"One memory above all? The evenings in Chicago at Rosa's and Buddy Guy Legend with the Expresso Blues Band, together with Marco [Giaccardi]. Or the opening of the Kool & the Gang concert. Or sharing the stage and the studio with blues stars like Billy Branch, Craig Erickson, Katherine Davies, Eddie Clearwater, Nico 'Wayne' Toussaint, Flavio Boltro."
Immersed in music from an early age, between solfège and accordion, piano and guitar, member and author for well-known rock bands and finalist composer for the 'Rino Gaetano' award, he studied singing with baritone Mirko Gagino and blues-gospel singer Francesca Oliveri.
He devoted to blues two decades of his life: between nightclubs and international festivals, back and forth from Europe to the States. In addition to thirty years of concerts in Piedmontese folk and a deep immersion in Argentine tango.
He began as a self-taught musician, as many do. Then he discovered the secrets of the electric bass with maestro Francesco Bertone. Today he is a luthier and builder of guitars and electric basses and an extremely versatile musician. Or maybe he is a musician first, luthier second. For sure, he is constantly on stage.
Over the years he has been a bass player for dozens of musical groups: Iron Maiden, Jimi Hendrix and Stevie Ray Vaughan tribute bands and pop, funky pop, Italian rock, international rock, noise rock, blues, rhythm 'n blues. And then rap and yes, even dance. What matters is not what genre, the matter is playing!
Member of Cani Sciorrì, whose original songs took him between Europe and the USA. Bass player and founder of the Expresso Blues Band, he recorded two albums with Roberto Bella and the band, and was awarded the SIAE plaque as best emerging Italian blues band.
Turin, the night of the Olympics: he opened Lou Reed's concert with Lou Dalfin, the Occitan singers known by the most famous European folk festivals. He also is bluesman in Chicago, Austin and Dallas: on tour he met his eternal sources of inspiration,Tommy Shannon (Steve Ray Vaughan's bass player) and Chris Duarte.
He would describe himself as a simple Fender-style guitarist, a devotee of blues and, above all, a disciple of Steve Ray Vaughan. His father, a guitarist with a passion for jazz and Hank Marvin, is the one who gave him the right guidance and motivation.
He became an excellent musician, graduating with honours in Jazz Guitar and Musical Disciplines from the G.F. Ghedini Conservatory. He worked as a session player with Enrico Ruggeri, Teresa De Sio, Richard Galliano, Négresses Vertes, Manu Chao, Miguel Bosè, Zucchero, and Irene Fornaciari.
London, BBC studios, the year is 2006: the most celebrated scenes of the international music world heard the notes of a very special track: 'Missa Trust in Jesus'. It is a four-voice mixed choir and jazz trio that Roberto composed, arranged and conducted.
He graduated in Organ and Choir Conducting from the Conservatory of Music. He is a singer, composer and expert in Afro-American music, particularly Spiritual and Gospel, a subject on which he has also published several studies and essays in musicological journals over the years.
In addition to various important collaborations, such as the Orchestra Nazionale della RAI (the national public TV broadcasting company of Italy) in Turin, he conducted the vocal octet 'Cantus Firmus' for almost twenty years, during which he toured all over Europe winning important competitions and receiving numerous awards.
One night in 2014, Lorenzo found himself on stage at Carnegie Hall in New York City, in front of an applauding audience after the jazz concert that closed The Duet's US tour.
An eclectic, tirelessly curious drummer, he smoothly moves between jazz and pop, rock and blues, funk and songwriting. His collaborations are many and very diverse, but certainly the ones to stand out are Daniele Ronda, Andrea Celeste, the quartet of Rino Vernizzi and Giuseppe Nova, Andrea Maddalone (New Trolls), and Fabrizio Casalino for his song in Genoese dialect released in October 2020, during Siena Jazz and Roma Jazz's Cool.
Some would say they have 25 years of experience, he says 25 years of training. He never ceases to learn, attending seminars and classes led by some of the biggest drummers, such as Christian Meyer, Gavin Harrison, or Horatio 'El Negro' Hernandez.
To find out about or get involved with Blues It Studio you can write to hey@bluesitstudio.com
Copyright 2023 Roberto Bella
