Read More About 'Be As You Are'
‘be as you are’
words and music by john ambrosini
thank you to all the musicians who contributed their time and talent to this recording; to lorraine and to catherine moore;
thanks also to mark dann, nancy marciano at systems two, and rich pagano – for having great recording venues
thanks to matt simeone for the inspiration and for the great work on ‘soulmaking’ that set the bar for this recording
copyright 2008
be as you are
– Jane
– Lover
– Be as you are
– I believe
– Toots for doots
– Aja’s dream
– You know what I mean
words and music by john ambrosini
‘aja’s dream’ music by john ambrosini, poem by alexondra john ambrosini
horn arrangements by j.ambro.moore
horn parts for ‘lover’ by j.ambro.moore and devin leonard
bob lipman – french translation on ‘aja’s dream’
The Band
j.ambro.moore – piano, vocals
masahiro yamamoto – soprano and alto saxes
ariel de la portilla – acoustic/electric bass
devin leonard – trumpet, fluglehorn
steve shebar – drums, percussion
kevin raczka – drums, percussion
davy mooney – guitars
vasu panicker – synthesizer
dominique vincent – spoken word on “aja’s dream”
debbie deane – backing vocals on “you know what I mean,” “jane” and “i believe”
william galison – harmonica
amie amis – french horn on “jane” and “i believe”
Production
produced by john ambrosini and rich lamb
all songs arranged by j.ambro.moore with additional arrangements, vocals, keys, and percussion by rich lamb
recorded and mixed by rich lamb
basic tracks recorded at systems two recording studios, brooklyn ny on oct. 17, 2006
overdubs and edits done at mark dann recording, new calcutta recording, and madisounds nyc
mixed at mark dann recording
mastered by tom durack
john ambrosini
pianist/composer/singer john ambrosini writes, performs, and teaches in the nyc area and has collaborated with a wide variety of jazz and pop musicians.
john’s discography includes ‘storybook’, ‘soul making’, ‘be as you are’, and ‘nine stories’ – these and others can be heard on www.johnambrosini.com & www.cdbaby.com/jmoore. his compositions have been heard on radio and television and his song ‘homeless’ was featured and performed at the kennedy center, washington, d.c., by the harlem school of the arts choir.
like charles ives and alexander borodin – who were known as ‘sunday composers’ – john has a successful 2nd career in commercial real estate and engineering yet has consistently composed music prolifically. this is his seventh recording as a composer and player and his creative output consists of a wide variety of styles: from vocal-based pop and jazz-influenced rock to children’s music and jazz.
while attending the merchant marine academy at ft schuyler where he studied electrical and marine engineering, john travelled into nyc to study piano with fred hersch and joanne bracken. later, he continued his piano technique and interpretation studies with kenny werner and jean michel pilc. his music theory, arranging, and compositional techniques were learned while working with bill holland in massapequa, long island. in 2001 john received his ma in international politics and economic development at fordham university, rose hill campus.
huntington, long island is where john and lorraine call home; and, they share life with their two children alexondra and john and their dogs ‘roodles’, ‘scout’, and ‘laika’.
The Band
j.ambro.moore – piano, vocals
masahiro yamamoto – soprano and alto saxes
ariel de la portilla – acoustic/electric bass
devin leonard – trumpet, fluglehorn
steve shebar – drums, percussion
kevin raczka – drums, percussion
davy mooney – guitars
vasu panicker – synthesizer
dominique vincent – spoken word on “aja’s dream”
debbie deane – backing vocals on “you know what I mean,” “jane” and “i believe”
william galison – harmonica
amie amis – french horn on “jane” and “i believe”
THE REVIEWS
Until recently, Ambrosini has remained a bit under the radar. With performances like the one at Michiko Studios, this is no doubt coming to an end. The democracy of sound created by this ensemble on this night also elevated each of the players individually—perhaps none more than the leader himself.
Watching the John Ambrosini Trio at a recent performance at the Faust Harrison Recital Hall in Huntington, it was easy to feel as if I was transported to the island of Manhattan – to the great clubs: Birdland, Iridium, Smalls, the Jazz Standard – with their cramped tables connected by narrow alleys, and some of the best jazz on the planet. The trio, which consisted of Ambrosini on piano, Jim Cammack on bass and Frank Bellucci on drums, brought a strong improvisational bop feel to the standard’s catalogue. The players – who have only been playing together as a trio for a short while - displayed the well-honed telepathy of a long- established group.
Michael BlockLong Island Pulse, Block and Blue Reviews