Matteo Mancuso
Bio
A kid prodigy
Matteo Mancuso, born in 1996 and raised in the province of Palermo. A musical prodigy from an early age, Matteo's introduction to the world of music was guided by his father, Vincenzo Mancuso, a well-known guitarist and producer in the industry, serving as both mentor and master during his formative years.
Post-high school Diploma, he founded the Snips trio, gaining widespread acclaim for their fusion take on classic standards, including his first viral YouTube video “The Chicken”.
As a collaborator with Yamaha Guitars, Matteo showcased his expertise at NAMM 2019 in Los Angeles and participated as a judge at the “Young Guitar Festival” in Bangkok. 2019 also marked his venture into Russia, conducting masterclasses in Moscow, St. Petersburg, and Perm.
On July 21, “The Journey” was released, capturing the essence of his diverse musical influences. It narrates the musical journey of a young artist absorbing, interpreting, and expressing his passion for music. The album pays homage to his roots, influential artists, and genres that have left a mark on his musical identity.
September 2023 introduced a new chapter in Matteo's musical journey, featuring a revamped lineup with Riccardo Oliva on bass and keyboards and Gianluca Pellerito on drums.
Matteo’s YouTube channel is followed by over 180,000 international subscribers. Renowned musicians, including Dweezil Zappa, Joe Bonamassa, Eric Johnson, Al Di Meola, and Steve Vai, have praised Matteo's talents, hailing him as the “evolution of fusion guitar”.
Biography
Multi-faceted player
Multi-faceted player, classical or electric, what really is astounding and taking everyone aback is the one-of-a-kind technique and use of his fingers instead of regular picking. The killer tone and original sound truly put his talent in a different league altogether.
His YouTube channel is now at 130k subscribers, most comments come from all over the world and his international fanbase keeps growing as people catch wind of something new in the guitar world… Many are the names mentioning Matteo as a force to be reckoned with, from Dweezil Zappa, Joe Bonamassa all the way to the legends.
Influences
Matteo and his bandmates
In 2017 a trio by the name of “Snips” sees Matteo and his bandmates take on more jazz-rock and fusion elements; their version of The Chicken hits 2.2 million views on YT. Same year within the world’s famous Umbria Jazz in Perugia, Italy, he gets awarded a scholarship to the prestigious Berklee College in Boston. Still with "SNIPS,” the positive streak of successful performances keep coming along in the following months: "Les Nuits De La Guitare" festival in Patrimonio, Corsica, Musikmesse 2018 in Frankfurt, Germany and Umbria Jazz again in 2018.
2019, Yamaha guitars becomes the official endorser of his appearance at the NAMM show in Los Angeles. Matteo also gets invited as judge on the panel of "Young Guitar Festival" in Bangkok, a masterclass tour in Russia hits Moscow, St. Petersburg and Perm 2020, time for a line-up change with a new trio and Matteo goes solo now testing his compositional vein trying his own original material. As we all have experienced, the covid years have taken a toll on the industry at large. As soon as live gigs were again possible in 2021, the trio hit the road again, culminating with two sold out nights at the Blue Note in Milano...
Discography
An absolute talent; his improvisational ability is light years ahead.
It would take two or three lifetimes.
It was like when Jaco (Pastorius) came on the scene... how did he get so good and so fast..?
Al Di Meola
The evolution of guitar is firmly secure in the hands of these kind of players... it’s just a new level, the tone, the touch, the notes... they are very clean players, no slobs !”
Steve Vai
The trio hit the road again
Meanwhile, the name is making the rounds and offers come up almost unsolicited from the deep north all the way to the south: 2022 the Bremen International Festival, the Auditorium Parco della Musica in Rome.
Just a short break in June to graduate in jazz guitar from the Palermo Conservatory of Music with honors and honorable mention, and resume touring, this time sharing the stage with Al Di Meola himself on classical guitar at the closing night of the Eddie Lang Jazz Festival.
Lugano Jazz Festival in Switzerland with PFM (known prog-rock band from the 70s) in August, then the New Ross Guitar Festival, Ireland. A major prime-time stint on Italy’s Rai Tv (local official channel, BBC-like) in September, Uppsala Jazz Festival in Sweden, Spoleto Jazz Festival back in Italy in October.