ORIGINALMUSICAL PAINT |
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THE PROJECT STARTS IN BOSTON, MASS. WITHIN THAT FERTILE MUSICAL SCENE THAT CIRCLES AROUND BERKLEE COLLEGE OF MUSIC,FROM WHICH CAROLINA GRADUATES IN 1992 IN PROFESSIONAL MUSIC. THE REPERTOIRE OF O.M.P CONSISTS OF MUSIC AND LYRICS WRITTEN BY CAROLINA AND HAS MUSICALLY BEEN DESCRIBED AS AVANTGARDE FUNK WITH CAPTIVATING GROOVES AND MELODIES..., ENHANCED BY THE CARISMA OF THE LEADER. A DEFINITION OF STYLE,THOUGH, SEEMS IMPOSSIBILE: IT'S "FUSION" IN THE REAL SENSE OF THE TERM, CONCEIVED BY A POLYGLOT MIND THAT PERFECTLY INCORPORATES THE CONCEPT OF CONTAMINATION MIXING NATURALLY A VAST RANGE OF MUSICAL STYLES; FROM JAZZ TO FUNK, FROM R&B TO ROCK, FROM FLAMENCO TO GOSPEL,FROM SCAT TO RAP. THE COSMOPOLITAN NATURE IS ALSO EVIDENT BY THE LYRICS: COLLAGES IN ENGLISH, GERMAN, ITALIAN, SPANISH AND FRENCH. FINALLY, REUTILIZING PAST EXCURSIONS WITH PERFORMANCE ARTS, CAROLINA IS TRYING TO EXTEND THE CONCERT INTO A SHOW: THE BAND PERFORMS WITH THEIR FACES PAINTED, EACH MUSICIAN REPRESENTING A COLOUR OF THE RAINBOW SEQUENCE. O.M.P OFFERS A FRESH AND ORIGINAL PERFORMANCE; THE SKILL AND TASTE OF THE MUSICIANS INVOLVED GARANTEES IMPECCABILITY AND THE COLOURS EXPRESS, BEYOND MUSIC, A DEEP DESIRE TO PLAY AND BE PLAYFUL... |
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Carolina Brandes vox |
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Alessandro Gwis keyboards |
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Marco Siniscalco bass |
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Davide
Pettirossi drums |
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Mario
Corvini trombone |
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Gianni Savelli sax |
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Aldo
Bassi trumpet |
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Desirée
Petrocchi vox |
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Fabiola Torresi vox |
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foto
by Astolfo Leti Messina |
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| O.M.P
(the story behind) THE PROJECT STARTS IN BOSTON, U.S.A AROUND BERKLEE COLLEGE OF MUSIC,WHERE I LANDED ALMOST ACCIDENTALLY IN 1987, AND FROM WHICH I FINALLY MANAGED TO GRADUATE IN 1992 IN THE TYPICAL MAJOR OF THE CONFUSED AND/ OR... LAZY ONES: PROFESSIONAL MUSIC. IT WAS DEFINETELY A GREAT TIME; I HAD THE FORTUNE TO PLAY AND BE SURROUNDED BY INCREDIBILE MUSICIANS AND WITNESS THEIR ARTISTIC GROWTH IN REAL TIME. ESPECIALLY THE LAST YEAR I MUST ADMIT WEÕVE DONE SOME SERIOUS, VERY SERIOUS PARTYING... IN FACT THE WHOLE TRIP WITH THE PAINT STARTED EASTERN WHERE ACCORDING TO MY GERMAN TRADITION, I ORGANIZED A BREAKFAST PARTY IN MY APARTMENT: ME AND MY AUSTRIAN FRIEND ARABEL COOKED DOZENS OF EGGS AND STARTED PAINTING THEM. BEFORE WE REALIZED IT EVERYBODY STARTED PAINTING ON MY WALLS AND THAT LAUNCHED AN INFINITE SERIES OF PARTY PAINT SESSIONS IN MY APARTMENT, WHICH BECAME MORE AND MORE EUPHORIC WHEN SPACE FINISHED ON THE WALLS WE SWITCHED TO OUR FACES AND THAT'S BASICALLY HOW IT STARTED, WE JUST DID A GIG THAT WAY, NO FURTHER CONCEPT BEHIND IT; WE WERE JUST HAVING FUN. I'VE ALWAYS BEEN OBSESSED WITH COLOUR AND BELIEVE THAT IÕVE TRULY EXPERIENCED AT LEAST ALL OFF THE BASIC ONES IN THEIR NATURAL APPEARANCE, ARTIFICIAL RECONSTRUCTION AND IN THEIR EFFECT ON HUMAN NATURE SO I ULTIMATELY HAD TO INCORPORATE THE RAINBOW, WHICH,BEYOND MATTERS OF COLOUR IS JUST A TRIP ON IT'S OWN... BUT I WON'T GO FURTHER INTO IT ANYWAY, EACH INSTRUMENT REPRESENTS A COLOUR AND TO ME IT SEEMED ALL VERY OBVIOUS AS TO WHICH COLOUR BELONGS TO WHAT INSTRUMENT. ALL OF THIS IN REGARDS OF THE SUBJECT MATTER PAINT... AS FAR AS THE MUSIC IS CONCERNED IT IS OBVIOUSLY ORIGINAL FIRST OF ALL BECAUSE I WROTE IT BUT MAINLY BECAUSE IT HAS ALWAYS BEEN A FUNDAMENTAL ISSUE TO ME. IN THE BEGINNING HUGE FEAR OF BEING JUDJED IN COMPARISON WITH OTHER SINGERS WAS DETERMINED FOR ME IN ORDER TO TRY TO CREATE MY OWN SPACE AND WORLD OF EXPRESSION. I ALSO PRETTY SOON REALIZED THAT IÕD RATHER BE A DIRECTOR THAN AN ACTOR, WHICH FORCED ME TO INITIALLY RESEARCH MORE ON COMPOSITIONAL ASPECTS RATHER THAN TECHNICAL ISSUES ON SINGING. THE MOST DIFFICULT PART COMES NOW ,WHEN THEY ASK YOU TO DEFINE YOUR MUSIC IT'S DIFFICULT FOR ALL OF US AND ACTUALLY IT WOULDN'T BE FOR ME IF IT WERE NOT THAT MY ALL TIME FAVORITE TERM HAS BEEN SO MUCH MISUSED AND IS NOW ASSOCIATED WITH A TYPE OF MUSIC WHERE I DEFINETELY DON'T FIT UNDER THE TERM "FUSION" TO ME DOES NOT MERELY DESCRIBE A TYPE OF MUSIC BUT REPRESENTS AN ATTITUDE TOWARDS LIFE THAT SLOWLY BUT GRADUALLY I'VE GROWN INTO. INITIALLY,GROWING UP WITHIN A MOLTITUDE OF CULTURES, I'VE OFTEN SENSED THE LACK OF ROOTS, I NEVER EXACTLY FELT TO FIT IN ANYWHERE SO WHEN I GOT TO THE STATES I TOTALLY IDENTIFIED WITH THAT MELTING POT THAT MERGED ALL OF THOSE DIFFERENT CULTURES. SO WHAT INITIALLY WAS A SOURCE OF INSECURITY TURNED INTO MY FLAG, JUST LIKE MY DOG,... A "BASTARD" ... MY MUSIC IS JUST AN EXTENSION OF THIS. I USED TO LISTEN TO LOTS OF DIFFERNT STUFF, HARDLY EVER HAD ANY DISCRIMINATION TOWARDS ANY STYLE AT ALL. I'VE NEVER HAD ANY MUSICAL MODEL (AT THE TIME I WISHED I WOULD HAVE HAD ONE,) SO I KEPT CONSTANTLY TURNING PAGES. AT HOME I WAS SURROUNDED BY SOUTHAMERICAN MUSICIANS, THEN CAME JAZZ, AND LOTS OF ROCK AND ROLL THROUGHOUT. I HAD A STRONG ROCKER PHASE, ALMOST PUNK BUT AT THE SAME TIME WAS ALWAYS WRITING SIMPLE SONGS ON MY GUITAR. I'VE ALWAYS LOVED AFRO-AMERICAN SINGERS BECAUSE OF THEIR ABILITY TO JUST LET GO, FLOAT AND GROOVE, BUT THEN AGAIN I'M ALSO ATTRACTED TO OBSESSIVE INTROSPECTION. AT BERKLEE I REALLY GOT INTO JAZZ AND IT BECAME REAL INTELLECTUAL. TO ME THE TERM "JAZZ" DOES NOT REFER TO A SPECIFIC HISTORICAL TIME OR SETTING, BUT RATHER TO A STATE IN WHICH A FREE SPIRIT CAN EXPLORE WITHIN THE REALM OF IMPROVISATION AND INTERPLAY . BUT OFFICIALLY SPEAKING I'VE COME TO THE CONCLUSION THAT I DON'T BELONG THERE EITHER. BASICALLY I AM REALLY INTO GROOVE AND RHYTHM, MUSIC THAT MAKES ME WANNA DANCE... AVANTGARDE FUNK,SPEAKING OF DEFINITION , HAS BEEN THE TERM THAT, SO FAR, I'VE IDENTIFIED WITH THE MOST. AND THIS WAS IN REGARDS TO THE SUBJECT MATTER "ORIGINAL MUSIC" BUT I JUST WANNA ADD THAT I ACTUALLY DON'T EVEN FEEL THAT ORIGINAL IN THE SENSE THAT I TRULY FEEL AS A CHILD OF MY AGE. THERE IS AN EVER GROWING AWARENESS AND WILL TO GO BEYOND SET FRONTIERS AND THIS CONSCIOUSNESS IS GOING WAY BEYOND EUROPE TURNING INTO A CONFEDERATION OF MANY STATES,IT'S A GLOBAL AWAKENING OF A GENERATION FINALLY REACTING MASSIVELY. I FEEL VERY MUCH PART OF THAT RISING CONSCIOUSNESS JUST BY MIXING STYLES AND LANGUAGES AND JUST BY TRYING TO EXPRESS MYSELF FREELY DISREGARDING ANY CONVENTIONS AT ALL. MUSIC HAS BEEN THE GREATEST HEALER AND UP UNTIL THIS DAY I'VE NEVER PRETENDED TO GIVE MESSAGES OR TEACH LESSONS. I CONSIDER MY LYRICS PRETTY SELF-ORIENTED AND BASICALLY JUST WORK IN PROGRESS I AM GREATFUL TO BE ABLE TO DO WHAT I DO, I AM GETTING EXCITED BY THE TURN OF THE CENTURY, WITH ALL ITS CONCERN , AND TRULY HAPPY TO STEP OUT AND SHARE MY LIFE AND MUSIC EXPERIENCE IN REAL TIME. AND IF I CHOSE MUSIC INSTEAD OF STUDYING PHILOSOPHY IT'S BECAUSE I'D RATHER LIVE IN COLOR TOWARDS THE FUTURE THAN CONTEMPLATE BLACK AND WHITE SHADOWS OF THE PAST |
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