Roberto Restuccia

Considering his dexterity, fluidity and intuitive sense of melody and harmony, one of the most remarkable aspects of UK guitarist and composer Roberto Restuccia’s musical background is that he’s largely self-taught. He enrolled for a year at the Academy of Contemporary Music (ACM) in Guildford and his time at the renowned school helped him develop his skills with harmony and theory, but Roberto often likes to say that he went to the “University of Slash,” first learning to play from VCR recordings of concerts by Guns N’ Roses and Pearl Jam, pausing the videos and doing his best to copy the licks of Slash and Mike McCready. Roberto credits the evolution of his jazz and blues sensibilities to influential figures like Chuck Loeb, George Benson, Larry Carlton, Ronnie Jordan, Robben Ford and Jeff Golub. While experimenting with different styles, he had long set his sights on success in the smooth…