Mario Guarnieri

Mario is involved with large and small ensemble playing both in workshop and performance spaces, including: London Improvisers Orchestra, Eddie Prèvost London Improvisation Workshops, Stuart Wilding’s Lo Fi Ensemble, Phil Morton’s 50:50 System, Tony Hardie-Bick’s Virtual London Improvisation Workshops, David Leahy’s Music & Dance Underscore Practice at Trinity Laban. Conservatoire.

In small ensemble playing Mario has collaborated with many free improvising players, including: Sue Lynch, Julia Doyle, Tilly Coulton, Iris Colomb, N.O. Moore, Ross Lambert, Benedict Taylor, Douglas Benford…
He has performed at Hundred Years Gallery, The Horse Improv Club, Konsztrukting Soundz Series, Sound Bureau, Charles Hayward’s Lewisham Arthouse Series, Adam Bohman’s Improvised Music Concert Series and more…
Some of these live performances have been broadcast on Resonance FM (‘The Ambrosia Rasputin Show’ and ‘Late Lunch With Out To Lunch’) and Soho Radio (The OTL Show).

Mario also produces solo electronic music under the moniker of Patasonus, with four albums to date, released on Bandcamp and Soundcloud. Tracks from these albums have been aired on Resonance FM.

During the 90’s and 00’s Mario Guarnieri was the drummer with The Positively Testcard, known mainly for their live performances of upbeat and very danceable Kwela tunes. Live performances included the Left Field stage at Glastonbury 2007, and live sessions for BBC Radio programmes (Andy Kershaw, Charlie Gillett), plus appearances on Loose Ends, The Arts Hour, Mel and Sue, Phil Jupitus and more. The Positively Testcard also released 4 cd’s: ‘The Indestructible Beat Of South Norwood’; ‘Gas Up My Hotrod Stoker’; ‘Let’s Do The Kwela’ and ‘World Cup Kwela’. They also contributed tracks to two compilation cd’s: ‘Dark Was The Night’ a tribute to Blind Willie Johnson (also includes contributions from Martin Simpson, 3 Mustaphas 3) and ‘Music Minds’ (Musicians Helping Mental Health, which included contributions from Graham Gouldman, Glenn Tilbrook, Philip Rambow, Phil Manzanera and Steve Nieve).