2024.
  5. ^ a b c d "Matteo Mancuso". europe.yamaha.com. Retrieved 29 February 2024.
  6. ^ "Matteo Mancuso, tre date live a maggio del talentuoso chitarrista (Roma, Firenze e Milano). A fine aprile sarà a Brema". www.ilmessaggero.it (in Italian). 7 April 2022. Retrieved 29 February 2024.
  7. ^ "MATTEO MANCUSO". AMAT (in Italian). 10 July 2023. Retrieved 29 February 2024.
  8. ^ a b Florio, Maria Luisa. "Guitarist Matteo Mancuso flies to Los Angeles for the NAMM show". Bagheria News. LG MULTIMEDIA. Retrieved 15 March 2019.
  9. ^ "Matteo Mancuso Showcasing Bacci Guitars | NAMM.org". www.namm.org. 27 January 2024. Retrieved 20 January 2024.
  10. ^ "Eddie Lang Jazz Festival, finale col botto: il duetto Di Meola-Mancuso infiamma il palco | isNews - Molise". www.isnews.it. Retrieved 20 December 2022.
  11. ^ Redazione (31 August 2022). "Matteo Mancuso in concerto con la PFM". MadonieLive.com (in Italian). Retrieved 9 June 2023.
  12. ^ TG24, Sky (16 May 2023). ""THE EVENT – Live in Lugano", il nuovo album dal vivo della PFM". tg24.sky.it (in Italian). Retrieved 9 June 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  13. ^ "4 Days and Nights of Non-Stop, Next Gen Guitar". Retrieved 29 February 2024.
  14. ^ Matteo Mancuso - Riccardo Oliva - Salvatore Lima (14 April 2017). The Chicken (video). Retrieved 29 February 2024.
  15. ^ Guitar World Staff (13 June 2018). "Watch This Breathtaking Cover of Jaco Pastorious' "The Chicken"". Guitar World. Future Publishing Limited Quay House. Retrieved 15 March 2019.
  16. ^ Fabbri, Laura (22 July 2023). "L'enfant prodige della chitarra Matteo Mancuso protagonista di Stresa Festival. Questo weekend Rigoletto a Orta". VCO Azzurra TV (in Italian). Retrieved 26 July 2023.
  17. ^ Internazionale, Ministero degli Affari Esteri e della Cooperazione. "Il trio di Matteo Mancuso in concerto a Sofia – Italiana – Lingua, cultura, creatività nel mondo" (in Italian). Retrieved 26 July 2023.
  18. ^ Brown, Corey (27 January 2020). "Matteo Mancuso, Stefano India, and Giuseppe Bruno: Havona". No Treble. Retrieved 6 November 2023.
  19. ^ "Matteo Mancuso's Biography and Music Influences". Matteo Mancuso. Retrieved 11 June 2023.
  20. ^ "Matteo Mancuso Tour Dates | Experience Live Music Magic". Matteo Mancuso. Retrieved 20 January 2024.
  21. ^ "Matteo Mancuso reveals the guitar techniques that saw Vai call him "the evolution of guitar"". YouTube.
  22. ^ "Watch Matteo Mancuso (SNIPS) jam with Yamaha Revstar 720B". Europe Yamaha. Yamaha Corporation. Retrieved 15 March 2019.
  23. ^ Owen, Matt (26 May 2023). "Steve Vai called him "the evolution of guitar", Tosin Abasi said he was "a virtuoso beyond virtuosos" – now Matteo Mancuso shares his mind-twisting new single". guitarworld. Retrieved 4 March 2024.
  24. ^ "Trevor Rabin, l'incatalogabile | Rolling Stone Italia" (in Italian). 8 October 2023. Retrieved 4 March 2024.
  25. ^ "Matteo Mancuso". Discogs. Retrieved 9 June 2023.
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