Black Banjo Live at Imaginario

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The name of the band is inspired by the American singer and songwriter Rhiannon Giddens, as a tribute to the roots of the blues and African-American culture. It is a powerful group made up of highly experienced musicians. Alex Alessandrini (lead vocals/guitar), guitarist, singer and songwriter, has been the leader and co-founder of "EZ Riders", with whom he released four albums, playing in the USA and the UK, and opening shows in Italy for "Deep Purple" (2016) and "Slash" (2018). Francesco "The Captain" Caporaletti (bass) has collaborated with Ian Paice and Don Airey (Deep Purple), Uli Jon Roth (Scorpions), Vinnie Moore, David Grissom and Andrea Braido (Vasco Rossi, Zucchero "Sugar" Fornaciari). Black Banjo’s first album, "Out of the Skies", was released in March 2021, featuring artists such as Nathaniel Peterson (Savoy Brown, Hubert Sumlin, Eric Clapton) and the world‑famous saxophonist "Blue Lou" Marini, from the original Blues Brothers band. The band’s second album, "The Beauty & The Burst", was released in June 2022, featuring former Dickey Betts/Allman Brothers Band keyboardist Johnny Neel. In 2021, Black Banjo toured Europe as the opening act for the legendary British band "The Animals", and both bands continue to share tour dates to this day. In 2022, after the release of their second album, "The Beauty And The Burst", Black Banjo toured Europe as the opening act for Gus G (Ozzy Osbourne) and played at the Pistoia Blues Festival in Italy supporting Gov't Mule. At the end of 2022, the band embarked on a national tour with guitarist Rowan Robertson, former member of Ronnie James Dio. In 2023, the band continued its European tour as the opening act for rock guitarist Steve Bolton (The Who, Paul Young), of the historic band Atomic Rooster, and also as solo headliners. In 2024, the band toured Europe with Corky Laing, the legendary drummer of "Mountain", and Vinnie Moore. Their new album, released in 2025, is already available. Following this release, the band played for the second time at the Pistoia Blues festival, opening for Paul Gilbert and Blackberry Smoke.