April 2nd, 12.00 p.m.. The man looks quiet, as usual: nor the excellent partner, nor the VIP pit can make shy someone who in his huge career has cooperated with the most prominent blues and jazz personalities. But we know how he feels INSIDE, we heard his first reaction when he was told: “Hey Luca, you are going to play just before Joe Satriani at Frankfurt Musikmesse”. I cannot mention his answer right here, but maybe you can figure it. ‘Joe Satriani is… is just more and more’, I do not know what to say’. Luca Casagrande, like all the REAL great ones, is humble (‘I cannot play, I’m learning’, he keeps repeating). On the other side, we were so happy when we had the big news, because we have known Luca for so many years, he was the unique and unquestionable winner of the first Emergenza Acoustic Festival, and we are so proud he represents us on such a stage. Just as he did one year ago at the Namm in Los Angeles, when he won the audience over with his musical rollercoaster through 40 years of music, making the melody illusive and unrecognizable at first, and then spreading into big classics. This time, on the MIPA stage, Luca treats this way two masterpieces as ‘Time after Time’ and ‘Blue Moon’, but begins and ends his performance with two pieces composed by himself, binding all the music together in a surprisingly fresh and amusing fifteen minutes medley that shows not only his marvelous technical talent, but also his incredible musical culture (from jazz to pop, from blues to funky) and LOVE. In the end, the applause is a thunder. There is some time left for the ritual pictures and the deserved congratulations by Joe Satriani (‘Did you know? – tells us Luca, far more relaxed. I met him in the restrooms, he has some relatives in Rome, they have a travel agency’), and by Kaman big shots, very proud to have their wonderful newest black cherryburst Ovation Elite LX caressed by this shy Italian great guitarist’ hands.