“The evolution of the guitar is firmly secured in the hands of this type of player…it’s just a new level, the tone, the touch, the notes!” – Steve Vai
“An absolute talent; his improvisation skills are light years away. It would take him two or three lifetimes. It was like when Jacko (Pastor) came on the scene… how did he get to be so good and so fast?” – Al DiMeola
“There is an Italian guy on the internet; his name is Matthew Mancuso. She is 20 years old or something. I mean, he’s a virtuoso beyond virtuosos.” Although Abasi
“All the kids are talking about it, and I just blanked out who is my new favorite guitar player… here it is, Matthew Mancuso. I haven’t seen anyone reinvent themselves like that since Stanley Jordan.” Joe Bonamassa.
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On his latest single, “Samba Party”available today on all digital platforms, the Sicilian guitar virtuoso Matthew Manusco channels the emotion and joy of a Rio de Janeiro during carnival, but the song itself is anything but samba. “This one is weird because first of all, musically speaking, it has nothing to do with the samba style, but I wanted to write a happy ‘major chords’ song and what I usually connect with giant happy parties.” with a lot of people it’s the carnival in Rio de Janeiro,” Manusco explains. “The main theme of the song is inspired by samba rhythms, but I wanted a more modern rhythm. Gianluca Pellerito [batería] and Riccardo Oliva [bajo] they delivered this amazing Groove, and I was super happy with the result. That’s why it’s probably my favorite song on the album.” The follow-up to the album’s lead single “Drop D”, “Samba Party” is the last sample of Manusco’s debut album, ‘The Journey’which is out on July 21 via The Players Club/Mascot Label Group.
Mancuso is a native of Sicilylocated in the Mediterranean Sea south of Italia. The island has always had a rich cultural heritage, from poets, writers, philosophers and architects to painters and musicians. Born in 1996 and raised on the outskirts of the capital Palermothe pedigree runs deep in the veins of those in the region.
At the age of 12, Matteo took his first steps on stage at a local jazz festival. Since then, his familiarity with live performance has seen him blossom and develop through various line-ups and collaborations with top local musicians, including a duet with his father, where they explore the intricacies of the repertoire of Django Reinhart and contemporary jazz classics. As a multifaceted player, whether classical or electric, what is surprising is his one-of-a-kind technique and use of his fingers instead of the usual pick.
as feeling of YouTubehis channel now has 142,000 subscribers, and his international fan base is growing, including some of the most iconic and innovative musicians in the world who declare Matteo a force to be reckoned with, from Dweezil Zappa until Joe Bonamassa, Steve Vai a Al DiMeola y Although Abasi. In 2017, as part of a trio called Snips, Matteo and his bandmates took more elements of jazz-rock and fusion; his version of “The Chicken” reached 2.2 million visits in YouTube.
Their debut album of nine original songs was recorded in Prickly Pear Studios Casteldaccia, Sicilyby your father, Vincent Mancusoa talented musician who also played on the record and co-wrote two songs, “Polyphemus” y “Blues For John”. “The album also features Stefano India (bass) and Guiseppe Bruno (drums)with additional musicians Riccardo Oliva (bass), Gianluca Pellerito (drums) y Guiseppe Vasapolli (piano/organ).
Mancuso started writing songs for the album around 2020. “I didn’t really have a specific concept behind the album, but I wanted to do something that wasn’t associated with just one genre, so there are some rock-oriented songs like Drop D and some modern jazz tunes like Polyphemus“, dice. “Drop D” was one of the first songs written for the album, which pays homage to the hard and progressive rock influences of his teenage years such as Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple, Yes, Emerson, Lake and Palmer y Dream Theater. “It’s a mix of typical progressive rock elements and one of the most fun songs to play live,” he says.
