Roberto Chietera

Roberto Chietera was born on September 22, 1979, and currently resides in Matera (Italy). He approached the world of percussion in adolescence as an autodidact. He began his studies with M° Stefano Baldoni, a teacher at the Music Conservatory “N. Piccinni” in Monopoli (BA) and later studied Afro-Cuban percussion with Cesare Pastanella at the music school “Il Pentagramma” in Bari.

He also studied Afro-Brazilian percussion with Gilson Silveira, the founder of “Mitoka Samba,” the first Italian “Escola de Samba” with headquarters in Milan. With Giovanni Imparato he discovered the spiritual aspect of the drum and began to study bata drums, the drums of the Yoruba sacred liturgy (Santeria).

In September 2009, he performed several concerts in La Havana, Cuba with the project “Tammumba,” a formation of several percussion players directed by Giovanni Imparato. This project combined the “tammurriata” of Naples with the Afro-Cuban rumba, that is the rhythms, dances and songs of the Italian folklore with Cuban tradition, influenced by the african culture.

In La Habana he studied with José Luis Quintana “Changuito,” historical drummer of “Los Van Van”; Irian Lopez Rodriguez of “Los Chinitos”; Giovanni Diaz Herrera of “Rumberos de Cuba”; Michael Pérez Herrera of “Yoruba Andabo.” For several years he devoted himself to the teaching of Afro-Cuban percussion and rhythms in various Caribbean dance schools.