The Barcelona Note Book features eight original compositions played on a classical guitar. The songs started out as simple sketches for me back in the late ‘60s when I lived as a student in Barcelona, and was content at that time to play them out as simple guitar solos. Eventually, I recorded these songs however I could: first on cassette machines or quarter inch stereo tape decks. Then, when the opportunity arose, I moved my material on to 4- and 8-track machines where I added sand blocks and a triangle in order to mimic a real rhythm section. I also threw in a bit of scat singing to go along with my guitar melodies. Writing lyrics came much later. I always knew what the imagery for these compositions was about: an old Spanish monastery; a little village where the only paved road was a main street that passed through the center of town; a sunny afternoon party where little children tried their luck at whacking candy and toy trinkets from a piñata; a young family’s excursion via funicular up to the top of Barcelona’s Mount Tibidabo. The songs acted as musical postcards to my friends, each one sent with a personal greeting that said, “Wish You Were Here”. Even though many, many years were to pass by from their inception, those musical impressions from my days in Barcelona remain as vivid and real to me as the first time I experienced them. And those simple sketches have been now filled in with the help of a number of incredible soloists and musicians. Ken Lovelett is the driving rhythmic force using his vast array of drums and percussion instruments, many of which are hand made at American Percussion by Ken in his Mount Tremper, NY workshop. Jim Curtin played spot-on bass lines during the earliest sessions we did at Sonart Recording Studios. Pete Levin added keyboards, string arrangements, and Hammond B3 organ tracks. His brother, Tony Levin, took time out from his busy touring schedule to lay down 4- and 5-string electric bass parts while Peter engineered. Jordan Jancz brought along his bows, his cello and his double bass, and longtime friend and music collaborator Barbara Truex played her dulcimer on Aurelia. I‘m still dazzled by the beauty and emotion brought by the many soloists who appear on The Barcelona Note Book. Nicole Pasternak’s lead vocal and vocal harmonies bring sweetness and clarity to every track she sings on. Roswell Rudd’s trombone makes Eulalia’s Happy Day one of the happiest days ever. Ralph Lalama, on tenor sax, takes us for a joyous ride along La Carretera a Bilbao. Sala Jordi has not one, but two soloing highlights for me: Pete Levin’s buttery smooth piano solo in the middle of the track, and where Mederick Bellaire’s mandolin and Pete’s keyboard start trading fours during the song’s outro. Ali Ryerson’s Piñata flute solo soars throughout the entire song. Throughout Aurelia, Steve Gorn instills a perfect, pensive melancholy mood with his bansuri flutes, while Mederick’s absolutely lyric electric guitar solo guides us home on the final track of the CD. All told, it’s taken over 47 years for me to bring these songs to you. I do hope that you’ll find the wait was worthwhile… Vincent Pasternak [email protected]
My internal jukebox is always playing SOMETHING, and I never know what the song might be, and I'm constantly surprised by the depth and spread of the genres that the juke is spinning out for me! I happen to believe that music is the best therapy in the known Universe...
Whether it's on stage or off stage: to live in the moment with my musical friends.
Consume less. Conserve more. Always be mindful of generations to come...
Very tough question. I listened to everything. I loved it all...
It's a long list. Here are just some of them: Steely Dan, Chet Atkins, Samuel Barber, JS Bach, Karlheinz Stockhausen, Joni Mitchell, Laura Nyro, Leonard Bernstein, Astrud Gilberto, Antonio Carlos Jobim, Randy Newman, The Levin Brothers, Beethoven, Pat Methany...
The Muse. When it's time to wrote, or it's time to play, the Muse drives the bus and I hop on for the ride for as long as it will take me...
I love writing stories about ordinary people doing ordinary things. The world is full of amazing people just going about their day. Sometimes my songs have words, and sometimes they are simply musical sketches that I hope will describe the scene(s) I have in my head...
The energy that comes back at me when I play in front of an audience absolutely nourishes my soul. I don't care if it's an audience of one, or a hundred, or a thousand - I love anyone who takes time out from their day to attend a performance. And rule #1 for an artist is this: There is no performance without an audience. It reminds me of that old philosophical question - "If a tree falls in the woods and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?"
Good luck to all those artists who are trying to earn a living with music. The streaming companies successfully manage to pay artists in fractional currency even as they themselves reap the lion's share of on line revenue. And it's extremely hard for young artists and bands to find small, local venues where they can spend time honing their craft. What could be improved? Pay musicians and writers a fair wage for their efforts. It used to be that way, but I'm afraid those days are gone now...
It's an interesting way for me to listen to other artists who might not otherwise be available to me through the airwaves or on CDs...
Listeners need to understand that there are many, many great musicians performing out there that aren't famous. And being famous doesn't necessarily mean that an artist is great. Judge music by what you like and what moves you, and not by what a media outlet tells you who's hot and who's not...
I buy local product. I play more gigs than I attend, but I gladly spend my dollars to see friends doing their thing on stage...
Believe in your self and believe in your music whether you write it or just perform other artist's material. If you don't believe in what you're doing, the audience won't either. Be persistent, have a healthy dose of patience, practice, practice, practice, and oh yeah, ENJOY WHAT YOU'RE DOING! It's a gift not everyone has, so don't squander it...
JP Jones - Rhode Island writer/performer. Bill Lauf - Connecticut writer/performer. Barbara Truex - Maine writer/performer.