Set of 2 Tom Principato Instrumental Guitar CD's "Not One Word", "Long Way Home"

Description: Please note you are buying directly from the artist...Set of 2 Instrumental guitar Tom Principato CD's "Not One Word", "The Long Way Home" w/Steve Wolf, "Not One Word" Instrumental Rock guitar."The Long way Home" Instrumental jazz & latin guitar and bass Not One Word I've always known that I would play guitar. I started playing guitar when I was eleven years old in 1963, without any idea of what earning a living was about. And although the question, "do you call this living?", might immediately come to mind, I would have to honestly say that for me, playing guitar is "to die for" It has been said that music is "the language of the soul", and I have devoted a majority of my life trying to learn to speak that language. Ever since I saw B. B. King perform live for the first time in 1969, I have been aware that music should come from the heart, and at it's best, is an experience that lifts the human spirit. I believe that this fundamental idea transcends categories, styles, languages, and cultures and is at the core of all music that withstands the tests of time. I have wanted to make this album for a long time...just playing guitar. And although I have made attempts at singing in the past, and a few kind fans might argue, "but Tom, I like your singing", I have always felt that the guitar was my true voice. I've often joked that the reason I sing is because they won't let me play instrumentals all night. I was exposed to some of my biggest musical influences by way of my parents record collection as a child. My mom's Les Paul & Mary Ford and Chet Atkins records, my father's Benny Goodman Sextet records with Charlie Christian, and a little later I discovered B. B.King on my own. I find that the inspiration from these early influences are what I've tried to build my own guitar style on. Les Paul's clean articulation and penchant for gadgets (always used to enhance the music). Chet Atkins beautofully understated and simple ear catching melodies, Charlie christian's swinging jazz guitar with a decidedly "blues" sound, and b. B. King's emotionally charged delivery, particularly on a ballad or slow blues. These are all things I've tried to incorporate into my own playing, and will continue to do so until I can't play guitar any more, which most likely will be the day I leave this Earth. So this album was another stop along the way for me, on the path of something I love very dearly and passionately; performing, enjoying, and learning to play the guitar. This album came after I had recorded six blues and rock albums, in 2000 and I had been feeling like it was time for a change. I have always loved many styles of music, and I've welcomed the opportunity to challenge myself a little, stretch some boundaries, and try to express myself in some different ways. Here's some insight into the music: Track #1 "One Night In Hindustan" An intriguing style of guitar playing that has come to my attention is from Northern India and is called "Hindustani Slide". It involves taking a Western style guitar and adding sympathetic strings like a Sitar, and is tuned differently according to which song or "raga" is being played. The guitarist sits cross-legged on the floor with the guitar on his lap facing up (like a Hawaiian guitar), and he frets the strings with a metal bar slide like one used to play a pedal steel guitar. Playing with a bar perfectly suits Indian music and all of it's semitones. Each "raga" has different sections, which instead of changing chords or keys like Western music, changes tempo and mood from section to section. The opening section to a "raga" which would be considered the "introduction", is called the "alap". "Alap" is usually free-from without tempo, and is usually used to state the melodic themes which will be developed in various ways later on in the "raga". "One Night In Hindustan", is my take on an alap, and is even played in the of "D" which Hindus believe is "the" note of the Universe, the "father of Notes", which has a long established relationship over millions of years with everything that exists on the planet. Track #2 "Santana Claus The influence and dedication here is Carlos Santana. I've always enjoyed music that conctains a variety of influences, and ever since I saw Carlos perform in the "Woodstock" movies in the 60's, I've always liked his sound and vibe. This song was written in 1998, well before Carlos had his enormous success with the "Suprnatural" album. It was around Christmas time of that year that the title came to me. Track #3 "'67/'68 This is really two songs. The first part is slide guitar with a "wah-wah" pedal. A really unique "singing" sound. I first heard Duane Allman play slide "wah-wah" on an old Derek & The Dominoes un-released bootleg recording. The numbers in the title refer to the years 1967 and 1968 which i consider to be the peak years of the "Psychedelic'" era. For me, the chief musical exponent of that era is Jimi hendrix, so I decided to develop a second part of this song as a "sound painting" based on a lot of the sounds and motifs that I've absorbed from Jimi's music. I dove into my collection of Vintage stomp boxes including an original Dallas Arbiter Fuzz Face, Electro Harmonix "Memory Man" analog delay, and a MXR Phase 100. Track #4 "Dark Is The Night" The inspiration for the verse section of the song comes from the great Tango master Astor Piazzolla. Even though this song is not a Tango, I tried to capture the mood and feeling I get from Astor's music, which is sometimes very dark and always beautiful. To me, Astor Piazzolla was every bit as soulful as Ray Charles or any great blues artist. The "bridge" section draws some of my favorite classical music, specifically string quartets. Track #5 "Blue Groove" To anyone that is familiar with my work and CD's, this cut will probably be the most familiar. No Tom Principato CD would be complete without a blues shuffle. The twist here is that it is 16 bar. I really love the bluesy organ of guys like Jimmy Smith and Jimmy McGriff. I've always been intrigued by the sound of an organ "leslie" rotating speaker, and I tried to re-create that sound here. In the 1960's I heard a couple of guitarists like George Harrison and Eric Clapton play rock guitar through a "leslie" cabinet on their records, but I never heard anyone attempt the jazz sounds of guys like Jimmy Smith until I heard Danny Gatton doing this in the 1970's in his "Redneck Jazz" group with steel guitarist Buddy Emmons. That, I feel, is one of the many firsts that are associated with Danny and his playing. Track # 6 "Mi Solea" The inspiration here is from Flamenco music and Flamenco guitar playing. Not only the masters like Paco De Lucia, but also a whole new crop of modern Flamenco guitarists like Strunz and Farah and Oscar Lopez. Track #7 "Fallen Angels" Even though this song has a more modern context, the inspiration here is from Django Reinhardt. Mostly in the theme to the "A" section. This is the oldest of the original compositions in this set, it was first recorded in 1984. I decided to re-do the guitar tracks while keeping the original rhythm section tracks. The title comes from the Washington, D.C. rock group of the 1960's. I've always loved that name. Track #8 "Slippin' Into Darkness The only cover of the set, from War. A really great song---early funk. Once again the "leslie" rotating speaker sound... Track #9 "Another Place, Another Time" This is a take on some of the things I've heard Lenny Breau do on a jazz waltz, only with a sort of Jeff Beck/Roy Buchanan edge. This is a complete take live in the studio with no overdubs. Track # 10 "Until We Meet Again" This song features chords from my book "Open String Guitar Chords". The melodic theme is a variation on something that I've used in other songs of mine, such as "Blue Lights", only the voicing's are open-string voicing's. Just the kind of unaccompanied "mood piece" that I often end up playing when I'm sitting at home playing for my own enjoyment. Tom Principato

Price: 9.98 USD

Location: Falls Church, Virginia

End Time: 2024-11-07T14:18:38.000Z

Shipping Cost: 2 USD