The Rediscovered: Lelio Padovani

Melodic, instrumental rock guitar songs which command the listener's attention - isn't that the aim of a lot of budding young axe men? Well Italy's Lelio Padovani can deliver the goods - his nine song CD-R, Unknown Evolution, recorded with drummer Davide Corradi and bassist Francesco Signifredi impresses with its clean production, fiery soloing and a sound devoid of bombast and unnecessary adornment. This is just good instrumental rock that won't disappoint the most jaded of fans. Padovani is a master of tasteful melodies, but when called upon to rip out a searing solo, can shred legato licks until the cows come home. Everything seems to be in balance on Unknown Evolution - let's hope there are many more CD collections coming from this Italian musician. Lelio Padovani was originally profiled in the February-March, 2004 edition of The Undiscovered.

Lelio began playing guitar in his early teens, learning every Beatles song, then briefly playing both bass and drums. At first self-taught, he later graduated from Accademia di Musica Moderna, and attended the National Guitar Workshop, studying with Harry Jacobson and Chris Amelar. Lelio also attended a sound engineering course, then began playing with local bands and writing songs. His instrumental tracks were reviewed in Guitar World magazine's Hometown Heroes column, written by Mike Varney. In 1995 he performed in Milan in the "Symphony For 100 Guitars" by contemporary classical composer Rhys Chatham. Lelio has written for several Italian guitar magazines, and recently was the interpreter at one of Jennifer Batten's clinics in Italy.

Padovani is currently mixing tracks for a forthcoming CD with his band A2A, a progressive instrumental trio (guitar/keyboards/drums).

Lelio Padovani
Italy

Web site: www.leliopadovani.com