Biography

Scout of Southern Italy traditional music, sensitive cantor and sincere interpreter, after publishing his first soloist record entitled ‘U Ciucciu(Felmay), he proposes himself to the audience with a live project.
Together with some fellow-traveller, he creates the “Cumpagnia Briscula”, giving rise to his own bet.
His performance is a collection of sounds and stories of a type of Italy which is running the risk to be forgotten.
He obtains information from the Sicilian, Calabrian, Apulian and Campanian folk song-book, re-proposing it according to a modern musical point of view. The guides to his search work are the milestones of the folk music and poetry: Rosa Balistrieri, Otello Profazio, Ignazio Buttitta.
Tarantellas, tammurriates and work songs are interpreted according to a style which may be defined as the “Ferrante style”.

Information

During the ‘80s he performs in different night-clubs and cultural associations of several Communes in Calabria and Campania accompanying himself on the guitar.
During the ‘90s, together with Carlo Lella,Gianni Carcò and Francesco Sansalone, he gives birth to the “Quattro Quatti” a vocalist quartet ranging from Gospel to Blues, from the West Coast to the Italian Folk.
He has always been playing in duet with Francesco Sansalone. In 1993 he takes part in the production of “Vite Perdite”, a record by Daniele Sepe. It is the beginning of his useful co-operation with Sepe and he also takes part in the “Spiritus mundi” cd.
In 1996 he takes part in “Vient’ ‘e mare”, a record by the Rua Port’Alba, performing in several concerts all over Italy.

In 1997 he resumes the co-operation with Sepe and being among Sepe’s retinue, he starts with a series of concerts through Italy and Europe.
He is at the Europa Jazz Festival in Noci, at the Womad in Bruxelles, at the Opera Festival in Wexford (Ireland), at the Fete de la Musique in Paris, at the Ritmos Festival in Porto, at the Strictly World Music Festival in Marseille, at the Sons d’hiver in Paris, at the Kunst-Und Ausstellungshlle Derbunderepublik Deutsch Land in Bonn, at the Sfinks Festival in Anversa, at the Sziget Festival in Budapest, at the Umbria Jazz, at the Ferrara sotto le Stelle, for several years he is at Roma Incontra il Mondo, at the Sant’Arcangelo dei Teatri, at the Teatro Della Limonaia, a concert organized by the Istituto Ernesto De Martino, etc.

Ferrante sings the Tarantella Calabrese in the “Figli di Annibale” film by Gabriele Salvatores, a song included in the “Lavorare Stanca” cd by Sepe (Tenco prize in 1998 as best dialect album). He takes part in “Totem”, a theatre work by Alessandro Baricco and Gabriele Vacis, in the “Dieci Comandamenti” by Raffaele Viviani, directed by Mario Martone. He takes part in “Tenera è la Notte” a Rai programme.

As a soloist he sings the opening and closing signature tune of “Fùtbol”, a radio soap of the Rai. He co-operates with Leon Pantarei to the “Trema la terra” cd. In 2005 he publishes ‘U Ciucciu-voci e suoni del Sud Italia-Felmay, his first soloist work, produced together with Enrico del Gaudio.The project is based on an accurate and careful recovery and re-elaboration of published and unpublished works, collected in different ways, in which one can feel the serch for a balance between tradition and modernity.

In June 2006 his new album was published: RICUORDI - Felmay- distributed in Italy by EGEA, and produced, once again, by Enrico del Gaudio.
Massimo Ferrante and the Cumpagnia Briscula (the group) on the back of a donkey start a trip which has taken them to play at the Locanda Atlantide (Rome), in Montefano (Macerata), at the Maggio Sermonetano (Srermoneta-LT), at the Baccanalia open cellars, in the places and villages around Avellino, in Capannori (Lucca), in Budva (Montenegro) in a concert organized by the Istituto Italiano di Cultura, at the Gong Festival (TO), at the Joggi Avant Folk VIII ed. (Joggi-CS), at the Vis Musicae-il parco sonoro tra i due mari (Sila piccola-CZ), at the Rumori di fondo Festival VI ed. (Rovito-CS) at the 6th International Folk Dance (Rivoli-TO), at the Carpino Folk Festival 2006 ed. (Carpino-FG), at the VersOvunque (S.Nicola Arcella-CS), at the Scena Aperta-Teatro Fuori Luogo (Cava de’ Tirreni-SA) at the Notte Bianca (Napoli)………