Matteo Brancaleoni was born in Milan in 1981. Young artist with versatile and original personality: actor, singer, journalist, musician. By the time he was 16, he began singing and performing in jazz clubs around Northern Italy.
Finalist for the IMUA International Massimo Urbani Jazz Music Award in 2006.
His recordings were also featured in the Radio Festival of Italian Jazz Singers as one of the most talented young italian jazz vocalist. His performances have also been heard on on Radio Palermo in Buenos Aires, RTSI (Swiss Radio), an Punto Radio FM from Pisa, He studied at State Conservatory Of Cuneo Course of Jazz - Afro American Music, singin technique with Danila Satragno, and Berklee Summer School at Umbria Jazz Clinics with Donna McElroy. He is currently attending his last year at Performing Arts University of Turin with theatre specialization. In 2002 he is selected as singer and actor by PromoArt of Montecarlo and takes part in the cast of Musical Dreams.
He has performed in Italy, USA, France, Australia, Switzerland: Bollate Jazz Fest, Saluzzo Jazz D.O.C., Umbria Jazz, National Museum of Motion Picture, International Book Fair Turin, Not Just Jazz Milano, Italian Jazz SongsFestival Sanremo, Massimo Urbani International Jazz Award, Musicamdo Jazz &Blues, Savona Jazz, New Orleans Cafè, Grand Visconti Hotel Milan, Hyatt Hotel Chicago. In 2002 he is invited by the President of ISA (Instrumen Society of America), to perform in the prestigious ballroom of the McCormick Center of Chicago.
He had, so far, the honour to perfom with some great jazz artists: Franco Cerri (g), Renato Sellani (p),Fabrizio Bosso (tr), Stefano Bagnoli (dr), Gianni Basso (sax), Massimo Moriconi (b),Lino Patruno (g), Riccardo Zegna (p), Massimo Manzi (d), Claudio Filippini (p), Fulvio Albano (sax), Lino Patruno (g), Skip Hadden (dr), Aldo Zunino (b), Wally Allifranchini (s), Luca Velotti (s), Dino Cerruti (b), Jimmy Villotti (g), Pinuccio Calì (b), John Ramsey (dr), John Melnick (p).
He also duetted with the Canadian famous vocalist Michael Bublè for his Italian fan club web site in 2004.
In 2004 he is awarded with the first prize at Burguè Festival, organised by the Fossano city council. In August 2004 he is invited, in Alassio, to open one evening of 51st edition of Miss Muretto. He is a regular guest at Broadway, Hollywood, Las Vegas, a radio program broadcasted by the first Italian Swiss Radio Channel, RTSI, conducted by the leading anchorman and journalist Giuliano Fournier. In 2002 he attends the Dramatic Art Academy Sergio Tofano of Turin, where he studies acting and diction and follows a course of television dubbing.
In 1996 he begins to study at a drama school, under Director Leonardo Gazzola, at Milan Theater Laboratory. He remains, with this Group, for 5 years and he directs and acts in a number of theatre works like The little Prince of A. de Saint-Exupery, Othello of W. Shakspeare, St. John's smile of R. Cappuccio. In 2000 he plays, at Verga Theater in Milan, Murder without reason of E. Ionesco.
His critic acclaimed debut album Just Smile has been released in Dec 2006 by Philology Jazz Label. The record features first rate musicians like Renato Sellani, Gianni Basso, Franco Cerri, Fabrizio Bosso, Stefano Bagnoli and Massimo Moriconi.