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 and 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.
Photo
Credit: Hollis King
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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