Matteo Mancuso hails from the far-away island of 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 like 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 12, Matteo 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 line-ups 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 he reached his mid-teens, he balanced these influences and began to explore the hard rock of Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple, AC/DC and the prog-rock of acts such as Rush, Yes, Emerson, Lake and Palmer and Dream Theater. 

As a multi-faceted 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 demeanour, you have the guitarist no one has ever seen and whose talent puts him in a different league.

As a YouTube sensation, his channel is now at 148k 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 of the world's most iconic, ground-breaking, and legendary players are declaring Matteo a force to be reckoned with, from Dweezil Zappa to Joe Bonamassa, Steve Vai to Al Di Meola and Tosin Abasi.

"The evolution of guitar is firmly secure in the hands of these kinds of players… it's just a new level, the tone, the touch, the notes!" -  Steve Vai.

"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?" - Al Di Meola.

"There's this Italian kid on the internet; his name is Matteo Mancuso. He's 20 or something. I mean, he's a virtuoso beyond virtuosos." - Tosin Abasi. 

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

In 2017, as part of a trio called Snips, Matteo and his bandmates took on more jazz-rock and fusion elements; their version of "The Chicken" hit 2.2 million views on YouTube. The same year, at the world-famous Umbria Jazz Festival in Perugia, Italy, he was awarded a scholarship to the prestigious Berklee College in Boston. Still, with Snips, the performances kept coming; the "Les Nuits De La Guitare" festival in Patrimonio, Corsica, Musikmesse 2018 in Frankfurt, Germany and Umbria Jazz again in 2018. 

In 2019, Yamaha guitars became the official endorser of his 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 assembled a new trio and began developing his solo work, pushing his compositional boundaries and original material. Like many others, when the pandemic brought the world to a standstill, Matteo experienced difficulties as it took a significant toll on the music industry. In 2021, as soon as live gigs became possible, he hit the road as part of the new trio, culminating in two exhilarating sold-out nights at the Blue Note in Milano.

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 says. 

The album of nine original songs was recorded at Fico d'India Studios Casteldaccia, Sicily, by his father, Vincenzo Mancuso, 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).

"Drop D" was one of the first songs written for the album, which pays tribute to his teens' hard rock and prog influences. "It is a mix of typical rock and prog elements and one of the most fun songs to play live," he says. "Another title for this track was "stormchaser" because I'm a big fan of disaster movies. This song reminds me a lot of a big truck following a giant tornado, a typical day in Texas, maybe," he laughs.

On Samba Party, he adds. "This is a strange one because, first of all, musically speaking, it doesn't have anything to do with the samba style, but I wanted to write a happy "major chord" song and the thing I usually connect with giant happy parties with a lot of people is the carnival in Rio de Janeiro, so, that's why "Samba Party."

Continuing, he explains, "The song's main theme is inspired by samba rhythms, but I wanted a more modern groove. Gianluca Pellerito and Riccardo Oliva delivered this incredible groove, and I was super happy with the result. That's why it's Probably my favourite song from the album."

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, he resumed touring. He shared the stage with Al Di Meola on classical guitar on 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 an incredible performance at the New Ross Guitar Festival in Ireland. At the Uppsala Jazz Festival in Sweden, he appeared in a major prime-time slot on Italy's national Rai TV in September. Finally, he rounded off the year at the Spoleto Jazz Festival in Italy in October and, in early 2023, performed on stage with Tommy Emmanuel in Palermo.

In 2023 he was picked up by The Players Club, a division of the Mascot Label Group, a label of some of the most iconic guitarists in the world – Joe Bonamassa, George Benson, Tommy Emmanuel, Yngwie Malmsteen, Paul Gilbert, Jason Becker, Michael Landau, Marty Friedman, Robben Ford, Eric Gales, Jan Akkerman, Steve Cropper, Robby Krieger and more.

Signing to the label, he says, "It's a pleasure and an honour to work with such an important label like Mascot. I was surprised by how many people are involved in this. I'm super happy and excited about the future!" 

2023 is now where 'The Journey' really begins. From the age of 12, when he took his first steps onto a stage in Sicily, has all led to this moment – the precocious talent which led to the youngster becoming a YouTube sensation to the acclaim from some of the finest guitarists of their time to the stages graced across Europe and the ones he has shared with icons, to this moment - his debut album release of nine deftly beautiful guitar instrumentals.

"I just want people to hear it," he enthuses. "Music has always been my favourite 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."

Released on 21st July via The Players Club/Mascot Label Group, Matteo Mancuso will no longer be Italy's best-kept musical secret. It's time to share with the world.