Matteo Mancuso

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

Matteo Mancuso (born 22 November 1996) is an Italian 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, Jason Becker[1], and others have publicly praised him, with Vai calling him "the future" of electric guitar.[2][3]

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

Education

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.[4][5]

In 2017, following his performance at the Umbria Jazz Festival, he was awarded a scholarship to the Berklee College of Music in Boston.[6]

After obtaining a diploma from the music high school, where he studied classical guitar and transverse flute,[7] in June 2022, he graduated with honours in jazz guitar from the Palermo Conservatory of Music.[5][8]

Career

In 2009, at the age of 12, Mancuso performed at the Castelbuono Jazz Festival in Sicily[6] and in 2017 at the Umbria Jazz Festival in Perugia.[5][6]

Mancuso performed at the NAMM Show in Anaheim, California in 2019[9] and 2024.[10] 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.[5][6]

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.[11] 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.[12] 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.[13]

In 2024 Mancuso was a featured artist at Steve Vai's "Vai Academy 7.0" guitar camp in Orlando, Florida.[14] He conducted clinics, performed in concert and jammed with Steve Vai and his band, joined by keyboardist Jordan Rudess.

SNIPS

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.[5][15] In the following year the trio has played at the Musika-Expo in Rome and at Musikmesse in Frankfurt.[9][16]

Matteo Mancuso Trio

The trio was formed in 2020 with Stefano India on Bass and Giuseppe Bruno on Drums.[17][18] When Mancuso uploaded their performance of 'Havona' by Jaco Pastorius to YouTube, the trio received recognition for their "killer lineup"[19]

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.[20]

The Journey

Mancuso's debut album, The Journey, was released on 21 July 2023 through The Players Club, a division of Mascot Label Group.[21][22] The instrumental album ranges from jazz and fusion to hard rock and progressive rock, and features both electric and acoustic guitar.[22][23] Reviews praised Mancuso's phrasing and the album's stylistic variety. Graeme Stroud of Velvet Thunder compared aspects of his playing to Carlos Santana, John McLaughlin, Steve Vai and Al Di Meola, while describing Mancuso's own musical voice as distinctive.[24] Guitar World ranked The Journey fourth on its list of the best guitar albums of 2023 and "Silkroad" seventh on its list of the year's best guitar solos.[25][26]

North America 2024

Matteo toured from 25 January to 4 February in the following US cities: Agoura Hills (Los Angeles), San Pedro, Bakersfield, Orangevale (Sacramento) and Chicago.[27]

Route 96

In 2026, Mancuso released his second solo album, Route 96, with bassist Riccardo Oliva and drummer Gianluca Pellerito. The album features guest appearances by Steve Vai on "Solar Wind", gypsy jazz guitarist Antoine Boyer on "Isla Feliz", and keyboardist Valeriy Stepanov on the bonus track "The Chicken".[28][29] Musically, Route 96 combines jazz fusion and rock with Latin, classical and gypsy jazz influences.[30]

Style

Mancuso switches to using a free stroke with his index finger and middle finger to pick the strings like a classical guitar player,[31] a finger-style right hand technique reminiscent of flamenco.[32][2] He is considered a virtuoso of the instrument by renowned guitarists such as Al Di Meola, Steve Vai, Joe Bonamassa,[2] Tosin Abasi[33] and Trevor Rabin.[34]

Discography

Studio

  • The Journey (2023)
  • Route 96 (2026)

As a member of Drift Lab

  • Moonlight (2023)

Guest appearance

  • PFM – THE EVENT - Live In Lugano] (2022)

References

  1. ↑ Phil Weller (26 June 2025). ""His future is as bright as his talent is undeniable": Jason Becker hails Matteo Mancuso as a guitar hero destined for greatness – after the two virtuosos meet up". Guitar World. Retrieved 7 January 2026.
  2. 1 2 3 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.
  3. ↑ "This guitarist is SHOCKING pro players". Face Melters. YouTube. 6 April 2023. Retrieved 23 February 2024.
  4. ↑ 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.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 "Matteo Mancuso's Biography and Music Influences". Matteo Mancuso. Retrieved 29 February 2024.
  6. 1 2 3 4 "Matteo Mancuso". europe.yamaha.com. 4 October 2022. Retrieved 29 February 2024.
  7. ↑ "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.
  8. ↑ "MATTEO MANCUSO". AMAT (in Italian). 10 July 2023. Retrieved 29 February 2024.
  9. 1 2 Florio, Maria Luisa (24 January 2019). "Guitarist Matteo Mancuso flies to Los Angeles for the NAMM show". Bagheria News. LG MULTIMEDIA. Retrieved 15 March 2019.
  10. ↑ "Matteo Mancuso Showcasing Bacci Guitars | NAMM.org". www.namm.org. 27 January 2024. Retrieved 20 January 2024.
  11. ↑ "Eddie Lang Jazz Festival, finale col botto: il duetto Di Meola-Mancuso infiamma il palco | isNews - Molise". www.isnews.it. August 2022. Retrieved 20 December 2022.
  12. ↑ Redazione (31 August 2022). "Matteo Mancuso in concerto con la PFM". MadonieLive.com (in Italian). Retrieved 9 June 2023.
  13. ↑ 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)
  14. ↑ "4 Days and Nights of Non-Stop, Next Gen Guitar". Retrieved 29 February 2024.
  15. ↑ Matteo Mancuso - Riccardo Oliva - Salvatore Lima (14 April 2017). The Chicken (video). Retrieved 29 February 2024.
  16. ↑ 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.
  17. ↑ 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.
  18. ↑ 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.
  19. ↑ Brown, Corey (27 January 2020). "Matteo Mancuso, Stefano India, and Giuseppe Bruno: Havona". No Treble. Retrieved 6 November 2023.
  20. ↑ "Matteo Mancuso's Biography and Music Influences". Matteo Mancuso. Retrieved 11 June 2023.
  21. ↑ 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". Guitar World. Retrieved 23 August 2026.
  22. 1 2 Lehtinen, Jani (11 July 2023). "Review: Matteo Mancuso – The Journey". Tuonela Magazine. Retrieved 23 August 2026.
  23. ↑ Jordan, Oscar (October 2023). "Matteo Mancuso: The Journey". Vintage Guitar. Retrieved 23 August 2026.
  24. ↑ Stroud, Graeme (7 July 2023). "Matteo Mancuso – The Journey (The Players Club / Mascot)". Velvet Thunder. Retrieved 23 August 2026.
  25. ↑ Horsley, Jonathan (21 December 2023). "Alien rhythms, god-level chops and samurai guitar duels: these are the best guitar albums of 2023". Guitar World. Retrieved 23 August 2026.
  26. ↑ Horsley, Jonathan (20 December 2023). ""At its best, the solo can tell a story, give us a sense of spectacle, and even offer a window into a player's soul": These are the best guitar solos of 2023". Guitar World. Retrieved 23 August 2026.
  27. ↑ "Matteo Mancuso Tour Dates | Experience Live Music Magic". Matteo Mancuso. Retrieved 20 January 2024.
  28. ↑ Bosso, Joe (21 April 2026). "Matteo Mancuso's Wide-Open Road". Premier Guitar. Retrieved 23 August 2026.
  29. ↑ Todd, Laurence (19 April 2026). "Matteo Mancuso: Route 96 album review". RAMzine. Retrieved 23 August 2026.
  30. ↑ Horsley, Jonathan (29 May 2026). ""You have no excuses to have bad technique nowadays": Has Matteo Mancuso arrived as the world's greatest guitar player?". MusicRadar. Retrieved 23 August 2026.
  31. ↑ "Matteo Mancuso reveals the guitar techniques that saw Vai call him "the evolution of guitar"". YouTube. 20 October 2023.
  32. ↑ "Watch Matteo Mancuso (SNIPS) jam with Yamaha Revstar 720B". Europe Yamaha. Yamaha Corporation. Retrieved 15 March 2019.
  33. ↑ 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.
  34. ↑ "Trevor Rabin, l'incatalogabile | Rolling Stone Italia" (in Italian). 8 October 2023. Retrieved 4 March 2024.
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