Marco Bartoccioni, a musician without borders

It was in Rome, in the Trastevere district, that we met Marco Bartoccioni. And it is fair to say he is very much at home here. You can hear it. A refuge city for a musician whose path has been shaped by roots, travel, and the blues. “At the age I am now, Rome is the place closest to my heart.” A meeting with a musician as talented as he is genuine.

Music entered the life of Marco Bartoccioni very early, almost as a challenge. He was 11 years old, there was a guitar lying around at home, his father’s, a passionate amateur. One summer, surrounded by older cousins, Marco felt left out. So he decided to act. “They started playing guitar together and after an hour I was completely ignored. I said to myself: ‘OK, I’m going to learn the guitar. And tomorrow, I’ll talk with you guys!’”. For Marco, the guitar was first and foremost a way to exist.

Early notes far from the blues

His musical beginnings were far from the blues. “I loved playing original and traditional songs with my mother, who used to sing around the house. When we were home together, I would just play two chords and my mother would sing. It was one of the most beautiful ways to start.”. The blues came later, through a mythical figure. “What really pushed me toward the blues was the story of Robert Johnson, especially his legend. I read everything I could about him.”. An almost existential fascination. And when asked what he would say to Robert Johnson if he were standing in front of him, Marco Bartoccioni answers: “I understand why you sold your soul to the devil.” Before adding how vital music can become for the human soul.

A multi-instrumentalist who asserts his voice and his path

Over the years, Marco Bartoccioni has expanded his playing. Guitar, of course, but also mandolin, banjo, lap steel, and pedal steel. “I started playing steel guitar quite early, and that allowed me to play in different projects.”. Today, the direction is clear. “Before, I played a lot of covers. Now, I really need to play my own music.”. An evolution shaped by influences sometimes far from pure blues. The Beatles, for example, are part of his family background. “It’s a band my parents listened to a lot.”

The Italian blues scene, Marco knows it from the inside. “It’s very alive. There are many bands, and we know each other quite well as musicians.”. But national labels do not interest him much. “I don’t want to be seen as an Italian playing blues, but simply as a man playing blues.”

In fact, Bartoccioni’s career has taken him far beyond Rome, to France, across Europe, and even to the United States. “It was probably one of the most beautiful experiences of my life,” he says, recalling the many encounters made possible by these travels.

Marco in the studio

When it comes to discography, Marco Bartoccioni moves forward without haste. Play the Joker, released in 2023, marks an important step. “There are only original compositions.”. The project often relies on a trio format. “My musicians are first and foremost friends.”. In the studio as on stage, even if configurations change, the human dimension remains central for him. Collaborations follow the same logic, notably with Roberto Luti.

For Marco Bartoccioni, a great concert is not measured by virtuosity or technical perfection, but by sincerity and connection with the audience. A mindset he fully finds in certain festivals, such as the Buis Blues Festival, where we had already applauded him in August 2025: “The Buis Blues Festival was incredible.”.

Marco Bartoccioni thus represents a discreet yet solid path, reminding us that the blues is not a matter of territory, but of humanity. Before parting ways, I ask him which song from his album he would like to share with you. His answer is immediate: “Smokey Chicago”, which we will not deprive ourselves of listening to in order to conclude this article, before discovering his next album in a few months, featuring two guests: Sarah Jane Nolog, a singer revealed on The Voice Italia, and guitarist Christian Grisolia.