The Sicilian guitar savant Matteo Mancuso has announced details of his new studio album “Route 96”, which will be released on April 24th, 2026, via Music Theories Recordings.
The album features appearances from Steve Vai, Antone Boyer and Valeriy Stepanov. He has also revealed the official video for “Isla Feliz” featuring the Gypsy Jazz whirlwind Antoine Boyer, which you can watch below.
The Rara Avis – “rare bird” in Latin – burst on the scene in 2023 with his debut album “The Journey” after his prodigious ability caught the attention of the likes of Tosin Abasi, Al Di Meola, Dweezil Zappa and Steve Vai. The release of his debut with its perfect storm of dazzling fingerstyle technique and beautifully crafted compositions saw him adorn the front covers of multiple Guitar magazines, being hailed as the “world’s hottest virtuoso”, “the young guitarist redefining virtuosity”, and saw his international touring take flight with sold-out shows across Europe and the US.
This year, the 29-year-old Palermo, Sicily-based Mancuso returns with his second solo album, “Route 96”. While his debut was made over the course of three years, this latest release was written and recorded to a much faster timeline, as is often the case with sophomore records. “I had to squeeze it all into 2025”, he explains. “Everything you hear on the album was recorded last year. “It was so much faster, and I think it was for the best, because the album came out more homogeneous and uniform. Every tune is different, of course, but there are also some sonic qualities that are very similar”.
“This album has come at the right time. I want to have a busy 2026 in terms of tours, but I don’t want to perform the songs from the debut album. I wanted something newer and fresher. These ideas are more original and melodically stronger. There are more explorations, harmonically speaking. I think it shows who I am musically a lot better”.
Perhaps the biggest difference between the debut and Route 96 is the musical confidence on display. The concepts are more orchestrated and developed, with Mancuso showing no shortage of creative wind in the sails. As he goes on to explain, the first album was mainly arranged in a rehearsal room, working out the structure and flow of Mancuso’s music in real-time. This time, the process was much more streamlined.
“Route 96” features Matteo alongside Riccardo Oliva (bass) and Gianluca Pellerito (drums) and was recorded at Fico D’India Studios in Casteldaccia, Italy and produced by Matteo along with his father Vincenzo Mancuso. The first song to be released from the album features Antoine Boyer, who brings his gypsy jazz feel to the track “Isla Feliz”.
Talking about the song, he says: “This is the first official video from my upcoming album ‘Route 96’. ‘Isla Feliz’ is the first tune I wrote for the new record. I wanted to write something Latin-influenced using classical guitar, but I ended up using distortion as well. I had the privilege to collaborate with one of the most talented and brilliant players we have in our galaxy Mr. Antoine Boyer! We really had a great time together, and his contribution to the piece completely changed the tune in a wonderful way! Thank you so much, Antoine, for your amazing work! Thank you as always to my groove overlords Gianluca Pellerito and Riccardo Oliva. As you can see in the official video, we had the opportunity to shoot at this beautiful location, ‘Real Teatro Santa Cecilia’ in Palermo, a huge thank you to Fondazione Orchestra Jazz Siciliana, Presidente Ignazio Garsia, Direttore artistico Luca Luzzu, Real Teatro Santa Cecilia and Direttore Fabio Lannino. Thank you also to my fellow Video makers Filippo Silvestris and Pierluigi Ferrandini”.
Elsewhere, “Solar Wind” features a guest spot from multiple Grammy winner and instrumental guitar mastermind Steve Vai. Then there’s “Warm Sunset” – a love-letter to the guitarist’s Latin influences – and “Fire And Harmony,” which Mancuso describes as the longest and most intense track on the album with more parts and sections than anything he’s recorded in the past.
One of the big differences between Mancuso and the large majority of his peers is his musical open-mindedness. He’s the kind of player who can not only exist but thrive in a variety of different styles. There are many reasons for the young musician to feel proud of album number two – named after his year of birth, as well as the 96kHz audio sample rate Steve Vai recommended him to record at. With a busy year of touring ahead, he’s excited to be bringing this new music to stages around the world.
“I think I know myself better musically thanks to this album”, he admits. “I did go through a process of eliminating things, and through that I realised more about the things I liked best about the music I compose and hear. The first album was made when I was studying a lot of things. Now I study less but listen more to just the music that attracts me. ‘Route 96’ is a more honest-sounding record, I would say”.
Available formats:
• Blue transparent LP
• CD
• Digital
Pre-order & pre-save “Route 96” here.
Tracklist:
1. Solar Wind (feat. Steve Vai)
2. Fire and Harmony
3. Isla Feliz (feat. Antoine Boyer)
4. L.A. Blues One
5. The Great Wall
6. Warm Sunset
7. Black Centurion
8. In the Morning Light
9. The Chicken (feat. Valeriy Stepanov) (Bonus Track)
North American Tour Dates 2026:
1/25 San Juan Capistrano, CA – The Coach House
1/26 San Diego, CA – Music Box
1/27 Santa Barbara, CA – Lobero Theatre
1/28 Santa Cruz, CA – Rio Theatre
1/29 Sacramento, CA – The Boardwalk
1/30 Berkeley, CA – The UC Theatre
2/01 Phoenix, AZ – MIM (6:30PM & 8:30PM)
2/02 Tucson, AZ – The Rialto Theatre
2/03 Sante Fe, NM – Lensic Performing Arts Center
2/04 Denver, CO – Cervantes’ Other Side
2/06 Aspen, CO – The Paul JAS Center
2/09 Kansas City, MO – Madrid Theatre
2/10 Minneapolis, MN – Dakota (7PM & 9PM)
2/11 Iowa City, IA – The Englert Theatre
2/12 St. Louis, MO – City Winery St. Louis
2/13 Bloomington, IL – The Castle Theatre
2/16 Nashville, TN – City Winery Nashville
2/17 Atlanta, GA – Terminal West
2/18 Charlotte, NC – Neighborhood Theatre
2/21 Washington, DC – The Hamilton Live
2/23 Kent, OH – The Kent Stage
2/25 Cincinnati, OH – The Ludlow Garage
2/26 Lansing, MI – Grewal Hall at 224
2/27 Chicago, IL – Vic Theatre
In April and May, Mancuso will stage a European tour. Confirmed appearances are below.
European Tour Dates 2026:
4/09 Catania, Italy – Zo Centro
4/12 Palermo, Italy – Teatro Politeama
4/13 Rende (CS) – Auditorium Unical
4/14 Bari, Italy – Teatro Forma
4/15 Grassina, Italy – Viper Club
4/16 Torino, Italy – Hiroshima Mon Amour
4/17 Milan, Italy – Alcatraz
4/19 Padova, Italy – Hall
4/20 Bologna, Italy – Locomotiv Club
4/21 Roma, Italy – Auditorium Parco della Musica
4/23 Berlin, Germany – Lido
4/24 Hamburg, Germany – Fabrik
4/25 Frankfurt, Germany – Zoom Frankfurt
4/28 Munich, Germany – Ampere
4/30 Amsterdam, Netherlands – Paradiso
5/01 Nilmegan, Netherlands – Doornroosje
5/03 Esch-sur-Alzette – Rockhal
5/05 Paris, France – Alhambra
5/06 Barcelona, Spain – Sala Apolo
5/07 Madrid, Spain – Sala Villanos
5/09 Stockholm, Sweden – Debaser Hornstulls Strand
5/10 Göteborg, Sweden – Pustervik
5/11 Helsingor, Denmark – The Culture Yard
5/13 Glasgow, UK – Oran Mor
5/14 London, UK – Islington Assembly Hall
5/16 Athina, Greece – Gagarin 205
7/16 Pori, Finland – KIRJURINLUOTO
In August, he’ll return to the U.S. for an appearance on August 17 at New York’s Full Moon Resort.
Weblinks:
www.matteomancuso.net
www.facebook.com/matteomancusoofficial
