KC Soundcheck is KCUR's spotlight for Kansas City musicians on the rise, as heard on Up To Date. Who should we interview next? Send us a text at 816-601-4777.
Alberto Racanati says he’s “cursed” by music.
“Being a musician, in my view, is like a blessing and a curse at the same time,” Racanati told KCUR’s Up To Date. “It's a blessing, because it's beautiful, you create something beautiful all the time… but also it's a curse, because sometimes you just feel like you cannot be doing anything else.”
It’s a common theme among his peers, Racanati says. That’s why his band is called “I Maledetti,” Italian for “the cursed ones.”
Racanati grew up in southern Italy, but moved to Kansas City to study trumpet at the University of Missouri-Kansas City Conservatory in 2016. He’s classically trained, but the music he writes as ALBER isn’t classical – it’s genre-blending, inspired by jazz, electronic beats and global sounds.
His latest track, “In Jest,” leans on all three.
“One very important perspective for me as a musician, as a composer, is being an immigrant,” Racanati said. “Being here in a foreign place, and meeting so many people and being exposed to so many different cultures, it's something very special that inspires me every single day.”
Alber & I Maledetti will perform at Manor Fest, an all-local music festival, May 29 at Vine Street Brewing Co.
- Alberto Racanati, musician
