Folk Bands and Artists
Guy Tortora
London
Born & raised in Pasadena, California, Guy
Tortora is currently based in London, in the UK.
What he does as a songwriter and performer
is what people like to call Americana these days -- a hard term to
define as it seems to mean different things depending on who you´re talking
to. But if to you it means original songs, well constructed and well
performed, in some of the various musical idioms that originated in the
USA -- blues, jazz, folk and roots -- and also
interpreting the work of other writers in these genres with depth and feeling,
then you should check out his work if you haven´t already.
Over the last few years he has laid claim
to a unique niche on the Blues ´n´ Roots scene in the UK and European
Continent, from small clubs and theatres to festivals. His two recent solo
albums received a warm welcome in the Blues ´n´ Roots reviews, a third album
was released in 2008 to great acclaim from reviewers and audiences alike. When
travelling light, he performs in stripped down acoustic mode either on his own,
or accompanied by bass or keyboards. At many UK gigs he appears with the Guy
Tortora Band, his own four-piece outfit of accomplished musicians from the UK
and Europe. With this band he has performed live with artists as diverse as
Eric Clapton, Pee Wee Ellis, John Cleary and Eric Bibb. He has gigged across
North America and much of Europe. He also performs solo, and in duo or trio
format with his regular members of the Guy Tortora Band: bassman Costa Tancredi,
or keys player Janos Bajtala. Recently he has formed an acoustic cuo
partnership with Ben Tyzack of UK band Spikedrivers- Guy and Ben have is a short UK tour planned for November 2015.
