Mauro Gatto

He studied drums in 1979 with Eddy de Fanti (Orchestra "La Fenice" in Venice, Batistococo, etc.) and the Venice Conservatory before moving on to jazz and Latin with various style big bands, moving to rock with a great passion for Ian Paice and John Bonham. From '85 to '88, he toured Europe with the Junior Jazz Band, performing also in Paris, Amsterdam, Lisbon, Barcelona, etc. In '90, he turned professional, touring Italy with various dance music bands, until he landed in the Nuti and Cat Boogie Band in '95, a trio offering swing, folk, and ethnic music. He began his research on Klezmer music with the group Barbapedana, with whom he recorded four CDs: "Sherele," "Three Lorienti," "Yol," "Ziveli," participating in many folk festivals in Italy and abroad (including Portugal, Spain, Greece, and Cape Verde), and playing in the international festival of Klezmer music in Ancona. Since March of '97, he joined the other world, the myth of the rock band Triveneto, with whom he met Ian Paice, Tommy Emmanuel, James Burton, Guido Toffoletti, and Claudio Golinelli in some jam sessions and recording studios. Meanwhile, he studied in Milan with Marco Volpe (Assoc. al Berklee College of Music) and David Ragazzoni (Whittaker, Pravo, Branduardi), and continued as a researcher and teacher in various musical structures of North Italy. He worked regularly with the orchestra of Vicenza in "Jesus Christ Superstar," conducted by G. Noise, and with "Labor," with which he participated in various national events (Venice Summer 2000, Global Rhythms Europeans, Sanremo Rock), recording two CDs for the label UPR folk rock of Milan entitled "Land Betrayed" and "Op-La'," also serving as a support group to James Thompson (sax for Sugar and Paolo Conte) and John Henry, an American blues guitarist known in his Italian tour. He also collaborated with musicians like Maurizio Fusi and Marco Dehò in the project "Yesh Gvul," a Klezmer band formed by professionals, and recorded the second CD "Farewell to Lugano," following the CD "Moon Waltz" with the participation of Moni Ovadia. In the meantime, the worldwide release of "Frames Without Borders," a CD recorded by many great drummers worldwide (including Glen Velez, Layne Redmond, Kobi Hagoel, Peyman Nasehpour, Eric Stuer, Paul Marshall, etc.), featured him as the only Italian. He recently worked with the American vocal group "Take Six" for their Italian tour, recorded a new CD with Leo Miglioranza, a well-known Italian singer, Ndemo Xente, and is about to work with Simonetta Mandis on her first solo album for the label Universe. He recently published with the instrumental group Nufunk "Wharthey," the first album for the label Godown Records. With Bruno Gennaro, in 2010, he joined the ensemble Latin/flamenco Agua de Rio. He is also working with Armando Battiston, a known jazz pianist, on a new ensemble of jazz/contemporary. He continued his research on Balkan percussion and published, in 2006, his first book "Balkan Drumming," all focused on the battery in the Balkans, which will be followed shortly by the second "Breathing Rhythms," focusing on Africa and its enormous wealth.

Now working with a tribal project with the dancer Angelica, called Anderlune, recording "Andergo." From 2016, he works with Kingdom Productions and recorded over 25 CDs of different styles, and with a new project, The Venice Oriental Ensemble, that plays Arabic Mediterranean music with electronics, at the second CD after "Arabesque Voyage" in 2014, now with "Magnificent Desolation" in 2024.