Hello Marcello, can you start this conversation by talking about your beginnings?

As a guitarist and composer, I began playing with Emanuele Cerruti on bass and Marco Astarita on drums in a beat band called Flash, active in the second half of the 1960s. At the time, I was a teenager paying attention to everything that was coming from England and the USA.

Well, what was your real start as a professional?

It’s right to say that this happened in 1971, when I co-founded the band Procession, which released the album "Frontiera" in 1972 on the Help label (marketed by the Italian branch of RCA).

At the time, my bandmates were Roby Munciguerra on guitars, Angelo Girardi on bass, Giancarlo Capello on drums, and the late Gianfranco Gaza as a fantastic vocalist. Some reviews described this singer as the “Italian Robert Plant." In fact, we kept Led Zeppelin tracks in our set list for a while.

Why did you participate and perform for the first album only?

Because of my military service. In Italy, an obligatory service. At the time every male citizen around its 20s should have been employed as a soldier for 15 months. My career was a forced stop and a waste of time. However, the band released a second good album without me, called "Fiaba," more oriented to progressive rock than the previous one. Despite that good record, everything terminated once after. I pursued my project as a solo artist looking for new horizons, collaborating with Raffaella De Vita in the show "Canti e Voci di Raffaele Viviani," then with Turin-based rock singer-songwriter Enzo Maolucci in shows such as "Songraffiti" and on the albums "Barbari e Bar" and the singles "Bella generazione mia" and "Immaginata."

The end of the 70s and the years of your real first record as a solo artist, right?

Yes! “Aria Mediterranea” of 1978, where I presented at once my style and my personal tastes. It was the moment to leave on my back those tunes of pop and “progressive rock" and run toward the recovery of what could offer a genuine guitar sound.

Were you prepared to face the 80s, with punk, new wave, and everything in contrast with the previous decade?

Those were hard times, but I survived. The '80s opened with a fruitful collaboration with Tito Schipa Jr. for several concerts supporting the album "Concerto per un primo amore" (1983) and also participating in the Italian tours of John Martyn and Dave Cousins. After that, I walked through a bunch of years dedicated to the study and the improvement of my style.

The 90s are seen as a rebirth of interest in good music. What do you think about it?

You’re partly right. In 1993, after that long period of study, one of my tracks was chosen for the compilation "Fafnir" released by Kaliphonia with the song "Combat." Those were the years of the recovery of the good sound of the 70s, when “prog rock" was resurrected by a few new labels and the strong interest from the Japanese audience. I was asked to reform “Procession” many times during those years, but I was adamant about pursuing my personal music, and I proudly rejected any idea of reunion. Only my former bandmate Roby Munciguerra accepted, and I was told about some gigs and new records named again "Procession." I would have wished the best luck to Munciguerra…although I don’t care anymore to play that good music again. However, in 1994, Mellow Records reissued "Aria Mediterranea" along with ten new compositions on the CD "Imaginations." In 1998, I came back performing concerts and, with a new activity of recordings, helped by the independent label Toast Records. Subsequently, I released other solo works, the last of which, entitled "Preludio ad una nuova alba," was this time released by Electromantic Music in early 2010.

Along that same year, I performed in numerous concerts, collaborating with the young artist Eleonora Zollo on her debut album, "Vivendo nei miei sogni," released by Electromantic with the support of Telethon.

Unleashed and full of good energy, right?

Yes, always inspired inside my studio works. Again, on June 26, 2011, here comes my ninth album, "Fili del tempo": once again with Electromantic Music, the album features Beppe Crovella and Silvana Aliotta. The album was officially presented at the XVIII ADGPA Convention—International Guitar Rendez-vous in Conegliano, Veneto (TV). Performing the songs "Oltre" and "For Tibet" live in the City Council Hall of Savona in aid of A.I.A.S. (Italian Association for Assistance to Spastics).

Music for benefits?

Absolutely! I was involved in a collective project with my song "Oltre," included in the book-CD "Cosa resterà di me" (Editoriale Darsena, 2011), published by Athos Enrile and Massimo Pacini in aid of A.I.A.S. Savona Onlus—Italian Association for Assistance to Spastics. During the same period, with Silvana Aliotta, I recorded "Aspettando Jackpot," a piece written by psychologist Mauro Selis, winner of the Facebook contest "Inchiostro progressivo 2011." This was a song directed to the public as an invitation to understand the problem of “gambling subordination” and how this kind of “subordination” destroys lives and relationships.

About 12 years ago, you were interested in forming another band. Why?

Yes, the “Glad Tree” project. Before explaining more, let me tell you about a strange episode: on December 18, 2012, Electromantic released an old Procession concert: "9 gennaio 1972," a live recording at the Lion Club in Chieri (TO) on January 9, 1972. These old tapes were rediscovered by my old bandmate Mario Bruno inside a box from his attic. After 40 years, this relic was recovered and remastered by Beppe Crovella. Although it is a rough recording, it is very important to understand my evolution. The Procession line-up that played that concert was different from the one that recorded the first album.

How was born the “Glad Tree” project?

As I told you before, I have lost my interest in going back inside rock music since the end of the 70s. Apart from Maolucci, of course, who was really a rocker. Since then, I have been more oriented to what is called “world music" and some strange ways to play folk music. The meeting with the Indian percussionist Kamod Raj Palampuri and flutist Lanfranco Costanza in 2014 was the perfect start of a new experience. This acoustic trio was called Glad Tree, a fusion of Eastern and Western music. After a year of live performances, we came out with our debut album, "Onda Luminosa," released on January 22, 2015, and presented live at the Teatro Cardinal Massaia in Turin.

After a two-year wait, this project changed its lineup: On September 22, 2017, MP & Records (with G.T. Music Distribution) released "Ostinatoblu," Glad Tree's second album. This album features a new talent, Mario Bruno (the same bandmate of Procession with Marcello in the 1970s), on horn and keyboards. The confirmation of Lanfranco Costanza on flute and my comeback as an electric guitarist. And again in 2021, Glad Tree's third album, "Bambu," was released via RadiciMusic Records, without Mario Bruno but with Massimiliano Andreo on percussion.

And the future? What are your plans?

Firstly, I want to remember my return as a solo artist in 2024, with the release of "Voyage" with Electromantic Music. In the same year, on December 7th, I received the BEAT ONE award at the Casalinuovo Auditorium in Catanzaro, and on the same day, at the Museo del Rock, I was delighted to perform my music as background music for the 1926 film "Mary Pickford's Kiss," an evening organized by the Cineteca della Calabria, receiving considerable acclaim from the large audience.

Recently, on January 12, 2025, I came back to Umbria to perform a guitar solo concert at the Garage Club for a truly attentive and enthusiastic audience. Those new facts led to being chosen again for a second live performance for the film "Mary Pickford's Kiss" at the Turin International Book Fair in May 2025, and again on July 14th, the film's third live performance took place at LIFF 12 (Lamezia International Film Fest), where the Cineteca della Calabria presented the DVD featuring the film's music performed with my acoustic guitar.

Now I am always searching for new inspiration, and new tracks are coming…but I prefer to retain any revelation in favor of the surprise! I love to give to my audience the unexpected!

Thank You, Marcello!

You’re always welcome, Maurizio.