Italian singer-songwriter known for intimate, acoustic songs that blend folk and jazz influences. Before his music career he worked as a railway station master; he gained early recognition in France and kept a low-profile, essential approach on stage and on records.

Born 17 October 1958 in Cavallermaggiore (Province of Cuneo); died 30 March 2016. First widely noticed album: Montgolfieres (mid-1990s, released in France).

DeBaser's reviews celebrate Gianmaria Testa's intimate, jazz-tinged singer-songwriter work. Reviewers note his spare live performances, recurring themes of travel and the sea, and strong Franco-Italian reception. Albums recommended include Montgolfieres, Lampo and Da questa parte del mare.

For:Fans of singer-songwriters, acoustic folk/jazz blends, listeners interested in lyrical songs about travel and migration

 People who have seen the sea can be recognized by their eyes because they retain the wonder in their gaze and often keep them wide open even in sleep, when the bed of horsehair or corn leaves becomes a placenta in which to swim, dreaming of what will come after death.

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 On the stage, surrounded by black curtains, there's a wooden chair, three guitars, a book, some scattered sheets, and a glass of white wine.

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 And it's precisely essentiality that underlies this work, a work therefore true, courageous precisely because no superstructures and no artifice were used..

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