Buddy Miles (Buddy Miles Express, Electric Flag, Band of Gypsys) was like a great piece of earth, and I am honored and grateful for his contribution to this record. When I first called Miles' manager/publicist, Duane Lee, to ask if Miles would be interested in working with me, he was sitting beside Lee and agreed to speak with me about it. Right off the bat Buddy and I hit it off. We discussed life and what I wanted to accomplish with this record. He was excited that the album would be all about the music and nothing else, just playing our asses off.
With his recent passing, I'll never forget what he said to me on our last day of sessions, "I have not felt like this since I was playing with Jimi". Moments later, I played a killer solo on "Mama".
It's such an honor that the last recordings of Buddy Miles are found here on my album, Trippen. Buddy Miles fans, unite and enjoy!
More about Tommy Osuna:
Tommy Osuna is an accomplished guitarist, composer, producer, multi-instrumentalist, and music teacher living in Pine Mountain, CA.
He has produced over a dozen independent record releases, including his own 1997 release, Third Stream which showcases his composition and guitar work by combining world music and rock styles. In his 2005 release, Message from the Tiki Man, Tommy describes the album as “a journey of musical experimentation"
As a guitarist, Tommy Osuna has performed with Johnny Cash and Glen Campbell, and Jamaican reggae legend Earl “Chinna†Smith. Smith invited Tommy to visit Jamaica to meet other reggae greats, who were also very impressed with Tommy’s abilities to combine Reggae and other world styles.
Tommy developed his talents at Musicians Institute in Hollywood,CA and Berklee College of Music in Boston,MA. He founded Rhythm Music Magazine with musician/friend, Kyle Russell in Boston. They went on to start OSBC Entertainment, a full-service booking agency for artists in the Boston area as well as opening up 7 Mystic Studios, a recording facility that featured terrific vintage analog gear for musicians who desired the warmth of analog.
Currently, Tommy is the publisher of World Rhythm magazine, devoted to global music and culture, and he owns and operates the Osuna School of Music, for kids ages 2 to 102, where his teaching niche is in composition and improvisation. "Music is a medium for teaching lessons on life (a la The Karate Kid), and I'm thrilled that a lot of parents have referred to me as a a role model for their children", he says.
Boston Metronome says "Osuna is a man with a vision. He already is one of thetrue guitar greats, even if he is not a household nameBoston Globe says"tommys way of portraying music is all his own"Bakerfiled Press says " tommys plays with a soul thats amazing"Jazziz editor says " Tommy plays like water ,a very unique stream"