Joe Bruzzese

“The supposed great misery of our century is the lack of time…is why we devote such a huge proportion of the ingenuity and income of our societies to finding faster ways of doing things – as if the final aim of mankind was to grow closer not to a perfect humanity, but to a perfect lightening flash.” John Fowles , The French Lieutenant’s Woman, 1969 ............................................................ ..........................................................So much of life seems to be about doing things faster. Art is a departure from the frenetic pace of modern life. The act of creating is about immersing oneself in a feeling, an idea, a memory – tapping the spirit – and creating a metaphorical representation of some aspect of the life journey. The act of appreciating art demands that we slow down and focus our usually fragmented attention. It is about being in the moment, experiencing the moment. Art allows us to change modes, to slow down, and to appreciate and reflect upon the experience of living. There is no shortcut to the experiencing of art - we do not listen to music speeded up. ............................................................ ..........................................................So what about me... As a kid, the creeping melodies of the old Universal monster movies used to pull me inside from the corner of our backyard. I was drawn to the eeriness, the sense of impending doom - this was emotional music! The classical scores that accompanied Roadrunner and Coyote could keep me transfixed for hours. My 33 years have been a musical journey, and along the way I found music and musicians who demolished my view of what was music, and what was musically possible. I live for those moments when someone can show me something different, something I haven’t heard before - those moments when sound opens a door, or even brings down a wall. ............................................................ ...........................................................I believe music connects people. It can cross most divides and communicates that for which there are no words. It is a vehicle for expression - this is how the world feels from where I’m standing. It says, “This is me and I understand THIS much.” ............................................................ ...........................................................N ow, more than at any other time genres are merging, overlapping, cross-pollinating. The anti-establishmentarian in me is reveling in the end of music’s conformity to simple classifications. This is a stimulating time in which to be a composer, and a pretty great time to have ears and a functioning auditory cortex...................................................... ............................................................ ......

World • Soundtrack • Nu-Jazz

Experimental • Alternative-Electronica

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