Giorgio Tuma

by Michael G. Nastos
Giorgio Tuma is no Italian wedding singer, but instead a fresh voice on the indie rock/pop scene whose influences suggest a worldly presence. Born in Lecce, Italy, he grew up listening to the Clash, then Stereolab which formed his distinct view of hard or progressive rock. On the softer side, he appreciates Nick Drake, Tim Buckley, Tim Hardin, Antonio Carlos Jobim, Marcos Valle, Curtis Mayfield, Marvin Gaye, and Broadway musicals. He began composing music with all of his influences in mind, while his lyrics deal mostly with childhood memories mixed with references to the fantasy worlds of fairs, roller coasters, and circuses. His recording My Vocalese Fun Fair for the Spanish Elefant label, issued in 2009, is certainly representative of these diverse elements. Tuma's prior independent release, Uncolored: Swing 'n' Pop Around Rose from 2005 for the Italian company L'Amico Immaginario was a more distinctly Brazilian jazz effort. A play on words derived from the South American group Os Mutantes, his backing band Os Tumantes is with him for live shows, and includes drummer and percussionist Alessio Borgia, keyboardist Simona Colomba, guitarist and vocalist Matilde De Rubertism, bassist Massimiliano Giannuzzi, second guitarist Salvatore Papa, and his brother, flutist Marco Tuma. His following projects included a collaboration with the Italian duo Girl with the Gun featuring Matilde Davoli and Populous on their debut album, for which he wrote two of the songs on the disc, which was released by Disastro Records. Emanuele Kabu worked with Tuma on a video for the song "Let's Make Stevens Cake!" resulting in an animation project.