Album Notes

I started this project with a goal in mind: to write good songs. This might sound obvious to you but unfortunately most instrumental projects are, in my opinion, merely a way to show-off technical abilities to other musicians. Nothing wrong with that but as a side-effect the writing skills are often forgotten and you end up with a project that is not interesting to the average music lover. That’s a shame because I really believe that instrumental music can be really fun to listen to: since you have no lyrics, you have more room for your personal interpretation. It’s just like having a great book in your hands and picturing the scenes, shapes, colors and even smells in your head as you’re reading it.

Ok? So how would I make an instrumental project that the general audience could relate to? Well, instead of getting inspired by other guitar players’ work (which is what I’ve been doing up to this point) I decided to search for inspiration somewhere else: pictures, sculptures, books, movies, car races, cooking . . . you name it, I’ve been there! I was after a different concept and I decided that a cool one would be to write a screenplay and make the CD as the soundtrack for it. Why not? I’ve always wanted to write music for a movie but I’ve never had the chance. Even if it’s a soundtrack for an imaginary movie, it’s still a soundtrack! It counts, right?

So I spent a few months writing my own screenplay. The story has a very special meaning to me but I’ll let you decide for yourself what it’s about. The script had 17 chapters so I decided to write a song representing each of the chapters. And that’s it! Right?

Wrong! Being as neurotic and perfectionist as I am I decided to go a few steps further. I knew it would be a good idea to include the story’s script in the CD’s booklet, but to make it even more interesting I decided to include an image of each character in the form of 17 original works of art representing each of the songs/chapters of the project. And why not giving even more life to the project by actually hiring actors and recording some of the lines of the script? It makes perfect sense that if the listener is able to open the booklet and see how the characters look, the listener should be able to hear their voices! And why not some sound effects here and there to help create the mood? Done!

Being a fan of old LPs, I remember how much fun it was to go through the album cover as I listened to the music. That’s a forgotten concept that I wanted to bring back to life on this project, so the ideas that I just described turned into a beautiful full color 30-page booklet. It ended up looking just like a mini-book with its soundtrack enclosed. I am aware that nowadays some people would rather buy MP3 files than the actual CD but in this case I highly encourage you to get the CD just because the whole package and graphics are so, so beautiful. Trust me, it’s worth the money.

For the music itself I am very proud to say that I’m fortunate to have some of my great friends (and heroes) as guests on this album: Blues Saraceno, Brett Garsed, TJ Helmerich and Steve Blucher played some beautiful guitar and pedal steel. Eduardo Ardanuy, Marcelo Barbosa, Luiz Sacoman and Alex Mihanovich are my Brazilian friends who also played some serious guitar tracks. Three different drummers and bass players: Aquiles Prister (Angra), Otávio de Moraes, Claudinho Infante, Serginho Carvalho, Fabio Zaganin and Diego Porres were just incredible and made my songs really shine. My great friends Lauro de Castro and Bruno Bona played keyboards. Yes, this CD is filled with very talented people so please pay attention to every detail, every note, every hit that these guys made. You won’t be disappointed!

The best way to listen to this project (at least the first time): get a pair of headphones, lie down on your favorite couch, have the booklet in hand and hit play. Listen to it as you would watch a DVD: from beginning to end, no interruptions. Go through the booklet as you listen to the songs. It’s a fun experience.

So there you have it: all the pieces of this weird puzzle are in your hands. Even if you put them together and they don’t become the same story I intended, it will still be a totally new and very cool story. Created by you! That’s the beauty of instrumental music: since there are no lyrics, you have a blank canvas to fill with your own personal interpretation of the music. This is where the magic lies.

If you happen to buy the CD please contact me and let me know what you thought of it. It is always a pleasure to keep in touch with people who enjoy my music.

Greetings from Brazil!