Dominick Farinacci Creates Unique Musical Universe
Steeped in Global Human Interaction on Short Stories -
Available June 10 on Mack Avenue Records
Album Features All-Star Band Including:
Christian McBride, Steve Gadd, Larry Golding,
Jacob Collier, Jamey Haddad and Gil Goldstein -
Christian McBride, Steve Gadd, Larry Golding,
Jacob Collier, Jamey Haddad and Gil Goldstein -
Produced by Tommy LiPuma
"A trumpeter of abundant poise..." - The New York Times
Dominick Farinacci is set to release his Mack Avenue Records debut, Short Stories--a
compelling suite of music with a repertoire that spans genres and
generations united by the trumpeter/composer's soulful conception.
Bringing together songs from Tom Waits, Horace Silver, Dianne Reeves and
the Gipsy Kings as well as original compositions, Farinacci has managed
to create his own musical universe, aided by musicians of the highest
caliber. A short glance at the artists he and producer Tommy LiPuma involved speaks for itself: Christian McBride, Steve Gadd, Larry Goldings, Jacob Collier, Jamey Haddad and Gil Goldstein, for starters.
All
of the songs have a narrative that any listener can relate to. It might
be the eternal duet between people in love, a memory from way back
triggered by a chance encounter, an enchanting melody heard from afar
that takes over your life or the tremendous empathy that can come from
seeing someone else overcome an unimaginable personal struggle.
Farinacci
had already achieved enough stature by his mid-teens that Wynton
Marsalis offered to help him set his sights on coming to New York, and
by 2001, Farinacci was one of only four trumpeters in the world to be
selected as the inaugural students in The Juilliard School's first jazz
curriculum. During his school years and afterwards, Farinacci
immediately distinguished himself as a soloist/bandleader/composer with a
vision.
Soon
thereafter, Farinacci was named the first Global Ambassador for Jazz at
Lincoln Center and traveled to Qatar where his world expanded beyond
his wildest dreams. Throughout the two years that Farinacci spent there,
he broadened his activities to include dozens of different projects,
where the goal was, through his music and outreach activities, to unite
communities and overcome barriers of every sort: nationality, religion,
musical taste, as well as economic and educational statuses in Qatar and
Abu Dhabi.
Out
of this experience, Farinacci was inspired to write "Doha Blues." "When
I first arrived in Doha, I heard the 'call to prayer' over the
loudspeakers as I was driving through downtown, seeing an ultra-modern
skyline that looked like something from another planet," Farinacci
explains. "The mix between Qatar's conservative culture, modern
architecture and the multicultural population inspired the song." The
track is introduced by Lebanese vocalist Mike Massy, which then settles into Arabic percussionist Jamey Haddad's mesmerizing groove.
Due
to his accomplishments in Music & Wellness, Farinacci was invited
to do a TED Talk in Washington, D.C., and has been invited to perform by
The Cleveland Clinic and Mubadala Development Company on numerous
occasions. Community-based campaigns Farinacci has developed and led
include a partnership with the U.S. Marines to
help children of Hurricane Sandy, a music project working to bring
together the Jazz and Gospel communities in Cleveland (Spirit of the
Groove), a fundraiser to benefit victims of the 2011 Japanese tsunami
and a interdisciplinary visiting artist series bringing national jazz
artists into various academic settings.
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Photo Credit: Hollis King
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Life
itself has many different sorts of mentorship built into it. A life in
the arts can't exist without these kinds of relationships, and Short Stories
is the fruit of the coming together of two kindred spirits, Farinacci
and LiPuma, from the same home town (Cleveland, Ohio), separated by just
under half a century in age. What unites them is a clear, modern
aesthetic vision that combines the highest musical standards with a
desire to be agents of change. As LiPuma recently said, "Every so often I
meet a young artist who has what I call an old soul - that's Dom! He's a
rare bird--persistent as all heck, but in a nice way, like all the
greats I've known. I was shocked at how quickly he adapted his live
performance style to what we needed in the recording studio--I was blown
away."
LiPuma's
credits as a producer are far too numerous to list here; suffice it to
say he has played an essential role in the sound of the last 50 years,
with 35 albums certified gold or platinum, four GRAMMY® Award wins and
33 nominations. If you have heard Sir Paul McCartney, Barbra Streisand,
Miles Davis, George Benson, Natalie Cole, Dave Mason, Diana Krall and
Dr. John--you have heard Mr. LiPuma's work.
"Tommy
and I also share a love for Louis Armstrong," Farinacci says. I came to
him with a song by the Gipsy Kings called 'Bamboleo,' and thought it
had the kind of lyrical sense that reminded me of Pops. I would hear it
in every country I was in, most notably in a club in Lebanon with 1,200
people singing along. The reaction was perhaps because the song is a
story very familiar to all of us: how love can come into your life like a
tornado, then sometimes leave with the same intensity. Despite it being
heartbreaking, you're always wanting for it to come again."
One
standout track is "Soldier's Things," introduced to Farinacci by LiPuma
due to their shared love of the distinctly voiced Tom Waits. It
exemplifies the challenges many soldiers face after they return from
war. "I met an extraordinary young Staff Sergeant from my hometown who
spent years in Afghanistan as an infantryman in the 82nd
Airborne Division," says Farinacci. "Few can understand the things he
went through and what kind of impact these experiences had on him. The
song itself moves through various emotions from contemplation, despair
and loss to hope and wanting to change your life. I wanted to reflect
his journey, incredibly inspiring determination and will to rebuild his
life after service."
Amazingly,
Farinacci found time during his Middle East years to also play an
integral role in the conception and build out of Cuyahoga Community
College's Tommy LiPuma Center for Creative Arts. At that point the
dynamic partnership that brings us Short Stories went from
concept to reality. Also sharing a commitment to education, Farinacci
and LiPuma involved hundreds of students in the process, scheduled
individual workshops with all artists on the record, and documented
every minute of the session with GoPro cameras. This was unprecedented
for a session of this caliber, and certainly a first for their hometown.
There
are so many superlatives thrown around these days that they seem to
have lost their effect; but as this unique and deeply grounded album
sinks into your consciousness, you will undoubtedly come to the
conclusion that Dominick Farinacci is not only one of the truly
outstanding musicians of his generation, but also that what is behind
the music is nothing short of miraculous. In Farinacci's own words:
"While Short Stories is the title of this particular
recording, it has come to represent a culmination of things I'm most
passionate about - performance, education, music & wellness and
community-based cultural collaborations - unfolding in the music and
touring around the world."
Dominick Farinacci's Upcoming Performances:
June 8 - 9 / Dizzy's Club Coca Cola / New York, NY
June 25 / Tri-C JazzFest: Cleveland (Hannah Theatre) / Cleveland, OH
July 1 - 2 / Dirty Dog Jazz Cafe / Grosse Point, MI
August 6 / The Side Door Jazz Club / Old Lyme, CT
September 3 / Monty Alexander Jazz Festival / Easton, MD
September 11 / Bach Dynamite and Dancing Society / Half Moon Bay, CA
September 12 / Kuumbwa Jazz Center / Santa Cruz, CA
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| Dominick Farinacci - "Short Stories" Trailer |
For more information on Dominick Farinacci, please visit: DominickFarinacci.com
Dominick Farinacci · Short Stories
Mack Avenue Records · Release Date: June 10, 2016
For media information, please contact:
DL Media · 610-667-0501
Matthew Jurasek · matthew@
Maureen McFadden · maureen@dlmediamusic.com
Public Relations for the Preferred Artist
For press materials on Dominick Farinacci, Mack Avenue artists or its family of imprints
(including album covers, promotional photos and logos), please visit media.mackavenue.com
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