Album Notes

A few words from Vinnie Sperrazza:

This is both my and Matt Blostein’s first album as a leader, and for us it represents both an artistic arrival and a starting place. As an arrival, it is the result of three years of study, experimentation, and, hopefully, growth as musicians and people. And it’s also a starting place, a beginning, as we look forward to developing the music further still.

Matt and I began our partnership in the fall of 2003, when we booked a long weekend of shows in the Greater New York area. On that trip, and subsequent other trips, we discovered a camaraderie, an empathy, shared goals and common tastes, which eventually became a process of creation (the writing of the music, assembling the bands), and discovery (of the feeling we wanted our music to have, of the place in ourselves where the music comes from).

After many gigs, several brief tours, rehearsals, writing sessions, and the help of some of the best people and musicians on the planet, in the spring of 2006 we recorded Ursa Minor.

In the studio, our goal was to create an environment that allowed each musician to contribute their whole self to our music. And the music we composed reflects our interests in a variety of musical styles, though we recognize that styles and trends are just manifestations of artistry, not results in and of themselves.

So, you’ll hear rhythms from rock music and jazz, harmony from the late 19th century, and some free improvisations, but our ultimate goal is to transcend these limitations, these names, and create something honest, meaningful, and lasting.

Simply, this music is the foundation for the concepts and feelings we will continue to develop. We look forward to sharing more with you in the future.

Thank you for reading this, and I hope you enjoy our music!

Peace,
Vinnie