Saturday, July 10, 2010

July 10, 2010

Hello, friends and music lovers:

My CD album, Expressions Of Love, is the product of a dream that was postponed for many years as I strove to earn a living in music, and provide for my family. I have earned my living as a professional guitar player since the age of fourteen. I named my record label Rosa-Turi after my paternal, Sicilian grandparents, Rosa and Turi (short for Sarvaturiddu and Turiddu).

In arranging the music of my CD, I strove to weed out any arranged or improvised phrases, fills, ornaments, harmonic concepts, and rhythmic feels that simply did not reflect my personal style. Having performed on thousands of recordings for radio and television commercials, record dates and industrial films, where I was required to sound like other guitar players, I had almost forgotten what my own style was. Most of the time I was asked to imitate some other guitarist of fame and fortune.

My arrangements and improvisations on this CD feature my own harmonizations involving lots of chromatic chord progression, and a good deal of informal counterpoint. Much of it is performed ad libitum, and some of it swings a tempo. This CD represents only a portion of my musical accomplishments, and was indeed a labor of love. I plan to create more CD’s; some of them will involve my plectrum Jazz guitar playing.

I have always been more interested in the aesthetics and beauty of music itself, than in the show business aspects of performance, applause and fame. After working so many years, and so hard, to please arrangers, producers, band leaders and orchestra conductors, I now wish to please only myself – and any listeners for whom I perform. So far, this is the very best part of my musical career; I feel liberated, uplifted and inspired. I hope you will feel my celebration of life, and my appreciation of beautiful melodies, as you listen to my Expressions Of Love.