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Greg Ruggiero’s Balance
Albuquerque native returns to celebrate release of new CD
By Mel Minter
Greg Ruggiero and his guitar
Warm and liquid, the music of jazz guitarist Greg Ruggiero slides into the ear so
easily, you don’t notice until it’s already had its way with you. The first signs include a
slowing of the breath, a relaxed attentiveness and a heightened awareness of one’s
blessings.
With his first CD, Balance ( Fresh Sound New Talent), out this year, Ruggiero is
establishing himself as a unique voice on the highly competitive New York City scene.
On Saturday, Albuquerque fans will get their first chance in months to hear his latest
musical developments when the Greg Ruggiero Quartet appears at the Outpost.
Boot Camp in NYC
Ruggiero was living comfortably in New Mexico before he sold pretty much everything
he owned and moved away from family, friends and a significant other in 2004,
heading to Brooklyn with no job and no immediate prospects.
“I kind of felt that to get to where I wanted to get to, I had to be here,” Ruggiero says
on the phone from his home in Brooklyn.
It wasn’t an easy transition, though, having to work a mind-numbing day job for the
first eight months and rooming with college kids.
“It was horrible,” he says. “The first year for me was very enlightening. I was very
confident in New Mexico. I felt good about where I was as a player. When I moved
here, I felt completely inadequate. It is, in my mind, going to boot camp in jazz. You just
get broken down.”
Turning It Around
The adversity forced Ruggiero to embark on a personal exploration to “try to figure
out what I’m about as a musician,” he says. “The process of really searching on your
instrument for a sound.”
With the help of teachers such as pianist Pete Rende, Ruggiero developed a new
understanding of “how your instrument is basically just an extension of you,” and he
began to get “really personal in music and sound.” He also found a new confidence in
his playing and composing, which helped him put together the material for Balance.
On the CD, which features two additional Albuquerque transplants, saxophonist Rob
Wilkerson and bassist Matt Brewer, Ruggiero achieves an engaging intimacy—even
when you can hear the bones of his rock ’n’ roll background under the velvet skin of a
song.
“I wanted anybody to be able to listen to it and appreciate the song rather than
whatever technical improvisation was going on,” he says. “Learning how to be a
listener again, rather than just being a musician, is something that I’m trying to pursue
more and more.”
Ruggiero and his quartet—with Colin Killalea (sax), Chris Tordini (bass) and Tommy
Crane (drums)—are bringing tunes from Balance as well as new material to the
Outpost. “It’s great to come home and see my family and friends,” he says, with
special gratitude to the Outpost for its support.
Albuquerque native returns to celebrate release of new CD
By Mel Minter
Greg Ruggiero and his guitar
Warm and liquid, the music of jazz guitarist Greg Ruggiero slides into the ear so
easily, you don’t notice until it’s already had its way with you. The first signs include a
slowing of the breath, a relaxed attentiveness and a heightened awareness of one’s
blessings.
With his first CD, Balance ( Fresh Sound New Talent), out this year, Ruggiero is
establishing himself as a unique voice on the highly competitive New York City scene.
On Saturday, Albuquerque fans will get their first chance in months to hear his latest
musical developments when the Greg Ruggiero Quartet appears at the Outpost.
Boot Camp in NYC
Ruggiero was living comfortably in New Mexico before he sold pretty much everything
he owned and moved away from family, friends and a significant other in 2004,
heading to Brooklyn with no job and no immediate prospects.
“I kind of felt that to get to where I wanted to get to, I had to be here,” Ruggiero says
on the phone from his home in Brooklyn.
It wasn’t an easy transition, though, having to work a mind-numbing day job for the
first eight months and rooming with college kids.
“It was horrible,” he says. “The first year for me was very enlightening. I was very
confident in New Mexico. I felt good about where I was as a player. When I moved
here, I felt completely inadequate. It is, in my mind, going to boot camp in jazz. You just
get broken down.”
Turning It Around
The adversity forced Ruggiero to embark on a personal exploration to “try to figure
out what I’m about as a musician,” he says. “The process of really searching on your
instrument for a sound.”
With the help of teachers such as pianist Pete Rende, Ruggiero developed a new
understanding of “how your instrument is basically just an extension of you,” and he
began to get “really personal in music and sound.” He also found a new confidence in
his playing and composing, which helped him put together the material for Balance.
On the CD, which features two additional Albuquerque transplants, saxophonist Rob
Wilkerson and bassist Matt Brewer, Ruggiero achieves an engaging intimacy—even
when you can hear the bones of his rock ’n’ roll background under the velvet skin of a
song.
“I wanted anybody to be able to listen to it and appreciate the song rather than
whatever technical improvisation was going on,” he says. “Learning how to be a
listener again, rather than just being a musician, is something that I’m trying to pursue
more and more.”
Ruggiero and his quartet—with Colin Killalea (sax), Chris Tordini (bass) and Tommy
Crane (drums)—are bringing tunes from Balance as well as new material to the
Outpost. “It’s great to come home and see my family and friends,” he says, with
special gratitude to the Outpost for its support.
WEEKLY ALIBI ARTICLE
V.16 No.50 | December 13 - 19, 2007
Albuquerque, New Mexico
V.16 No.50 | December 13 - 19, 2007
Albuquerque, New Mexico
JAZZ TIMES MAGAZINE
APRIL 2008
APRIL 2008
GREG RUGGIERO
BALANCE (Fresh Sound New Talent)
The eight original compositions that make up guitarist's Greg Ruggiero's debut
recording have a deeply introspective air, with gently rocking rhythms and simply stated
melodies that often give the album an instrumental pop feeling. But there's plenty of
emotional depth here, too, as Ruggiero quietly draws delicate, ethereal designs with
electric and acoustic guitars, levitating on Frank LoCrasto's sympathetic piano and
keyboard patterns. Rob Wilkerson's sweet alto saxophone brings the quartet back to
earth, while Tommy Crane's drumming supports the melodies and eases them forward.
BALANCE (Fresh Sound New Talent)
The eight original compositions that make up guitarist's Greg Ruggiero's debut
recording have a deeply introspective air, with gently rocking rhythms and simply stated
melodies that often give the album an instrumental pop feeling. But there's plenty of
emotional depth here, too, as Ruggiero quietly draws delicate, ethereal designs with
electric and acoustic guitars, levitating on Frank LoCrasto's sympathetic piano and
keyboard patterns. Rob Wilkerson's sweet alto saxophone brings the quartet back to
earth, while Tommy Crane's drumming supports the melodies and eases them forward.