Guitarist , singer, composer, his first experiences were bonded to the traditional Tuscan music of the mountain near Pistoia and its revival, thanks to this way, he knew in the early ’80 the folk singer Caterina Bueno and they played together for ten years. With them played also a great guitarist with lots of talent coming from Sardinian called Alberto Balia (Ritmia, Argia). Thanks to him Maurizio starts to play guitar and to study systematically this instrument in depth developing technique and forming his actually guitaristic style. To this period belongs the trio NURAGES with Alberto Balia and the mandolinist from Puglia Mimmo Epifani (Eugenio Bennato). In 1989 the Trio Nurages won the first edition of Pelago “On The Road Festival”. From the ash of this band born the MAURIZIO GERI SWINGTET in 1995, which is inspired by the traditional French gypsy music (Manouche) but proposes original tunes and Italian traditional Swing. MAURIZIO GERI SWINGTET was in 2000 the unique Italian group that performed at the prestigious “Django Reinhardt Festival” in Samois sur Seine near Paris. MAURIZIO GERI SWINGTET’s discography includes two releases: “Manouche e dintorni” for the Italian label Felmay (1997) and “A cielo aperto” for the label Visage (2001). Actually, apart from Maurizio (lead guitar), other musicians enjoy this band: Leonardo Boni and Luca Giovacchini (guitars), Ruben Chaviano Fabian (violin), Paolo Ghetti (double bass), others are welcome guests such as Klaus Lessmann (clarinet), Enzo Biordi (accordion), Chris Brashear (violin) and Nicola Vernuccio (double bass). It is when Maurizio met a fellow citizen called Riccardo Tesi who played accordion, that his career opened different opportunities, that same year, 1994, Riccardo Tesi got a new musical project under way BANDITALIANA a quartet formed by him, one of the best accordion players in Italy, beside Maurizio (voice and guitars), Ettore Bonafè (percussions and vibraphone) and Claudio Carboni (sax). This band spurs Maurizio on new timbre research and musical solution, between tradition and experiment, both elements which are peculiar to Riccardo’s artistic personality. The CD “Un ballo liscio” (Silex 1997) tells about Italian couple dance phenomenon through different styles which has generated it and also contaminated it, this work became the soundtrack of an Italian movie “La lingua del Santo” of the director Carlo Mazzacurati. With BANDITALIANA Maurizio Geri made also other releases such as the homonymous “Banditaliana” for the Italian label Il Manifesto 1998, best CD of the year for the magazine Folk Bulletin and the CD “Thapsos” (Il Manifesto 2001) very applauded in France with other recognition such as “Bravo” by Trad Magazine and “Choc” by another French magazine called Musique. These are special opportunities for Maurizio to become established also as singer and performer of traditional ballads such as Tre sorelle and Maggio as well as with new songs written by the artists Jean Marie Carlotti or Carlo Muratori (Italian winner of Piero Ciampi Premium in 1998). The CD “Acqua, foco e vento” (a travel in the musical memories of the Pistoia’s mountains and minor Toscany ) was the result of the play produced by the Province of Pistoia’s Assessorato alla Cultura (Culture Council) with the production of director Angelo Savelli, this work represents for Mr. Geri the ideal closing of a circle where anthropological strictness joins up composition and arrangement. In 2003 THE SWINGTET has engaged to take part to the play “In My Life” with Maria Cassi e Leonardo Brizzi produced by Ernesto de Pascale. The recent collaboration with the singer Lu Colombo takes THE SWINGTET to a deeply confrontation with “song’s repertory” and to register the CD “L’uovo di Colombo” (Delta 2004). In 2004 BANDITALIANA won the Controfestival in Mantova and that same year, this band received numerous awards from international festivals such as Celtic Connection, Ottawa Blues Festival, Festival d’été de Quebec among the others. This is the moment for BANDITALIANA to carry out another album entitled “Lune” for the Italian label Il Manifesto in December 2004. Then:  Crinali—Felmay (2006); Ancora un ballo—Egea (2007); Sopra itetti di Firenze - Materiali Sonori (2009); Madreperla banditaliana- Visage (2010); Secondo a nessuno-Visage (2011); Tito tariero M.Geri Swingtet-Materiali Sonori (2012); Maggio banditaliana- Visage e Swing a Sud M.Geri Swingtet- Visage (2014.