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About me

Hello and welcome to my online CV,

While concentrating for most of my life on performing and teaching music, during the last 30-odd years I have worked within such different fields as music, theatre, contemporary dance, video, sound design and installation art.

Music and life made me move around a lot. I started my career in the mid-Seventies in Rome. Then, in 1980 I moved from Italy and I based my activities in Copenhagen, Denmark, while traveling between Europe, USA and Japan. Went back to Italy for a few years and then moved to Malta in 2008 together with my partner Biancamaria and our wonderful daughter Delfina.

I must say that I've been extremely fortunate and my musical life has been shaped by wonderful encounters, courses, private tutoring and/or direct apprenticeship with some of the greatest artists of these last decades: masters such as NEA Jazz Master David Liebman, Elvin Jones, Marvin Bugalu Smith, Horace Parlan, Billy Hart, Max Roach, Richie Beirach, Wayne Shorter, Buster Williams, Harold Land, Carlos Santana and Larry Coryell. All opportunities which have enriched my life more than I could ever expect.

Work experience

1999Present

composer, performer, co-founder

Associazione Artistica Piccoli Traslochi

In 1999 artist Biancamaria Stanzani Ghedini and I have founded the Associazione Artistica Piccoli Traslochi, a project-oriented company devoted to creating unusual relocations and dialogues between poetry, music and other art forms.

Our main interest is creating subtle alterations in public spaces so to bring new artistic inputs to a varied and unconventional audience.

During the years, we have worked for several public and privately founded projects. Specially to be mentioned the Museo d'Arte Contemporanea Roma (MACRO), the Istituto Centrale per i Beni Sonori ed Audiovisivi (the Italian National Sound Archives), the Italian Cultural Institute in Valletta and the University of Malta.

May 2009Feb 2014

recent times

ACADEMIC WORK:

In September 2009 I was personally invited by the Chairman of the Mediterranean Institute, to develop new courses for the Music Department of  the University of Malta. Having started with just two new subjects (Jazz Theory and Applied Percussion), I'm now teaching a total of nine study-units in subjects like Performance Skills and Perspectives, Musical Composition for Dance, Jazz History, Transcription Techniques, and Rhythmic Studies, while - last but not least - co-tutoring with the Head of the Dance Dep. their course in Performance Collaboration.  

Originally established in 1592, the University of Malta is one of the oldest universities in Europe. I'm extremely honored to be part of this innovative project for the renewing of the Music Curriculum of such an important institution. 

PERFORMING PROJECTS:

Pietre

Third and last part of the "reading mediterraneo" series, Piettre is a poetic journey through the values and passions of the late Maltese philosopher Peter Serracino Inglott. “Tu es Petrus et super hanc petram…” A modern day Petrus, during his life Peter Serracino Inglott laid many first stones, on Malta and abroad. pietre (stones) is a homage to Life, through the causes and the values of openness and creativity. A collaboration with Biancamaria Stanzani Ghedini, the Maltese master photographer Joe Smith with a new video installation specifically made for this project, Alessandro Giachero (piano), Andrea Lamacchia (double bass) and Achille Succi (tenor sax and bass clarinet).

Caterina & Coltrane / The Pursuit of Transcendence

in July 2011, for the 150th Anniversary of the Unity of Italy, Massimo and Biancamaria Stanzani Ghedini presented the second production of their "reading mediterraneo" series. A program on spirituality and mysticism, where for the first time the timeless words of St. Catherine of Siena and the notes of John Coltrane’s suite “First Meditation for a Quartet” are performed together on stage. 

After a three months long research, Biancamaria has created five new texts, combining many striking passages from the 400 letters which Caterina wrote to popes, kings and common men of her times. These “song-poems” were specially written so to focus around the themes of Coltrane’s musical suite: Love, Compassion, Joy, Consequences and Serenity. A work that, reaching beyond the religious aspects of the letters, aims to a timeless message of renewal, based on peace, honesty and selflessness. 

The music is performed by an international group of artists, with Danish saxophonist Thomas Agergaard, Italian Flavio Piantoni on bass, and different guest artists such as Alessandro Giachero on piano, Franco Fabbrini on double bass and the young Maltese pianist Andrew Bugeja.

In 2011 the project has been performed in Italy and in Malta, where it was invited to conclude the 19th edition of the festival Evenings on Campus. The performance can also be seen on its own channel on YouTube.

reading mediterraneo

In August 2010, invited to conclude the 18th edition of the festival Evening On Campus, Biancamaria Stanzani Ghedini and I presented "reading mediterraneo", an innovative program of Maltese poetry, video installation and live jazz music. Biancamaria performed in Italian and in English, interpreting poems by the well known Maltese poets John Cremona, Joe Friggieri, Maria Grech Ganado and Immanuel Mifsud.

For the musical side of this event, I invited a group of well known international jazz artists: Maltese pianist Dominic Galea, Italian Flavio Piantoni on bass and, from Denmark, Thomas Agergaard on saxophones. The program included also special lyric recordings of Prof. Peter Serracino Inglott and a video installation by the Maltese multimedia artist Vince Briffa.

Ugo Foscolo's "Dei Sepolcri" / Mario Luzi's selected works

In January 2010 Biancamaria Stanzani Ghedini and were invited by The University of Malta for two challenging performances: a recital of Ugo Foscolo's daunting masterpiece "Dei Sepolcri" and a presentation of selected works by Italian Poet Laureate, Mario Luzi. These two hour-long monologues, presented along with a vibrant counterpoint of visual art and original scores, proposed a completely new approach to some of the most important examples of Italian poetry.

bisbigli... partitura poetica per sampler, voce recitante e percussioni

In October 2009 Biancamaria Stanzani Ghedini and I have been asked by the Italian Embassy in Malta to create a new production for the IX Week for the Italian Language in the World. It became bisbigli... a dream-like monologue threaded with poetry, soundscapes and texts spanning from St. Francis and Dante, to the words of contemporary poets and song writers.

Futurist Performance

Celebrating the 100th Anniversary of the birth of FuturismBiancamaria Stanzani Ghedini and I have been invited by the Italian Cultural Institute to perform our arrangements for voice and percussion of two texts of F.T. Marinetti.The performance took place at the University Main Hall in May 2009, in connection to Prof. Massimo Arcangeli's seminar on the Futurist Movement. 

JAZZ CONCERTS

During these years in Malta, I have been performing in a number of venues  during the Malta Jazz Festival with my own trio as well as with with prominent local musicians. Among others, pianist Dominic Galea, guitarist Sandro Zerafa, pianist Joe Debono, bassists Alan Portelli and Lawrie Simpson.

19801999

formative years

PERFORMING:

Music: Worked extensively with some of the major figures of the jazz scene in Scandinavia: Horace Parlan, John Tchicai, Charles Tyler, Bob Rockwell, Lars Møller, Jesper Lundgaard, Niels Lan Doky, Chris Min Doky, Per Goldschmidt, Bo Stief, Klavs Hovman, Frank Roberts, Thomas Agergaard, Lotte Anker, Frederik Lundin. Recorded for the jazz label Soul Note.

Theatre: during 1985 worked as actor and composer for Det Lille Teater (DLT) in Copenhagen. DLT is one of the oldest theaters in the world specialized in productions for the youth. Worked several months under the instruction of  the teacher/director Pascale Ben, a founding member of the Roy Hart Theatre, creating the play ”Festen“ for DLT's repertoire.

COMPOSING:

Created original works for the theatre and for contemporary dance performances. 

Worked with artists, choreographers and soloists from the Martha Graham Dance Company, the Royal Danish Ballet, The Royal Ballet (UK), Ballet Rambert, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre, London Contemporary Dance Theatre, Netherlands Dance Theatre, etc..

TEACHING:

Educational work for several institutions in Denmark: the Music High School, The Rhythmic Music Conservatory, Theatre and Movement, Andebølle Højskole, Oure Højskole, Danseværkstedet. 

Created music sequences for Dance Education and developed a Music Curriculum for students of Contemporary Dance.

Appointed by the Danish Ministry of Education as Authorized Tutor for the Fri Ungdomsuddannelse (”The Open Youth Education“) having responsibility for a three-years Dance Curriculum for over 50 students.

SOUND DESIGN

1989-1990 -  Direction of a music recording studio sponsored by the City of Copenhagen. Recording work of all music genres for performances, radio and other venues. Worked extensively with Apple computers on sound recording, design and internet technology. 

THEATRE MANAGEMENT

1991 - 1994 Massimo was headhunted for the position of Business Manager for the first three seasons of DANSESCENEN, the first European national venue for Contemporary Dance financed by the Danish Cultural Ministry and the City of Copenhagen.

19751980

past lives...

Percussionist for several artists within the circuit of the legendary music venue The Folkstudio

During these years worked and toured throughout Italy with Mimmo Locasciulli, Sergio Caputo, Dodi Moscati, Gianni Mastinu, Andrea Carpi, Muzzi Loffredo and many others. 

Member of several Jazz groups, performing with some of the main figures of the Italian jazz scene of those years: among others,  Massimo Urbani, Patrizia Scascitelli, Larry Dinwiddie, Luigi Cinque, Andrea AlbertiFrancesco PuglisiRoberto della Grotta and Claudio Rovagna.

Performed at the International Festival of Two Worlds in Spoleto in 1977 with Muzzi Loffredo's musical theatre “Once Upon a Time, Lucifer...”.

Recording work for RCA - Italy and FONIT Cetra.

Milestones

Ass. Artistica PiccoliTraslochi

Affiliations and Awards

In 1988, in Tokyo, Massimo de Majo was awarded by the prestigious Japanese Min-On Concert Association with the "Min-On Art Award" for his "...great contribution to promotion and development of a new musical movement for the people with the aim of creating peace and culture".

Massimo de Majo is mentioned in the "Penguin Guide to Jazz on CD, LP and Cassette", Penguin 1995.

Member of KODA (the Danish copyrights management society) since 1985.

Member of Dansk Musiker Forbund (The Danish Musicians' Union) from 1985 to 1999.

Education

19831989

Apprenticeships, Courses and Master Classes

Master Classes, courses, private tutoring and direct apprenticeship with some of the most important figures of contemporary music: among others, NEA Jazz Master David Liebman, Elvin Jones, Horace Parlan, Billy Hart, Max Roach, Richie Beirach, Wayne Shorter, Buster Williams, Harold Land, Carlos Santana and Larry Coryell. .

Followed and assisted Mr. Jones during his European Tour in the Fall of 1986.

Apprenticeship years (1983 - 89) under the direction of NEA Iazz Master Dave Liebman.

Assistant to Mr. Liebman for his workshops at the Rhythmic Music Conservatory in Copenhagen.

19761980

Master in Percussion (Hons.)

Marvin Smith Int. School of Time

The Master in Percussion at the I.S.T. was a four-years diploma under the direction of legendary American Master Drummer Dr. Marvin B. Smith, in which the depth of response was equivalent to that achieved on completion of the final year of a full-time undergraduate course at a conservatoire or other higher education institution. This diploma provided a stand-alone qualification in musical performance and instrumental teaching for those wishing to extend their competence and skills beyond the basic professional foundation level.

19761979

Universitá La Sapienza