Feel the Passion of Anthony Mazzella
I recently caught up with one of Guitar One's Top Ten up and coming guitar players in the country, ANTHONY MAZZELLA. After interviewing him and listening to him play I can honestly say that I have never met anyone who is as passionate and as talented as Anthony is. His music comes from the heart and leaves you craving for more. I recently had the chance to do an interview via telephone while he was doing a show in Grand Rapids.
MTV: How did you get your start in music?
MAZZELLA: As an adult we experience passion, sensuality, and ecstasy through love and intimate relationships. As a child these feelings were evoked in me through music. I was in love with music as a child and still am to this day.
MTV: Who is your biggest musical influence?
MAZZELLA: I would have to say Eddie Van Halen.
MTV: Who would playing with make you feel as if you had really made it and you quit from that day on?
MAZZELLA: My wet dream band is the PAT METHENEY BAND. They're an amazing jazz band.
MTV: Where was your favorite place that you have played at?
MAZZELLA: The highlight of my playing career was the Blue Note in New York City. All of the top jazz artists have played there and it was amazing to be able to play in the same venue as these artists did.
MTV: If we were to look in your CD player right now, what would we find in it?
MAZZELLA: Medieval and renaissance music is what I am listening to now.
MTV: What is your favorite CD?
MAZZELLA: When I was younger I listened to a lot of VAN HALEN and studied the music and his techniques. My favorite CD right now? That's a hard one... I think you've stumped me.
MTV: What is/was the strangest thing that has ever happened at one of your shows?
MAZZELLA: I think that the strangest thing that has ever happened at one of my shows was having world renowned jazz guitar master STANLEY JORDAN sit in the audience and watch me play. What was even stranger was being able to call him after the show and ask him what he thought of the show. We could sit down and talk about techniques and understand each other like no one else could.
MTV: I read in bio that you played a benefit concert for the depletion of the rainforest. Could you give me some insight into that?
MAZZELLA: I teamed up with Chris Spheeris who is a world renowned
guitarist/producer and we toured throughout Greece, England, and Morocco. In Morocco we did a concert to benefit the depletion of the rain forest. We played for the then Prince now King of Morocco. Environmental awareness is essential to the health of all living things and the future of our mother earth. Please do what you can.
MTV: Did you ever go to college?
MAZZELLA: I attended a few semesters at community college and majored in music. I was looking at girls and thinking that I should be home practicing the guitar.
MTV: What do you want to tell everyone?
MAZZELLA: Music is the higher power. It's the language of the gods. It cannot be understood with mathematics and sciences, but with emotions. Music is the almighty, it is powerful and of the utmost beauty. There are some things that can't be conveyed through language that can't be conveyed through the shallowness of vocabulary but only conveyed through music. You can touch God whomever your God may be through spirituality, the same way you can touch love through music.
MTV: Is there anything you don't like about being a musician?
MAZZELLA: There are sometimes I wish I wasn't a musician because when I am sitting at a show or listening to a performer I am thinking of the techniques behind the music. I am waiting for the day when I can sit back, close my eyes, and just be content.
ANTHONY MAZZELLA is now living in Sedona, Arizona were he has an enormous following with the same following in New York City. His debut CD The Birth is now in it's second pressing with a sure to be magnificent second CD to be released sometime in the fall. Anthony is currently on a college circuit tour on the East Coast. Anthony has been written up in Billboard Magazine and will have an article in Guitar One in February.
If you ever have the chance to see Anthony play this is one show that you don't want to miss. Never have I seen someone with so much passion, love and understanding of the guitar as he has. To find out more about ANTHONY MAZZELLA check out ANTHONYMAZZELLA.com. This is one guitarist that isn't a dime a dozen.
-- Ashleigh Jade Kozup
MTV Local Stringer
(December 19, 1999)
Anthony Mazzella is a world renowned recording artist and concert guitarist. BILLBOARD Magazine describes him as "the new generation of guitar hero" and GUITAR ONE magazine voted him "one of the top ten guitarists in the country" Anthony released 6 CD's and currently performs regularly statewide in Arizona with his concerts of original music as well as his unique tribute show Legends Of Guitar.
Anthony began his performance career as a concert guitarist in New York City. He quickly built up a strong following performing in most every live music club in Manhattan including: The Bitter End, CBGB's, Cafe Wah, Birdland etc. Anthony then landed a headlining spot at the worlds most famous jazz club BLUE NOTE NYC just one year after street performing in front of it and spent the following years touring colleges & universities all over the USA giving concerts and teaching master classes. He then went on to performing on stages all over the world as a solo artist and as the concert guitarist for world music master Omar Faruk.
His original music is composed with a fusion of world influences consisting of acoustic fingerstyle, classical, flamenco, jazz, funk, R&B, celtic and rock and roll. In 1997 he recorded his debut solo CD titled “Electric Fingerstyle Guitar”. In 2001 he recorded "BRIO" with platinum selling recording artist Chris Spheeris and was an awarded “best acoustic instrumental album of 2001" by NAV. In 2002 he recorded his second solo CD titled “Unity” where each song is diverse in genre to showcase all the styles Anthony is capable of playing. In 2006 he collaborated with three time Grammy nominated artist William Eaton, together they composed and recorded a CD for an Electric Harp Guitar Group. In 2009 Anthony recorded 12 original solo guitar pieces composed while he was living in Italy and appropriately entitled "Heavenly Guitar". His latest recording is a collection of original songs that are a fusion of Spanish and Near Eastern inspired music titled RITUAL.
Mazzella began studying music on the violin at age five. He then proceeded to learn the rudiments of music on piano until falling in love with the guitar at age thirteen. Throughout his adolescence he studied with several private guitar teachers, but Anthony attributes the greater part of his education to ear training. His influences are many, but none more profound than the music and techniques of guitar masters such as Michael Hedges, Pat Metheny, Carlos Montoya, Eddie Van Halen, Andres Segovia and countless others. In the nineties Anthony shared his musical insights by teaching at Knopf Music (where he once took guitar lessons), as a private instructor, and at the Long Island School for Music and Arts. Anthony was also one of the few chosen understudies of jazz guitar legend Stanley Jordan.
All of Anthonys recordings, concert dates, videos, tickets, photos, reviews, are available on his website anthonymazzella.com.
Buy the Ritual CD Here. Download Here.
RITUAL is a collection of 11 songs composed by Anthony Mazzella. The music is a fusion of Spanish Guitar and Near Eastern Music. This CD is 3 years in the making as it was produced by Anthony who composed all the music, arranged all the songs, played all the instruments (plus several guest appearances), recorded, edited and mixed it in his home studios both in New York City and Sedona Arizona.
The music for this CD was inspired by Anthony's travels through Europe and the Near East and performing with musicians indigenous to those regions.
Anthony was exposed to Spanish Guitar as a young boy by his grandfather who used to play Anthony the music of the great Spanish guitarists such as; Andres Segovia, Carlos Montoya, Julian Bream, Vicente Gomez and Pepe Romero. When Anthony decided to start playing Spanish guitar it came naturally to him having heard it so often as a young boy. At that time he was learning the rudiments of music on the piano so the synergy between the two became innate. Anthony's keyboard skills appear in the form of string and horn arrangements on many of the songs on RITUAL.
Anthony was the concert guitarist for world renowned Turkish musician Omar Faruk Tekbilek for 2 years. In that time Anthony was trained by Omar Faruk himself in the art of Turkish music. In that period Anthony started composing music with the Turkish influence. He was also living in Italy at the time and traveling throughout Europe so the fusion of the two regions come to life in these new songs. Fusing the 2 genres together was also inherit from listening to the East meets West compositions of the great rock group Led Zeppelin.
Though words could never describe the depths of music, the CD is called RITUAL to represent the events that happen naturally on a daily basis which connect us to the flow of the universe. Thus the cover art being the sun, moon reflected in the water.
In the words of Anthony; the practice of making music is ritual to the musician. The rising of the sun and moon is ritual to the earth. The life experience of the spiritually conscious being is connected to source, god, nature. The ritual, the ceremony and the art helps the spiritual one and the musician transport the layman, the seeker and the listener into the soul experience of life.
Thus in every title on the CD has ritual meaning in a natural state of eventfulness.
“Venus” That which is the 2nd planet from the sun and Roman Goddess of love and beauty. This opening track echoes the sounds of modern Spain with fierce Spanish guitar playing, drums and percussion and lush background voices to carry the music into a sphere of surreality.
“As She Sleeps” The state of being unconscious and watched over in the afterglow of her lover. This unique song has the upbeat of Reggae fused with a slow guitar melody and keyboards to create the romantic feelings of being on an island.
“Southbound” The magnetic feeling in the event of traveling south. South American percussion meets progressive guitar and a warm organ with a Spanish guitar intro to create the feeling of traveling the Americas.
“The Beautiful Dancer” Celebrating life, music and health in dance. A chorus of acoustic guitars meet a Doumbek drum in the opening of this beautiful song. The main body of the song is carried by percussion and a guitar melody which tells the story in an almost lyrical sense where the listener can see the dance unfold in their minds eye.
“Infinite Hunger” The daily ritual of obtaining needs and desires. Big tribal drums, lots of guitars, saxophone, keyboards and effects make up this large composition. This song has the exotic feel of Arabia and could be the soundtrack for a Cirque De Soleil type production.
“Sun Ritual” The awakening of light, warmth and consciousness. This most unclassifiable track infuses a Native American melody with modern drums and a horn and string section. Keyboards create a lush backdrop of sound which connect all the tracks in a splash of color to be interpreted by the listeners imagination.
“Ritual Moon” Blindness in the darkness of dogmatic ideology. This song has the feel of the closing credits of an epic move. Warm guitars, strings, flutes and drums drive the slow musical progression into chorused crescendo suitable for the last track of this impressive body of work.
“Bride To The East” the diplomacy of humanity. Traditional Turkish drumming and guitar drive this powerfully rhythmic song in a firey dance that excites the senses and makes people jump out of their seats when they hear it live.
“The Way Home” The event of arriving in a place of comfort and rest after a long journey. The song starts out with a solo acoustic guitar playing the main melody in a stripped down recording. Then the body of the song kicks in full force with drums, bass, percussion, strings and multiple guitars. The musical flavors of the near east are fused with the progressive compositional values of the western part of the hemisphere to create a musical journey around the world.
“Remember The Dream” The state of being conscious in a given reality and remembering or fantasizing of an alternate reality. A slow passionate song performed on the classical guitar and accompanied by strings and percussion. This song reaches deep into the soul and evokes feelings of reflection.
“Lifting The Veil” The state of ridding oneself and humanity of the distractions of myth and illusion so life can be experienced in its natural essence. This song progresses in four movements. The song opens with blazing traditional Spanish guitar riffs and an eastern string section. It is then met by the force of a full band on high with a classic fusion feel. It then pulls back and grooves like a jam band before arriving at the finale which has the driving force of rock and roll.
Overall RITUAL can best be described as world music for the ears of the western hemisphere.
Legends of Guitar
Ritual — Most Recent CD
SHOWS
Hillside Sedona
Saturday May 10. 1pm - 4pm Free Performance
Teatro Sociale, Trento Italy
September 14, 2022. 8:30pm
Baselga Di Pine' Teatro, Trentino Italy
September 17, 2022. 9:00pm
Residency at Enchantment Resort Sedona AZ
LEGENDS OF GUITAR
Legends Of Guitar is a tribute show to famous guitar players and their music. The show features world renowned guitar virtuoso Anthony Mazzella who plays it all live.
Legendary guitarists who's music is featured in the show are Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, Carlos Santana, Jimi Page (Led Zeppelin), The Edge (U2), Pete Townsend (The Who), David Gilmour (Pink Floyd), George Harrison (The Beatles), Dave Murray (Iron Maiden), Stevie Ray Vaughan, Van Halen, Michael Hedges, Segovia and more.
People love guitar music and are fanatical about the bands they play in. This show features the technical skills of the greatest guitarists and the music from some of the biggest bands.
“You’ve gotta let Zeppelin possess you if you’re gonna do it right,” guitarist extraordinaire Anthony Mazzella revealed to the audience, deep into his set of the one-man-show “Legends of Guitar”. Sedona music lovers, take notice! It doesn’t get much more perfect than this. The dazzling spectacle witnessed at Relics Roadhouse saw one of the most highly skilled musical artists in the country musically “making love” to his cherished guitars on stage, channeling the raw power of living and deceased guitar legends. The energy birthed from this musical ceremony held the audience spellbound in its passionate embrace.
One thing is for certain, Mazzella is highly aware of the seductive relationship between the guitarist, his instrument, and its hypnotic effect upon the audience: “When I play, my guitar becomes an extension of my body. My movements during an epic song are a sensual visual, no doubt. I feel like a guitarist has to be passionate about playing, because it is the hardest instrument to play well.” Mazzella should know. His skill easily matches the legends he pays tribute to like Carlos Santana, U2’s “The Edge”, and David Gilmour of Pink Floyd - and like all the greats, he has labored since childhood to master his craft.
The guitarist’s storytelling is equally engaging. Ever wonder how a musician of this caliber got his original inspiration? As a boy, Mazzella’s ear tuned out vocalists altogether. “I only listened to the guitar parts on my records. I often had no idea what the singer was singing about. Guitarists are the mad-scientist composers of the band, the rest of the band just kind of falls in behind them.” From The Who’s Pete Townsend to Led Zeppelin’s Jimmy Page, Mazzella saw his destiny in his rock idols. You might be surprised that his first group was a heavy-metal Iron Maiden cover band! Yes, you might get a taste of Iron Maiden, flamenco-style that is, but you’ll also hear jaw-dropping renditions of Jimi Hendrix’ like All Along the Watchtower and Little Wing, and classic tunes from Stevie Ray Vaughn, The Beatles, and Chris Isaak. One local super-fan Isabella Green commented, “Anthony does miracles for me with his guitar; his talent moves me to the very core of my Soul!”
After witnessing dozens of epic concerts over the years myself, ranging from Page & Plant, Santana, and Pink Floyd, it takes a lot to be impressed by interpretations of rock n’ roll classics. With that in mind, Mazzella’s “tribute” show is more cutting-edge than imitation; a powerhouse creative spectacle that is equivalent to seeing all aforementioned guitar greats in one room at their peak. It’s a mind-boggling experience which borders on the supernatural. How one man, even with his trademark “looping machine,” can seamlessly weave such a rich tapestry of hard driving rhythms paired with delicate and soaring guitar leads, in a passion-filled but strangely coherent blend, is deeply satisfying. Maybe this IS rock n’ roll heaven? It’s as if the spirits of 10 guitarists are on stage simultaneously channeling their mad genius in and through Mazzella.
While each universally-beloved song, ranging from Zeppelin’s Stairway to Heaven to Santana’s Europa were showcased in an easily recognizable manner, the astounding feature is the improvisation and flurry of notes and rhythms sprinkled in generously, and perfectly, I might add, to make it all his own. It’s why music lovers go to a concert in the first place – for extended tracks and original jams, which also stay true to the legendary anthems held sacred in the heart of millions. The result is an unforgettable show that fans of timeless rock music will feel privileged to have seen.
By Miguel Montoya
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Compact Discs Downloads
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