In 2009, my friend Davide Lufrano Chaves, who has died of cancer aged 30, moved from his native Italy to London. There he co-founded the guitar duo De Fuego and worked with various bands including Tango Porteño and Gypsy Hill.
He then joined the lineup of my multicultural band, Alejandro and the Magic Tombolinos. His contribution to the ensemble's transnational sound helped carry us towards a type of "post-world music" deriving from our own interpretations of and interactions with the music of London's rich cross-cultural environment.
Soon after Davide joined, the ensemble began to perform continuously throughout the UK and Europe, from small squat parties in north London to major venues and festivals including Glastonbury, Womad, Colours of Ostrava and Boom. The band also featured in various radio and television programmes, including the Rob Brydon Show in 2011, and was selected as one of the UK's best unsigned ensembles by Channel 4's Evo Music Rooms in 2010, on which we performed alongside Faithless. Davide's creativity in improvisations and arrangements, charisma in performance, inexhaustible work ethic and patience became a central drive for the ensemble.
Davide was born and raised in Prato, Tuscany, to an Italian father and a Costa Rican mother. After studies in classical guitar, he graduated from the Giacomo Puccini Conservatory in La Spezia. During this time, he also worked in various styles from around the world, primarily flamenco and Argentinian tango.
In an article posted on Pratosfera, Davide described some of his frustrations at living in Italy as a musician, and how he had to travel to London to be able to tour his own country. However, he emphasised his admiration for those who remained in their countries to help improve them. He described London as a "magical and frantic place" where "the respect people have for their work is something tangible".
To celebrate Davide's memory, a free download of Alejandro and the Magic Tombolinos' album Davide Lufrano Chaves is available at alejandrotoledomusic.com.
Davide is survived by his parents and his sister, Flora.