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Fabrizio Sotti

Driven by the dynamic interplay between Fabrizio Sotti's colorful electric and acoustic guitar and Sam Barsh's bluesy Hammond B-3 organ, the Italian born artist/composer's highly anticipated E1 Music debut Inner Dance beautifully recalls the spirit of the mid-60s albums by his guitar hero Wes Montgomery and organ great Jimmy Smith. As inspired as the recording sounds, it may surprise longtime Sotti fans--and jazz guitar enthusiasts new to his multi-faceted vibe--that he originally conceived his first solo album since 2004's Through My Eyes as a more traditional trio project. In a true sign of these technologically advanced times that Montgomery could never have fathomed, it was a computer hard drive failure- and the complete loss of the album's original sessions-that gave rise to one of the most compelling jazz recordings of the year.

The fascinating story of how the ultimate version of Inner Dance came to be led Sotti for a time to use the working title "Against All Odds." He began recording the nine track collection in February 2009 with veteran bassist James Genus and renowned drummer/percussionist Mino Cinelu. Sotti had worked with Genus various times over the years and Genus appeared on the guitarist's 1999 recording This World Upside Down, his first major release in the U.S. that also featured John Patitucci, Randy and Michael Brecker, Al Foster and Victor Jones. After recording the basic trio tracks for Inner Dance, and others featuring Swiss harmonica great Gregoire Maret and Chilean vocalist Claudia Acuña, Sotti's hard drive crashed and he lost all the recordings.

"The tech company that tried to salvage my data told me that this kind of complete erasure only happens once in every 10,000 times a computer crashes," Sotti says. "I was frustrated but quickly decided to press on and start scheduling new sessions. But when you're working with busy musicians, it's hard to find time in their schedules to rebook them. Since James was not available for the new sessions that started in April, I brought in Sam, who created the bass sound on the B- 3. Inner Dance developed into a whole new and very exciting project featuring my guitar and the organ that sounded like those classic organ trio albums I grew up with. The organ has a fuller sound and can create bass and harmony at the same time, so I think the tracks are more accessible to listeners, whether they are big jazz fans or not. And we were fortunate to keep Claudia, who adds a wonderful Spanish vocal to 'Amancer,' and Gregoire, who adds his lovely harmonica to the title track."

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8
Album Review

Fabrizio Sotti Trio: Forty

Read "Forty" reviewed by James Nadal


As jazz guitar continues to evolve with the introduction of modern influences, some of the more distinguished players are going back to basics. Acknowledged as a remarkable accompanist who can cross genres at will, Fabrizio Sotti has also established himself as genuine guitar stylist. Forty is his fourth release as leader, which represents not only a milestone in his age, but a continuous dedication to refining his craft. This is a departure from previous recordings on which Sotti ...

3
Album Review

Fabrizio Sotti: Right Now

Read "Right Now" reviewed by Mike Oppenheim


Jazz guitarist, songwriter, and pop producer Fabrizio Sotti has been involved with the music industry at all levels throughout his career, offering his varied talents in all genres of music. The 2013 release Right Now is the culmination of his years of experience, diverse musical interests, and accumulation of talented collaborators. Not a typical jazz album, Right Now offers jazz-flavored interpretations of songs from the pop music repertoire. The core group consists of Sotti on guitar, bassist Tony ...

2
Album Review

Fabrizio Sotti: Right Now

Read "Right Now" reviewed by Chris M. Slawecki


Right Now consolidates the many different threads that Italian songwriter, guitarist and producer Fabrizio Sotti has explored in his career and weaves them all into a singular, beautiful tapestry. Serving as arranger and producer, he divides Right Now into an even mix of jazzy, reflective originals and soft jazz reflections of songs by Bob Marley, U2 and Jimi Hendrix sung by an international vocal cast. Sotti's supple nylon, classical, acoustic and electric guitars are expertly caressed by bassist Tony Grey ...

8
Interview

Fabrizio Sotti: The Key to Music

Read "Fabrizio Sotti: The Key to Music" reviewed by Fernando Rodriguez


Invited to perform at the 16th edition of the Dominican Republic Jazz Festival, this past November, guitarist Fabrizio Sotti was sitting on the beach in Cabarete, along the country's north coast, when this interview took place.Sottis' most recent release, Inner Dance (E1, 2010), was almost his third release, following the guitarist's This World Upside Down (BCI-Eclipse, 1999), but a hard drive crash on his computer scuttled what was to be his sophomore release, originally to be titled Against ...

405
Interview

Fabrizio Sotti: When Life Gives You Lemons, Make a Great Album

Read "Fabrizio Sotti: When Life Gives You Lemons, Make a Great Album" reviewed by Matthew Warnock


Recording a jazz album is never easy. Compared to most genres of music, where everything is prearranged and planned out ahead of time, there is a large amount of spontaneity when it comes to laying down a jazz record. Many times, the best takes are the least thought-about beforehand--the ones where improvisational magic just jumps out of every musician, where all the stars align and the music culminates in one of those special moments where high-level improvisation is captured on ...

296
Album Review

Fabrizio Sotti: Inner Dance

Read "Inner Dance" reviewed by John Barron


Italian-born guitarist Fabrizio Sotti straddles the fence between straight-ahead jazz and pop-oriented instrumentals on Inner Dance, a muscular guitar extravaganza featuring Sotti's original compositions. Sotti gives equal attention to electric and nylon string acoustic guitars throughout, striking a balance between chops-heavy showcases and reflective pieces with an emphasis on song structure. His electric playing has an aggressive punch, incorporating blazing, single-note runs with a rocked-up edge. At times, his style is reminiscent of fusion guitar giant Mike Stern, ...

352
Album Review

Fabrizio Sotti: Inner Dance

Read "Inner Dance" reviewed by Larry Taylor


Guitarist and composer Fabrizio Sotti dedicates his album Inner Dance to two jazz greats, guitarist Wes Montgomery and organist Jimmy Smith. He presents a wide range of compositions, mostly in a low-key, mellow mood. He plays both acoustic and amplified guitars, and his main collaborator here is Sam Barsh on Hammond B-3 organ; their interplay is impeccable. With this record, the Italian-born Sotti comes back to jazz after an excursion the last few years into hip-hop, rock, ...

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138

Interview

Guitarist Fabrizio Sotti Interviewed at All About Jazz

Guitarist Fabrizio Sotti Interviewed at All About Jazz

Source: All About Jazz

Recording a jazz album is never easy. Compared to most genres of music, where everything is prearranged and planned out ahead of time, there is a large amount of spontaneity when it comes to laying down a jazz record. Many times, the best takes are the least thought-about beforehand—the ones where improvisational magic just jumps out of every musician, where all the stars align and the music culminates in one of those special moments where high-level improvisation is captured on ...

140

Performance / Tour

Guitarist-Composer Fabrizio Sotti to Perform at Blue Note on Monday, June 7, in Support of His E1 Release, "Inner Dance"

Guitarist-Composer Fabrizio Sotti to Perform at Blue Note on Monday, June 7, in Support of His E1 Release, "Inner Dance"

Source: DL Media

FABRIZIO SOTTI TRIO TO PERFORM AT BLUE NOTE ON MONDAY, JUNE 7, IN SUPPORT OF E1 RELEASE, INNER DANCE “With an abundance of infectious grooves and catchy hooks, 'Inner Dance' proves to be a listener-friendly affair with Sotti staking claim as a guitarist with whom to be reckoned."- John Barron, AllAboutJazz.comE1 Music presents a performance date for Italian guitarist-composer Fabrizio Sotti at Blue Note New York on Monday, June 7. Sotti will be joined by ...

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Recording

Available Today -- "Inner Dance," Guitarist-Composer Fabrizio Sotti's New Release on E1 Music

Available Today -- "Inner Dance," Guitarist-Composer Fabrizio Sotti's New Release on E1 Music

Source: DL Media

AVAILABLE TODAY -- INNER DANCE GUITARIST-COMPOSER FABRIZIO SOTTI'S NEW RELEASE ON E1 MUSICSOTTI'S DEBUT ON THE LABEL PAYS HOMAGE TO WES MONTGOMERY AND JIMMY SMITHDriven by the dynamic interplay between Fabrizio Sotti's colorful electric and acoustic guitar and Sam Barsh's bluesy Hammond B-3 organ, the Italian born artist/composer's highly anticipated E1 Music debut Inner Dance beautifully recalls the spirit of the mid-60s albums by his guitar hero Wes Montgomery and organ ...

219

Recording

Guitarist-Composer Fabrizio Sotti to Release "Inner Dance" on E1 Music, April 6 -- Paying Homage to Wes Montgomery and Jimmy Smith

Guitarist-Composer Fabrizio Sotti to Release "Inner Dance" on E1 Music, April 6 -- Paying Homage to Wes Montgomery and Jimmy Smith

Source: DL Media

GUITARIST-COMPOSER FABRIZIO SOTTI TO RELEASE INNER DANCE ON E1 MUSIC, APRIL 6SOTTI'S DEBUT ON THE LABEL PAYS HOMAGE TO WES MONTGOMERY AND JIMMY SMITHDriven by the dynamic interplay between Fabrizio Sotti's colorful electric and acoustic guitar and Sam Barsh's bluesy Hammond B-3 organ, the Italian born artist/composer's highly anticipated E1 Music debut Inner Dance beautifully recalls the spirit of the mid-60s albums by his guitar hero Wes Montgomery and organ great Jimmy ...

“With an abundance of infectious grooves and catchy hooks, Inner Dance proves to be a listener-friendly affair with Sotti staking claim as a guitarist with whom to be reckoned.” ​- John Barron, All About Jazz

“On [Inner Dance], Sotti shows great talent and technique on both amplified and acoustic guitars.” ​- Larry Taylor, All About Jazz

“On Inner Dance, Sotti does not refashion or rethink jazz. Rather, he creates accessible and cordial contemporary jazz material.” ​- Doug Simpson, Audiophile Audition

“Italian jazz-guitar hero Fabrizio Sotti may have been better known for his hip-hop productions rather than his own music, but that should change with the release ofInner Dance. For my money, Inner Dance definitely belongs in the “good” category.” ​- Greg Barbrick, Blogcritics.org

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Photos

Music

Recordings: As Leader | As Sideperson

Forty

Incipit Records
2016

buy

Right Now

Sotti Records
2013

buy

Inner Dance

E1 Music
2010

buy

Through My Eyes

Casa del Jazz
2004

buy

This World Upside Down

Casa del Jazz
1999

buy

Kindness In Your Eyes

From: Inner Dance
By Fabrizio Sotti

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