In 2022 started a new guitar trio and started working on a project featuring the Italian repertoire. Between the numbers of this repertoire you can find pop songs and swings from the 50’60’, Arias from Puccini’s operas, Neapolitan music from end of the 19th century and film music by Morricone, along with Simone’s compositions.Simone Manunza started his career in Milan, performing in venues and local festivals around Italy playing in different bands, but often conducting his own bands and composing his own music.
In the 00’s, after studying passionately the music of John Coltrane Simone produced the album ‘Coltrane’s Colours’ which received good reviews in the authoritative Italian Magazine MUSICA JAZZ.
Since moving to North Wales Simone has started wide collaborations with Welsh and English musicians in the north, taking part in a few editions of the the Manchester Jazz Festivals with the Manchester based band AIN’T MISBEHAVIN’ and other festivals and venues of North Wales and North England.
In 2022 started a new guitar trio and started working on a project featuring the Italian repertoire. Between the numbers of this repertoire you can find pop songs and swings from the 50’60’, Arias from Puccini’s operas, Neapolitan music from end of the 19th century and film music by Morricone, along with Simone’s compositions.
Simone says that he feels a strong connection with this repertoire, of which he naturally memorised the lyrics as a child and that this connection allows him to be more free playing it, just like playing standards of the American songbook. Moreover working on this project allowed Simone to work on new original compositions with a fresh approach providing new aspiring ideas.
This last project was partly captured in the recording MOTIVI FAMILIARI, produced and financed independently and available for sale on Bandcamp.
Simone’s influences as a musician are often outside the guitar world. He likes to refer to pianists Bud Powell and Bill Evans for his harmonic approach, John Coltrane for his energy and exterminate vocabulary in different styles and certainly Miles Davis for his amazing sound and ability to communicate as a bandleader.