With five solo albums under his belt and a well-established partnership with Steve Jordan, former producer for John Mayer and Eric Clapton, as well as current Rolling Stones drummer, Davide Pannozzo is certainly a well-known and appreciated guitarist in the New York music scene. In town since 2016, Davide told us about his arrival in the Big Apple, sessions and live shows for Room For Joy, his latest album, and lessons in GuitarLab, his online academy for blues guitarists. Between idols he met and met on the street and demos traveling overseas, his story teaches you to really believe in your musical dream in America.
Let’s start from the beginning. How come America? In Italy you were also working with RAI and already had important assignments in music. How did the idea of coming to New York come about?
Basically I came to New York because I felt that artistically Italy was starting to get a little tight for me. I was also living a period of my life straddling London, and at some point, after releasing a record for Universal Music in Italy, I started looking for contacts in America. It was always a dream of mine to live here and play with American musicians. So I sent my material to Steve Jordan, who, after about seven days, called me and asked me to start a collaboration together.
So you sent some of your material cold, without prior contact or someone’s intermediation?
Yes, that’s right. My brother, who is a drummer, said to me one day, “but why don’t you send your stuff to Steve Jordan, who has always been a legend of ours?” We looked for the management contact and emailed a request to send our material. They agreed and we shared the classic demo package with them. And then the rest is history.
What does it mean to be a blues musician here in New York City, which, in the collective imagination, is definitely a city that thrives on jazz and blues sounds?
Playing this music in New York is a dream come true. Here it is very easy to get close to very important artists and session players, who have made music history, with whom you can get in touch quite easily, because it is still a very meritocratic society. This city also gives you a chance to grow, in Italy unfortunately not so obvious.
How is an Italian musician seen in the environment and how many Italian blues musicians work in New York?
When you are Italian, in New York in particular, but generally in America, you still bring with you an important artistic background. You come well seen by Americans, let’s put it that way. There are not many of us, though, maybe a few more in the jazz field. Let’s say though that here in the city we are three, four.
In your almost eight years in America, what was the most difficult time you faced and how did you overcome it?
Certainly the pandemic period was very hard. Clubs were forced to close, not to play shows. Recording studios were also closed, and so all artistic activity really came to a standstill as in the rest of the world.
Tell us a little bit about Room For Joy, your latest album, released in early 2024. How did it come about and how are you taking it on the road?
The album was born out of recording sessions with my trio, an experimental lineup put together here in New York, with no bass, keyboards/synths, drums and three voices. The band consists of Etienne Stadwijk, on keyboards, and Clint de Ganon, on drums. On the road we are taking a set list of mainly original compositions. In this first part of the year we have been playing on the East Coast, with dates in and around Philadelphia, Woodstock, New York, and the surrounding area, finding, I must say, a fair amount of success.
Besides the personal project, what collaborations are you pursuing?
The projects are always many and exciting. At the moment, for example, I am collaborating with Oleta Adams, a very important and well-known singer here in America. We are talking about an artist who is a multiple Grammy nominee in the categories reserved for albums and R&B or Modern Gospel vocals. Playing for her is allowing me to reach very large and prestigious stages and theaters.
Going on tour, what differences do you notice between New York and the rest of America?
I would sum it up like this: New York is very European in its atmosphere and ambiance, so it is natural that I feel it much more my own as a place and, in short, as home.
What advice would you feel like giving to a young musician and anyone with an American dream to pursue here?
Definitely believe in the ideas that everyone has. Trying to hang in there, to keep being on the ball, consistent in the things that you do. And never give up, because then in the end the one who can be stubborn and carry on a line that is consistent and also recognizable to the listener wins.
What is the most incredible thing that happened to you here in New York?
Definitely getting to know very important artists on the street. For example, another frequent collaboration of mine is with Will Lee, the famous bass player on the David Letterman Show. And that’s really how I met him, on the street, during the opening of the Miles Davis Way, dedicated to the famous trumpeter. And on that occasion there were just all the jazz stars and I made several acquaintances that later turned into collaborations.
How does your daily music routine work here in New York?
Essentially it is divided between an artistic part and a teaching part. So on the one hand, I try to write as much original material as possible, every day, so that I can close out pieces at the end of the month. This allows me to keep, so to speak, the exercise of composition always active and fresh. And then, on the other side, there is teaching. I follow students all over the world, and through my support and guidance, I try to give them the vision in my opinion to do this craft or to approach the blues genre and guitar with the best perspective.
And the academy was also a bit of an opportunity to reconnect with Italy, right?
Yes, because, being an online academy, it has no borders, and so many of my students come just from Italy. But actually, we also have a lot of students who follow us from the rest of Europe and also here from America.
How do you see yourself in five years? Do you think much about our country? I definitely see myself as caught up as much as possible in my original productions-I will continue to write, make my music and bring out what is the result of my life here in the United States. Of Italy I miss the personal relationships with family, with some friends, but right now I have absolutely no plans to return. I plan to stay here as long as possible.
Article All roads lead to the Blues: Davide Pannozzo, Italian guitarist in New York comes from TheNewyorker.
