Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Massimo Orselli. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Hi Massimo , really happy you were able to join us today and we’re looking forward to sharing your story and insights with our readers. Let’s start with the heart of it all – purpose. How did you find your purpose?
As a musician I can tell you that I literally love what I’m doing. I live for the music and I love sharing my passion to everyone who crosses my life-path.
Since I was a child my father let me enter into the music field; he believed I would have been a musician, If I had learnt a lot during my childhood and adolescent years, so I did it. When he died because of a hearth attack I had a strong motivation to reach my goal to become a musician, so here I am.
I’m actually sharing the stage with one of the greatest soul band in the world, The Incognito. I’m a dep musician, but we’re always moving and I often play with them.
My carrier has been made by different artists, such as: Incognito, Tony Momrelle, Allan Harris, Grégoire Maret, Horacio “El Negro” Hernandez, Paul McLean, Paris Toon, Derrick McKenzie, Dirotta Su Cuba and many more. I hope to reach more artists in the future.
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
My music passion began when I was 7. I remember I was playing some bongos at my parents’ house. From that age I moved on the congas and then on timbales, drums and hybrid set up (made by a cajon, cymbals, cowbells, conga drums, wind chimes, ecc).
When I was older (maybe 14-15 years old) I began to play into big bands, salsa bands, funk bands and also pop and cover bands. I had the opportunity to get my first money and I really enjoyed what I was doing. When I was 21 I attended some clinics at the Umbria Jazz Festival and I got a full scholarship to go to the Berklee College Of Music in Boston. When I was 23 I went to London to spend some time trying to work as a musician. There I met many amazing musicians and after two weeks I had the opportunity to perform for the first time at the Ronnie Scott’s with a famous London funk band called W3. From that experience I had the opportunity to meet Bluey from Incognito, Tony Momrelle and many other amazing musicians. My hard work and the connections I was making were huge so a worldwide pecussion company (called Tycoon Percussion) noticed my profile and asked me to join their team. Thanks to them I attended my first NAMM Show in Los Angeles in 2019.
I kept my strong connection with London since the covid era. In 2020 I decided to move to Italy because of the pandemic.
In 2021 I had the opportunity to get a call from Tony Momrelle to perform for my first time at the Blue Note in Milano and from that time began an amazing friendship with this incredible guy.
In that same year I performed at the Umbria Jazz Festival with Allan Harris and the legendary Grégoire Maret. The shows were amazing and the festival asked Allan to come back for the following festival in 2022 and so we did it.
In 2023 I joined a famous funk Italian band called Dirotta Su Cuba and we performed all over the country in many big stages (such as the Blue Note in Milano and the “Parco Della Musica” in Rome).
In 2024 I had the call to perform with the legendary UK band Incognito for an European tour. We performed all over the Italy, UK, Bulgaria, Serbia, France and more. New collaborations are coming and I hope to make my best.
I attended many festivals since now and some are: The Salsa Festival (Havana – 2017), The Umbria Jazz Festival (Orvieto 2021-2022), The Percfest (Laigueglia – 2019), The WeyFest (London – 2024), The FunkFest (Varna – 2024), Jazz A L’Hospitalet (Narbonne – 2024), The Musicology Session (Belgrade – 2024) and more.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
PERSEVERANCE
EMPATHY
SPIRIT OF COLLABORATION
I strongly recommend to wok hard and believe in themselves.
Alright so to wrap up, who deserves credit for helping you overcome challenges or build some of the essential skills you’ve needed?
I have faced a lot of problems and efforts during my life since now. I passed over many difficulties trying to understand my qualities. I also learnt to work in group and to accept advices
Two great people that helped me to overcome challenges are my parents. I have to thank you them a lot for everything they gave me
Contact Info:
- Website: https://meinlpercussion.com/en/artists/massimo-orselli-a21512.html
- Instagram: @massimo.orselli93
Image Credits
Massimo Orselli
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