Matteo Mancuso announces first headline tour of North America

Tour stops in Buffalo on June 29

Press Release

Matteo Mancuso has announced his first headline national tour of North America. The itinerary brings Mancuso coast to coast in the U.S., and into Canada for several annual marquee events. The tour begins May 20 at Boston’s City Winery and wraps June 30 at Le Festival International de Jazz de Montreal.

Mancuso will perform at Buffalo’s Electric City on June 29 . With the on-sale being staggered, fans can check local box offices for on-sale details.

Mancuso hails from Sicily, nestled in the Mediterranean Sea to the south of Italy. The island has always had a rich cultural heritage, from poets, writers, philosophers and architects to painters and musicians. Born in 1996 and raised just outside the capital Palermo, the pedigree runs deep in the veins of those from the region. Had his family relocated to the US, he might be the best-kept secret in the lineage of great Italian-American players such as Zappa, Vai, Satriani, Di Meola, Petrucci and Gambale.

During the 1970s, his father, Vincenzo Mancuso, made a name for himself as a gifted session player on the domestic scene, and the young Matteo looked up to him as a primary source of inspiration. While still in high school (music), he picked up classical guitar and transverse flute. It didn't take long for everyone to understand that a child prodigy was blooming.

At the age of 12, Mancuso took his first steps onto the stage at a local jazz festival. Since then, his acquaintance with live performances has seen him blossom and develop through various lineups and collaborations with the finest local musicians, including a duo with his father, where they explore the complexities of Django Reinhart's repertoire and contemporary jazz classics.

As a multifaceted player, either classical or electric, what is astounding is his one-of-a-kind technique and use of his fingers instead of regular picking. With an impressive tone, original sound, and humble demeanor, you have the guitarist no one has ever seen and whose talent puts him in a different league. Many of the world's most iconic, groundbreaking and legendary players are declaring Matteo as a force to be reckoned with, from Joe Bonamassa and Steve Vai to Al Di Meola.

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In 2019, Yamaha guitars became the official endorser of Mancuso’s appearance at the NAMM show in Los Angeles. He was invited as a judge on the panel for the "Young Guitar Festival" in Bangkok and a masterclass tour in Russia – calling through Moscow, St. Petersburg and Perm.

In 2020, Matteo put together a new trio and began developing his solo work, pushing his compositional boundaries and original material. When the pandemic brought the world to a standstill, Matteo – like many – experienced difficulties, as COVID took a significant toll on the music industry. In 2021, as soon as live gigs became possible, he hit the road as part of a new trio, culminating in two exhilarating sold-out nights at the Blue Note in Milano.

The name “Matteo Mancuso” was beginning to reach the ears of the most prominent people in the industry and those in the know. Offers came up from the north to the deep south.

In 2022, he played at the Bremen International Festival at the Auditorium Parco Della Musica in Rome. After a short break in June last year to graduate in jazz guitar from the Palermo Conservatory of Music with honors and honorable mention, Mancuso resumed touring. He shared the stage with Di Meola on classical guitar at the closing night of the Eddie Lang Jazz Festival; he played at the Lugano Jazz Festival in Switzerland, as a guest with prog-rockers PFM; and offered an incredible performance at the New Ross Guitar Festival in Ireland. He appeared in a major primetime slot on Italy's national Rai TV, at the Uppsala Jazz Festival in Sweden. Finally, he rounded off the year at the Spoleto Jazz Festival back in Italy.

His debut, titled “The Journey,” features nine original songs, which were recorded at Fico d'India Studios Casteldaccia, Sicily, by his father – a gifted player who also played on the record and co-wrote two songs, "Polifemo" and "Blues For John." The album also features Stefano India (Bass) and Guiseppe Bruno (Drums), with additional musicians Riccardo Oliva (Bass), Gianluca Pellerito (drums) and Guiseppe Vasapolli (Piano/Organ).

Mancuso began 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 only one genre; so, there are some rock-oriented songs like ‘Drop D’ and some modern Jazz tunes like ‘Polifemo,’ " he said. " ‘Drop D’ was one of the first songs written for the album, which pays tribute to his teens' hard rock and prog influences such as Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple, Yes, Dream Theater, and Emerson Lake and Palmer.

"It is a mix of typical rock and prog elements and one of the most fun songs to play live," Mancuso said.

In front of the album’s release, he shared, "I just want people to hear it."

He enthused, "Music has always been my favorite form of communication, and the thing I love about instrumental music is that there isn't a language barrier. I'm sure that people that don't usually listen to instrumental music can find something interesting from this album."

Mancuso has become one of the hottest guitarists on the planet following the release of his debut album in 2023, “The Journey,” which featured the singles "Samba Party," which channels the excitement and jubilation of Rio de Janeiro during carnival – but the song itself is anything but samba; also, "Silk Road, which was dedicated to his hometown Palermo and his Arab-Norman roots, and was the follow-up to the album's lead single "Drop D."

The YouTube sensation has already adorned the front cover of magazines such as Guitar Techniques, which called him "The Hottest Guitarist on the Planet”; and Total Guitar, which hailed him as the "World's Hottest Virtuoso." He has picked up plaudits from some of the world's most iconic, groundbreaking players who are declaring Matteo as a force to be reckoned with, from Bonamassa and Vai to Di Meola. They shared:

"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!" Vai said.

"An absolute talent; his improvisational ability is light years ahead. It would take two or three lifetimes. It was like when Jacko (Pastorius) came on the scene … how did he get so good and so fast?" Di Meola said.

"All the kids are talking about it, and I blanked when answering who my new favorite guitarist is. ... Here he is: Matteo Mancuso. I have not seen anyone reinvent like this since Stanley Jordan," Bonamassa said.