Alberto Massidda

I was born in Cagliari on 3 April 1961 and music came into my life around the age of 12, when an English hippie boy, John, appears at home with his American girlfriend, Samantha. He plays the guitar and sings Bob Dylan songs. I first became curious, then passionate, and finally asked John to teach me how to play.

My first guitar is another story. Those were the years immediately following Cagliari's Scudetto and, for various reasons, Gigi Riva, whom we called Luigi, happened to be at my parents' house. Luigi had a guitar at home that had been given to him by Fabrizio De André, his friend. Luigi didn't know how to play it and probably took my new passion to heart, so he gave it to me. It was a 12-string Eko Ranger and, of course, I still have it.

My first passions were Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young and the whole West Coast of that period, James Taylor but also Led Zeppelin rock and it was the music we played throughout our teenage years in small bands in the city.

In the early 1980s I came across Pino Daniele and it was love at first sight. Italian music, which until then I had been very little interested in, became attractive and open to unexpected developments thanks to all those new contaminations. Fabio Concato and Sergio Caputo were also important reference points in Italian music. Not to mention the two Lucio's, Battisti and Dalla.

There have been many references in the world: in addition to those already mentioned, the black music of the 70s, Stevie Wonder, George Benson, Al Jarreau, Earth Wind & Fire, but also Steely Dan, Pat Metheny, Prince, the Police and finally Brazilian music: Jobim, Caetano, Djavan, Ivan Lins and many others, there are too many.

Also during those years, unsatisfied, I started playing saxophone and was invited to join the Crepes Suzettes, a band from Cagliari with a truly 80s sound and look (including make-up and shoulder pads).
My first professional experience (paid!) was offered to me by my uncle Bruno Massidda, a well-known singer and saxophonist in Cagliari, who hired me as bass player and singer in his quartet on a cruise ship in Greece and the Caribbean.
I break my military service and join the rock band Tomato Ketchup as a saxophonist. Brilliant and unique band for those times had a 'Mediterranean' sound in the broadest sense.

During my military service, I met pianist Alessandro Di Liberto, with whom I played for many years and thanks to whom I approached jazz, a great passion and school. I studied harmony, took a diploma in solfeggio and had my jazz experiences in various ensembles including the quartet of American trumpeter Andy Gravish, Paolo Nonnis' quartet featuring tenor saxophonist Steve Marcus, formerly of the Buddy Rich Big band, and the trio with Rossella Faa.

In the 1990s I moved to Milan. During the early years I studied singing with Francesca Oliveri and harmony and arrangement with maestro Filippo Daccò, known in Italy and Europe as one of the most talented teachers of harmony and modern guitar.

From that moment on, I finally began to make a living from music, playing in a wide variety of venues with many musicians with whom I shared this absorbing experience. I am reminded of Paola Atzeni and the Banda quartet, inspired by Brazilian music, Loredana Casula, a singer with a unique and very 'soulful' timbre, with whom we collaborated far and wide, and Emanuele Esposti, an excellent pianist with refined taste and a great friend.

During these 'Milanese' years I also wrote some songs that remained in the drawer for a long time until I decided to finally get them out. With the collaboration of Emanuele Esposti and other wonderful musicians, I made my first album, which is out now. And it will be the first of a long series.