Gelsomino, Azzeo

Born in Caggiano (prov. Salerno); A graduated electronic expert, who lives in the countryside as a farm hand, and also does small repairs as an electrician or plumber; Since the Zampogna practice is still much rooted in the area, he learned how to play the instrument as a boy; As a maker he is, according to Gala, "certainly of the most recent origin"; In fact, he began to make the instrument around 1988, to meet the requests for supply of his fellow citizens, realising that the lack of the nearby shop of Nicola [or Pietro Nicola?] Mazzillo had opened a slice of the market that remained to be "discovered"; His attending the feast of the "Madonna di Viggiano" (Basilicata) allowed him to get in touch with Giuseppe ("Peppe") Belviso (a mastro in Viggiano), who gave him some advice and technical details regarding construction, then he managed to get some tools of Francesco Trimarco, old mastro of Polla [S of Caggiano], made himself a workbench and a small electric lathe; Today [i.e. in the early 21st century; ws] he serves a local clientele, of Caggiano itself, from Polla, nearby Auletta, Sicignano degli Alburni [W of Caggiano] and from some centres of the Vallo di Diano (Valdiano).