We are proud to announce the arrival of the great jazz guitarist Carmelo Tartamella as a member of houseofviolin.com staff. The activity of our site is gradually taking shape: our aim is to form a group of influential professional musicians, so as to evaluate the sound qualities of the instruments. As a matter of fact, Wim Janssen's, Fausto Solci's and Carmelo Tartamella's great experience is a guarantee of the utmost reliability: all the instruments which will be played can also be tested. I have known Carmelo for a long time and I well remember his jazz concerts in a venue in the province of Cremona about ten years ago. That's why the possibility of a collaboration with him is a real pleasure to me. GENZINI: Can you tell us something about your education and training? TARTAMELLA: I got my degree in classical guitar and functional harmony in Milan in 1991; I studied with Joe Pass and Jim Hall; moreover, I participated in seminars at Boston Barkley School, while my master has been Filippo Daccò. G: What were your passions at the beginning of your career? T: Since when I was very young, I have been particularly fond of jazz, especially of Django Reinhardt. When I was about 16 I used to play blues and rock music, but afterwards I came back to jazz for good. I play permanently in two bands, the Django's Clan and the Carmelo Tartamella Trio accompanying several international artists. G: What experiences do you remember with special pleasure? T: Certainly when I first played with Joe Pass and I jammed with some American musicians, such as Ray Brown and Bill Pearce. In those moments I got in touch with the great international jazz, owing to collaborations with drummer Giulio Capiozzo and accompanying stars like Benny Golson and Jimmy Owens. G: What instrument are you playing at the moment? T: A Gibson L5, a guitar Maccaferri-style. G: What about your future plans? T: I will be touring Italy with Jim Rotondi, a great trumpet player from New York and I will be playing in Cremona as well. Then, I will be staying in New York long enough to breathe real jazz. G: What is your favourite piece of music? T: One of my favourite pieces of music is certainly Nuage by Django Reinhardt.