RUE MELO in VEGAS! Hard Rock Hotel, May 2008.
RUE MELO on TOUR! Spring 2008.
PROFILE
Professional guitar player available for live and recording sessions.
Electric and acoustic guitars.
Versatile in a variety of styles including r&b, funk, soul, jazz, rock, fusion.
Deep knowledge of theory and harmony.
Can read music notation, chord charts, play and learn by ear.
BIO
I picked up my first guitar at age 15. After bothering my parents for quite a while they bought me a very cheap classical one. I spent the first week trying to tune my new instrument, and had a hard time just achieving that very basic thing. Still I didn’t give up and this turned out to be one of the main facets of my personality.
I was raised in a family where everyone was schooled, educated and graduated, and in a country where music is not considered a real job. So, as a teenager I used to spend my time doing homework for my classes at the scientific high school. Whenever I had a moment of free time, though, I enjoyed very much picking up my guitar and trying to learn the first chords. Soon I realized that music was not just something I could do during my spare time. There was more to it. I decided to take guitar lessons and I also bought my first electric guitar. I was into rock and metal music at that time and I was amazed by the possibilities for expression that the guitar could offer. I used to play songs from great rock bands like Deep Purple and Led Zeppelin, as well as Metallica, Iron Maiden, and many others.
When I began my university years, I decided to major in electronic engineering, so I was not able to devote much time to music. But soon I felt that this was not my goal in life. I just wanted to be a musician and play guitar. However, I kept my promise to my parents and finished my BA in engineering in 2004 from Università Roma3. Meanwhile, in 2000 I enrolled at UM (Università della Musica) in Rome where I had the opportunity to study with some of the greatest musicians in Italy. World renowned players like Maurizio Pizzardi (Tetes des Bois, Bruno Martino), Rocco Zifarelli (Ennio Morricone, Giorgia, Renato Zero), Nicola Puglielli (Nicola Piovani, Steve Grossman) taught me the basics of the guitar and introduced me to jazz. From that moment I knew that there was a completely new world to explore and I embarked upon the challenge. In 2002 and 2003, I won two consecutive scholarships at UM which gave me the possibility to attend the “Berklee in Umbria†summer school held by the world famous college of music during the Umbria Jazz Festival. In 2003, I also received the “Guitar Student of the Year†award, which earned me a prize of 1000 Euros. During those years, I played and performed for various Italian artists in different cities and venues. In 2002 I also participated to the “Sanremo Rock†contest as the guitar player for the band TemPOPerso.
In 2003, I met the talented clarinet player and Berklee College of Music graduate Enrico Cerretti (Buck Pizzarelli). I started collaborating with him, recording and playing in many projects he was involved with. One of these was “Progetto Pandora†(2007), sponsored by CNR (Italian Centre of Research). In 2003 and 2004, I was also hired as a teacher at the A. Corelli music school in Rome where I taught several students on harmony, theory, improvisation and technique. In the meantime I continued with my studies and I met the amazing Italian guitarist William Stravato. He introduced me to modern jazz and fusion and gave me insights on totally new and unexplored way of playing.
In 2005, I decided to come to Los Angeles in order to attend the world renowned “Musicians Institute.†I had a really great experience there, and I studied with some of the greatest guitarists and musicians in the world. Scott Henderson, Allen Hinds, Sid Jacobs, Dave Hill were no longer only names written on my favorite CDs. They were real and they were teaching me how to become a better musician.
During my time in the US, I have met and had creative collaborations with several different artists and earned credits with, among others: SeemaJ, Francesco Sondelli, Stefani Sikora and the very talented and eclectic Chilean born artist Josè Promis. Also in 2006, I became a songwriter and session player for the label “Follow Your Plan.†In 2007 I also became a session player for the label “Cnotes Records†and returned briefly to Naples, Italy to teach clinics on harmony and improvisation for ZerodB Studios.