Album Notes

So, you heard about the guitar player that went to Nashville to make it big. When he got into town he stopped at a gas station, but the guy behind the counter was a better player than he was, so he turned around and headed back out of town. But he ran out of gas and got a job at an Auto Parts Store. You can hear the rest of the story in the tune, Auto Parts Store!

David went to Nashville, but didn't have to leave town until he made this record. Working with some of the finest musicians and facilities in town, he got to make the cd that so many of us would if we had access, and 40 years of playing ability.

Cousino got his first guitar in the mail. His mother sent away for it using coupons she collected from her groceries. At eight years old, David tuned his nylon stringed guitar to some random tuning and began to improvise. His curiosity was initially fueled by the soulful grooves of Motown, but his development began in earnest with his discovery of Jimi Hendrix, Ted Nugent, Deep Purple and Bob Dylan. Cousino was not satisfied until he could replicate the tunes he was hearing exactly. This would serve him well a few years later as a finalist the Jimi Hendrix Electric Guitar Competition near the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and on numerous gigs backing up many of the groups he had heard in his youth.

The rock of the 60s sparked Cousino’s desire to write his own music and by 12 years old he was already composing his own songs. In the early 70’s John McLaughlin became his obsession, leading to jazz influences ranging from Jim Hall, Joe Pass, and Kenny Burrell, to Pat Martino, Chick Corea, Weather Report and Larry Coryell.

Cousino was playing professionally by fourteen and shortly after high school he had already begun taking private lessons from guitar legend John Justus and touring the country as a lead guitarist for a small band. Urged by the need for financial security, Cousino joined the Air Force initially working for the AF fire department, but continuing to play, write and develop his craft.

Military bands are notoriously difficult to get into, most musicians are recruited in, many with advanced degrees from top musical programs across the country. After auditioning with a makeshift cassette recording, Cousino was accepted into the Air Force Band of the South, “The Mighty Eighth” at Barksdale, AFB, near Shreveport Louisiana. This was a fertile environment for David, with the opportunity to study, practice, arrange, write and perform a wide variety of material. There he again resumed his musical schooling, studying with Eddie Kozak (former marimba/vibraphonist with Xavier Cugat, and personal musician assigned to Admiral Nimitz during WWII), for many years advancing his skills in composition and improvisation while performing in various groups in the Mid-South. While in Louisiana Cousino headlined at the 1984 World’s Fair, and performed hundreds of live events with big bands, jazz, rock groups and solo guitar. Cousino eventually moved to Wright Patterson AFB near Dayton Ohio to join the Band of Flight and assume greater leadership responsibility.

During his 23 years with the Air Force, Cousino didn’t waste any time.
He met and befriended the very best guitar masters from across the country and learned from them. He has taken masters classes with Ray Flacke in Nashville and Lorne Lofsky in Toronto Canada. He has played on the international stage at the Garden festival in Liverpool England, the 1984 Worlds Fair and Exposition in New Orleans La.and at the Detroit Jazz Festival with guest artists Rob McConnell and Arturo Sonduval. He’s played numerous studio sessions and backed up Susan Ashton, The Miracles, Al Vizzutti, and many others at live events in the Midwest. The pursuit of musical knowledge and the ability to play any style authentically with equal ability, kept David busy inside and outside the Air Force. During all this time, he was developing his own material and his skill as a songwriter and singer.

Cousino’s song “Keep Old Glory New” became the most requested original song in AF Band history since “In The Mood” by Major Glen Miller. This led to an opportunity to record in Nashville working with producer/engineer Jed Hackett. With the help of his brother Mike on drums, Tim Akers on keyboards, Jonathan Yudkin on strings, Vinnie Marshall on bass and background vocalists Felita Rowe and Perry Coleman he recorded the 11 songs that would become his debut album: Wind Over Texas.

With a sound that combines breezy acoustic blues, country swing, and rootsy folk rock, Cousino’s music is fully ripe. Years of experience and training translate beautifully into the impeccable guitars, soft moving vocals, and overall bright and brilliant compositions on his debut album. Cousino’s diverse background has made him an amazingly versatile artist giving us swinging jazz guitar, country finger picking, and electric riffs with equal skill.

With his debut recorded, Cousino looks forward to performing his music at venues across the country and eventually to reenter the studio for a follow up to Wind Over Texas. The savvy Cousino will continue to be a student of the arts, writing his compelling lyrics around lifes lessons, creating his unique blend of rock, jazz, blues, and soul. While his journey toward musical excellence may never be complete in his own mind, we can enjoy his passion and the results of his lifelong pursuit in “Wind Over Texas”. Produced by Cousins of the Water Productions and released on Dadsboots Records.


Contact: Mike Cousino
drummercous@mac.com
214 681 9931
www.davidcousino.com
www.cousinotes.com