Riccardo Tesi is a composer, instrumentalist and music researcher and pioneer of ethnic music in Italy, born in Pistoia, 1956.

He's a virtuoso of his elected instruments, the italic organetto diatonico (melodeon or diatonic accordion).

His debut date in 1978 with Caterina Bueno: after that, with passion and curiosity he travelled from his Tuscan heritage to the Italian, Basque, English, French and Madagascar traditions, as well as to jazz, liscio (Italian popular dance music) and songwriting.