Claudio Tuma, a guitarist from Lecce now resident in Parma, has a long and varied musical career in the fields of pop, jazz, rock, blues and Latin American music. Claudio started his musical career when still very young in the second half of the ‘70s taking part in various pop-rock groups from the Salerno area. In 1978 he began his professional career accompanying on tour one of the all-time icons of Neapolitan music: Aurelio Fierro. From 1978 to 1992 he was a close collaborator to the singer Franco Simone, accompanying him on various tours (Italy and Europe, USA, Canada and South America) and in the recording studio, playing and participating in the arrangement of some of his albums. Since 1981 he has been performing with the Argentinian guitarist Juan carlo “Flaco” Blondini (F.Guccini, P.Conte, P.Bertoli) with a repertoire of tangos, milongas and songs by Latin American authors. In 1993, together with the singer Gabry Beccari with whom he shares a great passion for Brazilian music, he founded the group “Fruta Boa”, a quartet which plays the best from the vast panorama of Brazilian music. In 1996 “Fruta Boa” produced an album of original compositions entitled “Reflexo Brasiliano”. Claudio has also been an active member in a number of blues bands: Aida Cooper, Linda Wesley, Black’n’Blue, and Four Sticks. In 1995 He took part in Gorgia’s tour performing alongside international artists such as Dee Dee Bridgewater, Elton John, and Rufus Thomas. He has also played alongside numerous jazz musicians such as the trombonist Marco Brioschi, the bassist Massimo Moriconi, the pianists Paolo Brioschi, Nicola Andreoli, Luca Savvazi, the drummers Tony Arco, Adriano Molinari, the saxophonist James Thomson, the percussionist Gilson Silveira and many others. He has collaborated with the “Arturo Toscanini” orchetsra from Parma in a concert of Charlie Caplin’s music. With the “Orkestra Novecento” he has played in theatres and auditoriums in the north of Italy with Jenny B, Joyce Yullie, Aida Cooper, and Cheril Porter. In 2000, together with the jazz singer Stefania Rava and the organist Vito Castelmezzano he founded a band which reproposes, with a new spirit but a strictly ‘sixties’ sound, the best of soul jazz and Latin jazz from the sixties and seventies. The quintet, which has the same rhythms as “Fruta Boa” is called “Susy Wong and the Teritals”. Also in the year 2000 Claudio, together with the Kikkombo Band, accompanied Bruno Lauzi in the national TV show “Taratatà” on RAI 1. In 2001 he started to play with the Brazilian singer Dilene Ferraz and the Argentinian guitarist Sergio Lavia, forming, together with the drummer-percussionist Raniero Abbaticola, the “Dilene Ferraz Quartet”. Claudio has played alongside numerous great female voices. Apart from those already mentioned he has also played in duos and in groups with Lara Luppi, Morgana Montermini, Daniela Galli, Sandra Cartolari, Alessia Galeotti, and also with Alessandra Ferrari and Mara Mazzieri with whom he plays on a regular basis. He has also recently played alongside the harpist Carla They. Completely self-taught, in the course of the years (he has been playing the guitar since the age of eleven in 1967) he has always treasured the tips and advice passed on to him by the maestros and prestigious colleagues that he has had the good fortune to meet and befriend along the way. Especially in his study of Brazilian music some of these must be named: Irio De Paula, Marco Periera, Giunga, and also prestigious names in the world of jazz and fusion guitar such as Joe Diorio, Frank Gambale, and Scott Henderson. Claudio is also busy as a teacher, giving guitar lessons in a number of music schools in parma and reggio Emilia. He also collaborates with R.T.I. Music as an author of instrumental tracks and film soundtracks. ______________________________________ Claudio Tuma is a member of IMIsound Independent Musicians from Italy