Recordings
Why Bass?
Alejandro Rutty
Less
Alejandro Rutty
Exótica flor
Lorena Guillén
Tango Ensemble
Because the Oceans
Arko - Guillén - MacLeod - Rutty
Exhaling Space
(Navona Records)
The Other Side of My Heart
Lorena Guillén Tango Ensemble
The Conscious Sleepwalker
(Navona Records)
Jeffrey Jacobs
Jazz and Meditations
New Ariel Recordings
Nueva Música Argentina para cuarteto de saxofones
Cuarteto 4Mil (PAI Records)
Simultaneous Worlds, Due East Duo. Albany Records
Raised Structures
Anthony Taylor
Albany Records
En Clave
Fred Sturm
Mood Shifts. Capstone Records, Red Clay Saxophone Quartet
Masterworks of the
New Era, Vol 3.
ERM Media
Why Bass?
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At NC Folk Festival
With Chris Wimberley
Recorded by Alejandro Rutty
Mixed and mastered by Chris Wimberley at Nightsound Studios, Carrboro, NC
Cover photo by Dhanraj Emanuel
Why Bass? is my latest and probably most personal project. It consists of solos, duos, trios and quartets performed on electric bass. This time, I played and recorded all parts, so it's just me out there. I started composing for solo bass before the pandemic hit, and the project grew to become this album and much more.
A catalyst for this "all-bass" project was the wonderful bass made by Keith Roscoe here in Greensboro, NC, pictured on the album cover (Roscoe LG 3006) . Playing it made me realize that the electric bass can be an exciting vehicle for my music, so I started composing and then I couldn't stop.
Genres are a prison of sorts; they provide structure and a sense of order, but we're better-off living outside them. The music on this album is part classical, part South American urban folk, part jazz, part experimental, but really none of the above; these pieces seem to be navigating the mysterious waters of unbound expression.
The album includes three bass quartets: Obscure Arts Parade (Roscoe LG, Ibanez SRC 806, Lakland 55-02 fretless, Ibanez BTB), If the Pandemic Were to End and Concertino (Roscoe LG, Ibanez SRC 806, Lakland 55-02 fretless, NSD Omni Bass)
Also recorded here is the Bass Trio, Focus Beyond Clarity (Roscoe LG - Ibanez 806), and solo pieces from the Bass Suite: Down With Those Guitars!, "and the ghost of Kapsberger emerged and said...", Embrace, and again Obscure Arts Parade, now in a version for solo bass. All of the pieces in the Bass Suite I played on the Roscoe LG 3006.
I recorded the tracks and made the initial edits and the album was mixed and mastered by Chris Wimberley at NightSound Studios in Carrboro, NC.
I would like to thank people who, in one way or another, contributed to this album: Steve Stusek, Steve Landis, James DeFiglia, Patrick Lui, Triston Broadway, Xul Rutty, Carlos Castilla, Lorena Guillén, Mora Rutty, Chris Wimberley, Kei Mizobuchi, El Rich ("lose that wah-wah"), Mark Engebretson, WIllie Clark, Alejandro Martinez, Joe Murphy, Matt Slotkin, Adam Ricci, Wagner Trindade and Keith Roscoe (love that bass!). One more thing: please listen to the bass solo albums of Michael Manring, especially Small Moments
Less
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With Andrew Barlow, Seth Blevins, Jacqui Carrasco, Carlos Castilla, Nathan Leyland, Fabián López, Sam Nichols, Scott Rawls, Wendy Rawls, Evan Ritchie, Paul Sharpe,
Erik Schmidt, Rebecca Willie, Eric Willie, Inara Zandmane
Recorded by Alejandro Rutty and El Rich
Mixed by Chris Wimberley at Nightsound Studios, Carrboro, NC
Cover photo by Dhanraj Emanuel
In the last few years I composed quite a bit of music and I found difficult to select which pieces to record (can't do it all just yet). This album features works that share something I would call "dynamic stasis", where the music appears not to advance, and yet is made of moving parts anchoring it while a long melody passes across.
Your Questions Online was commissioned and premiered by the Cassatt String Quartet (on this album: Part I, performed by Jacqui Carrasco, Rebecca Willie, Scott Rawls and Evan Richey). It is which is a meditation on some truly heartfelt online queries found on social media, including moments of touching beauty, I think.
Waking Up Down at the Bottom of the Sea, for strings, (there is a version of this piece for symphony orchestra) is the musical equivalent of a road movie; in this case an underwater adventure acting as a metaphor for the adaptation to a new culture.
Less, for percussion quartet, quietly embodies wide, placid (yet dynamic) spaces. Eric Willie led the UNCG Percussion Quartet (Barlow, Blevins, Nichols, Schmidt) with great imagination and skill and made the experience of the piece to be almost like magic.
Guitar Trio is a piece commissioned by guitarist Patrick Lui, who premiered it alongside Carlos Castilla and myself. For this album Carlos Castilla bravely mastered all three parts, bringing also some new ideas that made the piece even better.
Under the Long Shadow of Senseless Acts occupies an expressive state for which I could not find a word, but could be described as "a certain sadness as a result of regret". López, Leyland and Zandmane bring the colors, resonances, and expression of the piece to perfection.
The recording sessions took place at different times within the past few years (thanks to the support of a UNCG Research Grant and UNCG's CVPA Grant). El Rich and I engineered the sessions, the album was patiently mixed and mastered by Chris Wimberley at NightSound Studios in Carrboro, NC.
Exótica flor
Lorena Guillén Tango Ensemble
Lorena Guillén, voice - Jacqui Carrasco, violin - Guy Capuzzo, guitar
Adam Ricci, piano -Alejandro Rutty, bass - Erik Schmidt, percussion
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Recorded at Ovation Sound Studio, Black Rabbit Studio, and UNCG Studios.
Produced by Alejandro Rutty and Lorena Guillén
Mixed by Javier Mazzarol
Mastered by Carlos Laurenz
Band photo by Felipe Troncoso
Playing in the Lorena Guillén Tango Ensemble is an exhilarating experience. Stylistically indomitable, the ensemble navigates and references many genres and traditions (Argentine tango being one of them). Especially rewarding is sharing the experience with musicians with such unique artistry: violinist Jacqui Carrasco is a never-ending source of musicality and precision, pianist Adam Ricci's command of unheard, incredible voicings is shockingly fun, Guy Capuzzo's precision, delicacy and care for color in the guitar is exquisite, Erik Schmidt brings literally a world of percussion colors and tropes, and Lorena Guillén's expressive range and flexibility is nothing but remarkable.
The recording includes unusual arrangements of traditional Argentine tangos and original compositions as well. In this album you'll find a myriad of styles and references, from candombe to samba, and from Mahler to electrotango.
Every time I listen to this album, I am amazed of how beautiful the sound of this recording is (thanks to the genius of engineers Carlos Laurenz and Javier Mazzarol!)
Because the Oceans
Anja Arko, Lorena Guillén, Scott MacLeod, Alejandro Rutty
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Because the Oceans
Because the oceans, a song cycle by Alejandro Rutty for two singers, piano and guitar (or bass) is a meditation on the impact of the oceans on life and climate and on the effects of climate change.
The text, compiled by Alejandro Rutty is sourced on reports published by the Environmental Protection Agency, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Agency and the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) Sixth Assessment Report, AR6.
Because the oceans offers an innovative platform to include, during the performance, interactive collaborations with the audience and the music community, as a space for reflection and dialogue.
What started as "a commission for a vocal duet with piano" transformed itself into a full project of passion, adventure and discovery (!) Baritone Scott MacLeod and his incredibly clear and precise sound, Lorena Guillén and her world of sonic images, Anja Arko with her "all-weather virtuosity" and myself with a bass that acts as if it were a guitar.
This first recording of the quartet is a favorite of mine, and its eye-opening text (from the IPCC report) is as informative as it is moving . We performed this piece in Cassis, France, in Monaco, in Greensboro NC and in Washington DC. It looks like we'll be able to take it to other parts of the world...
Recorded at Manifold Studios, Pittsboro, NC.
Edited by Alejandro Rutty
Mixed and Mastered by Chris Wimberley at Night Sound Studios, Carrboro, NC
Cover Photo by Dhanraj Emanuel
Exhaling Space
Navona Records
Available on most streaming services
Alejandro Rutty and a cast of remarkable musicians present "Exhaling Space", a collection of exciting new works. The music in this album features Rutty's personal mix of world music styles, melody-driven lyricism and rhythmic fireworks.
The album features performances by the Beo String Quartet, Fabián López, Vincent Van Gelder, Inara Zandmane, Jacqui Carrasco, Scott Rawls, Marjorie Bagley, Steve Stusek, Anthony Taylor, Kelly Burke, Adam Ricci, Guy Capuzzo, Fernando Martinez López and Alejandro Rutty
"an album that's worthy of your time, and a listening experience that matures with each additional play."
Darren Rea, Review Graveyard
"You should listen to this" (Sollte man gehört haben)
Sven Godenrath, Ihr Opernrath
"An album that’s an answer to the Grammy- winning Goat Rodeo Sessions, this collection of works by Alejandro Rutty is both radically joyful and rhythmic, yet sometimes as deep and soft and sentimental as music gets."
American Record Guide (July 2018)
"This release...sizzles with the energy and passion of Latin and world music influence....Not to be missed is Martian Milonga ... A Mars Colony (2145)... grounded in solid craftsmanship and given new futuristic life that even a Martian would love"
Holly Harris, Winnipeg Free Press
"Engaging sound world that invites the listener in on often fascinating aural journeys"
Steven kennedy, Cinemusical
Reviews
Winnipeg Free Press, Holly Harris
Review Graveyard, Darren Rea
Cinemusical, Steven Kennedy
Ihr Opernratgeber, Sven Godenrath
Infodad
Interview with Alejandro Rutty about "The Other Side of My Heart
Cristina Baccín, "Corazon Tanguero". KUNM, Albuquerque, 2017
The Conscious Sleepwalker
Navona Records, 2012
On the multifarious THE CONSCIOUS SLEEPWALKER, his first album on Navona Records, Rutty presents works for saxophone quartet and orchestra that explore concepts ranging from explorations of tango within pop culture of the future to halfdreams versus fictional reality. The album's title piece has been received widespread critical acclaim, having been called 'a terrific curtain-raiser' (Boston Globe) and 'amusing…an immediate test of the ensemble's mettle' (New York Times). Through acclaim for his music, receipt of a grant through
the Copland Fund, and his impeccable ability to blend, mash, and transform genre, Rutty is a worth contender as a leading experimenter of the 21st century.
