Album Notes

D'Abruzzo is a musical family now in its 2nd generation. The irresistible combination of youthful energy & rare experience is the reason why Maurice & Aaron D'Abruzzo are turning heads with their unique brand of latin soul - a saucy blend of latin rhythms, topped with sizzling rock n soul vocals. On hearing them for the first time, George Negus (legendary Australian TV presenter) declared: 'D'Abruzzo - they don't come much cooler than that!'

Originally from Newcastle, NSW, Maurice D'Abruzzo spent his early professional years recording & touring nationally with pop/rock bands such as Eighty Eights and Getaway Plane, although his musical roots are predominantly in jazz, rock n soul, funk, gypsy & latin. During the 90s, Maurice concentrated on soundtrack work, including two songs for the Australian feature film Exchange Lifeguards, starring Elliott Gould & Julian McMahon, as well as the full score for the award-winning documentary The Amazing World Of Minibeasts, distributed worldwide by National Geographic. In 2005, Maurice returned to the original music scene as the artist D'Abruzzo, recording & releasing the critically acclaimed Cool Threads album - which DRUM MEDIA described as 'a heady mix of latin grooves, jazz licks, & sinuous funk'. The album was recorded on the GITLIX MUSIC label & distributed by MGM Distribution & iTunes. Guesting on several tracks was German-based acoustic guitarist Lulo Reinhardt, grand-nephew of gypsy icon Django - in early 2006, the duo embarked on an amazing mini-tour of Sydney & Melbourne, mesmerising packed houses with their unique electric/acoustic guitar interplay. They also released Freestyle, a compilation of their recent work.

A few months prior to that, D'Abruzzo turned in an inspired performance at the Darling Harbour Jazz Festival 2005. Which earned them a return engagement at the festival in 2006.

On July 18, 2006, the band performed at The Basement, Sydney's premiere jazz club, delivering a rich mix of latin/gypsy/jazz/pop - the music was recorded, & spawned the Live At The Basement album - which was released on iTunes in late November.

By mid-2007, new material & new blood was being introduced - & a NEW EP - WALK TIGHT - was released - exclusively on iTunes - this time featuring the funky bass & vocal of Aaron Dane D'Abruzzo. Aaron is the offspring of Maurice & was born & bred around music – in his HSC he achieved a 97% result in the subject & made the NSW Honours List. As a child, he did modelling work, including a Paton’s Wool magazine feature & a swimwear ad for Japanese TV.

As 2007 rolled on, D'Abruzzo signed a licensing deal with Eroica (US), which would make their music available in 144 territories worldwide - & so a new set of recordings began, with special guests James Valentine (saxophonist with The Models/Wendy Matthews, plus legendary ABC Radio host!) & Adrian K (first violinist with the Australian Opera & Ballet). On February 7, 2008, D'Abruzzo launched their new album, Up On The Beat at The Basement - it was quite a party!

Stay tuned!