Massimo Izzizzari

Massimo Izzizzari - Unstable Balance - 2007 - Lion Music

Lion Music has released yet another gem by guitar virtuoso Massimo Izzizzari. (I will call him Izzi for short… I hope he doesn’t mind). Izzi has released his first instrumental solo CD titled “Unstable Balance.” Hold on to your shorts! First track “Unstable Balance” comes out of the gate tearing it up! Nice drum work showing a flare of a jazz fusion feel that breaks into a funk beat with Izzi ripping it up right over the top. This song clearly demonstrates the chops Izzi possesses with blazing speed and feel. Moving on to track 2 “Access Denied” – a very cool funk rock feel. I appreciate the clean guitar sound playing rhythm underneath…. nice touch! Izzi blasts right over the top again taking no prisoners, yet leaving enough breathing room in the song for the bass player to show off a little, then back to an incredible solo! WOW! This CD has a great rock, funk jazz feel, which is wonderful. As we move on to Track 3 “Wordgame” The song displays great structure incorporating catchy melodies with burning solos as does track 4 “Television Man.” There are plenty of intricate licks, hooks and odd time phrasing presented throughout the album including fabulous rock riffs. This CD would please any guitar player, musician or any avid music listener looking for a guitar instrumental CD! I enjoyed cut 5 “Freeze Frame” opening with a subtle new age jungle theme that leads you into a fat groove tunnel surrounded by a warm jazz guitar. Izzi guides you out of the tunnel and into the great wide open with a very catchy melody that will be hard to forget! Back into the tunnel for a short period, as you emerge once again into the great wide open for a variety of twists and turns, the main melody in this song will stick in your head for sure! Definitely my favorite cut. One song after another the CD gets getting better and better. There are no weak links here. Closing the CD is “Teresa” a song dedicated to his daughter. Massimo shows what feel is all about! Bravo! Since I have joined Rockeyez, I have never given a 5 star to anyone. Yes, I am hypercritical, but there is a first for everything. I am honored to award 5 stars to this incredible musician. Massimo Izzizzari clearly deserves it. I don’t even want to compare him to anybody because he clearly stands out on his own. This is a must buy! Rock On Izzi! © Joe Manno © Rockeyez.com 2005 – 2006 http://www.rockeyez.com/reviews/cd/massimoizzizzari/rev-massimoizzizzari-unstablebalance.html

Great guitar instrumental album of rock and modern fusion. Massimo has a fluid and flawless lead technique style. His style is often reminiscent of Greg Howe but Massimo has a technique all his own and this album deserves a much bigger audience. Listen to Massimo’s “Electrifying” album [All tracks @ 320 Kbps: File size = 130 Mb]

TRACKS

1 Unstable Balance
2 Access Denied
3 Wordgame
4 Television Man
5 Freeze Frame
6 The Alchemist
7 Violation Of Privacy
8 Take It Or Leave It
9 The Enchanted Forest
10 Teresa

All music composed by Massimo Izzizzari

MUSICIANS

Massimo Izzizzari - Guitar, Guitar Synth, Choirs, Programming
Mario Guarini - Bass
Giuliano Izzizzari - Bass on “Violation Of Privacy”
Francesco Carlesi - Keyboards on “Teresa”
Azeglio Izzizzari - Drums

BIO

Massimo Izzizzari has started playing the guitar at the age of eleven. As he was turning fifteen, he got to play for a band called “Orchestra Spettacolo”. As years go by, he gets involved in many different musical projects. At the age of seventeen he performed in many local events playing tunes of famous guitar stars such as Joe Satriani, Greg Howe and Yngwie Malmsteen just to name a few. In the following years he focused his playing on jazz-fusion guitar playing. Particurarly, he studied the styles of Scott Henderson, Pat Metheny, Mike Stern, John Scofield. Later on he joined the fusion band “Black and Blue”, for which he recorded a demo of original tunes. With this band he took part at many national events. Among the most significant ones, Liri Blues, Emergenza Rock Radio Roma. In 1993 He reached the final stage of a national guitar competition called “A.W.F.”. At the same time, he worked as a studio guitarist and played in many recording sessions. In 1995 He played in Rome for a music production called “Inventario 95” financed by the University of Music . At the same time, he attended many guitar workshops and studied at the Lizard school in Fiesole. In 1995 Massimo Izzizzari became a member of SIAE as both musician and composer. His compositions range from instrumental to vocal. He has arranged many vocal parts for many recording sessions and concerts. At the end of the ninenties, he founded a band named Misturafina which combined both Pop and Rock music. Massimo Izzizzari also signed recording contracts with Zomba Records and BMG. That was followed by the creation of many CDs and video clips. In order to promote his material, he appeared in many radio and TV shows (Rai 3, Italia 1, Mtv, Telemontecarlo, Viva, Match Music, Radio 1, Radio 2, RDS, RTL, Kiss Kiss, Rado 105). To promote his works, he kept an intensive touring schedule which got him to perform all over Italy . In 2003 he started to work with a jazz Big Band called “Free Time band”. In 2005 he participated as a guest of Lingala in the album "12th" along with other renowned artists such as Rocco Zifarelli, Eugenio Colombo, Giovannimparato, etc.. In 2006, signing a record deal with Lion Music for the release of instrumental rock-fusion "Unstable Balance" (2007). In 2008 he graduated at the Conservatory L. Refice of Frosinone in Jazz Music with a thesis on "The origins of jazz-rock guitar". In 2011 released her second instrumental album "Electrifying" released by Lion Music-style rock-fusion. Izzizzari teaches reguraly in music schools such as Sonoria and Famous, both located rispectively in Castelliri and Arce. He also teaches at a Rock-fusion guitar clinics. © Massimo Izzizzari 2011 – All Rights Reserved http://www.massimoizzizzari.com/bio.php