Tommy Gravino

Hi friends,

Thanks for visiting and checking out story time from my latest CD.

Twenty Years A nine song CD contains 7 original songs, mostly Adult contemporary music. You will hear a Vocal duet, light jazz, movie music, pop ballads, a jam band song, a sports town song, and one rock & roll classic. All songs c & p Thomas Gravino ASCAP. Except where noted, (*).

If you hear any songs you like maybe suggest to your favorite artist or band that they try out a song that suits their style.

This CD was made entirely at Saxon Recording studios in Rochester NY under the direction of Dave Anderson.

I have also recorded music at:
Ram Dass Studios in Johannesburg South Africa
LAW Studios in Las Vegas Nevada
PCI studios in Rochester NY with Mick Gazuski
Hit City West in L A with Dorian Harewood from the movie ‘Roots’, Jim Catizone from the Hughes
Corporation and Rick LoTempio from Helen Reedy Band
Calf Audio in Ithaca NY
Black Wood studio in Atlantic City NJ with Toto Zaras
Dajelon Studios with Rudy Valentino & Frank DeBlase
GFI in Webster NY with The NY Vaults
Dynamic Studios in Rochester NY with Hollywood Al & the Mix and Nora Green
Black Dog Studio in Rochester NY with Robert Blackburn and Matt Guarnere
Albany Industrial Studio complex with Lyn and Warren Nance

This CD project was originally to start production in Wood Stock NY at the Levon Helms Studio, original Drummer and singer with The Band who was a headliner at the 1969 event.

His million dollar studio a modern barn also holds around 120 people on small tight knit chairs, where he also performs with a full horn band most Saturday nights. Tickets are a lofty 200$ each but you should try to go once, just for the experience of it all. He is a legend in Woodstock with his pictures up in bagel shops, restaurants etc…

I went down one night for a concert, on the advice of Danny D. from Abilene’s Lounge and really liked the sound that studio manager Justin got live, and met him after the show. We shared some stories and he liked my first two tunes on the new CD and we set a date to get started on the recordings. I was pretty excited and Justin mentioned that Levon might even have time to drum for me, if I had enough funds. The date came and I got cancelled cause they were on the road at The Beacon in NYC. We set a new date and that got cancelled too and another date a month later got cancelled the day before I was to go in-I even booked a room in near by Terry town. That was all I could take, so much for the little guy from upstate.

So plan “B” was to find someone locally with a load of talent and the right gear to help out a Solo artist to multi track a lot of instruments. Frank DeBlase mentioned Saxon Recording and what a find Dave Anderson was. You should check him & his studio out if you’re in the market. He has some of the best microphones in the country and uses tube amps and digital formats as well. Dave has a fantastic ear for music, produces, mixes, and plays guitar and bass as well in his own “garage band’, and on one song of mine, called ‘Zero to Sixty’.

Twenty Years Its a song about mom, her unconditional love for people, a hard worker, a cook, a baker and a beautiful gentle soul, I hope to see again… Her husband (my dad) passed on a long time ago in his 40’s and she never ever dated again. When they said, “till death do us part”, back then they meant it. Thanks for everything, Emma… Vaya Con Dios.

Chicago Way Its a song about Chicago and my first venture there for a monumental birthday with Mary Beth, what a fantastic city it is. Its 3 million laid back mid westerners in a city that has everything, including the Miracle Mile, sports everywhere and a dining Mecca! A little side story on our visit there was to see an Ian Anderson concert, acoustically, in a small venue in the north side of Chicago, without his full band, Jethro Tull. It was a really great show and he did a few Christmas tunes as it was in November ( of ’04). He even had a guest show up for a little interview live on stage, the woman who is famous for making plaster casts of the male anatomy, most notable, Jimmy Hendrix’s’ and they had some fun with all of that. After the performance we decided to wait for an autograph in the freezing rain with only about 12 other people who were crazy enough to do such a thing on a foul night. After about an hour the band members came out one by one to the bus and Ian was still inside. Another hour passed, and Ian comes running out, with the theater manager shouting, there’s a fire in the building and we should get the hell off the property as the sirens were sounding and the alarms were going off and we could see smoke coming out of the building. They both jump in a car and start to pull away from the scene. They get about a half a block away, put on the brakes, drive in reverse to the small little crowd left and said, meet me around the corner and I’ll sign some autographs’. I got my black flute case signed, luckily, with a silver marker, and we were off to our warm hotel room. Alana Miller sings this duet with me, a really fine singer form NYC who now lives and plays music in Western NY with the Band “The Blue Avengers”. She has her own new CD out just this year and you can find her at www.blueavengers.com

Zero to Sixty Dedicated to the Harley Davidson. When you’ve got to get away from it all and you ride motorcycle this is what you do. The sound of this particular Harley who’s rumbling and revving you hear was custom built by Tom McGowan. A 2000 Dyna Wide Glide with Hi Performance S & S custom parts top to bottom. It is slightly chopped, dark red and black with spoke wheels. It was my pleasure to have ridden this beast one time. Dave Anderson cranks out the Bass, Guitar solo and the industrial percussions. Daves Studio at www.SaxonRecording.com

Boston Blues A forever New Yorker comes clean. I had the most fortunate pleasure of living and playing music in the Boston area from 1974 to 1976 the crazy Bi-Centennial years. I also taught a class in Circular Breathing for wind instruments at the Berklee School of music with master Sax guy Joe Viola and drummer Joe Hunt. I was there with a group called Soft Water from Rochester NY which included the talented Steve Lyons (Piacentini), The Dukes, Beale Street Band and various forms of the Smokin Joe’s bands. This song was started way back then and finished up when I visited the area again in 2005. I made mention of “Henry David’s Pond” meaning Henry David Thoreau. It is a beautiful park setting with walking trails around it, a beach with swimming allowed and the old homestead of the Author. Another fantastic site of many was the Green Monster on game day! I made a lot of references to the area cause its a great place. Salem, the wild beaches of Cape Cod, the Islands, and little Italy. This is one New Yorker who loves Boston too.

Hotel California Is an iconic song by The Eagles. It is arranged as an instrumental with the solid silver open hole, French style Flute taking the lead. Mary Beth helps with the background vocals. Ryan Carey backs us up on Flamenco Guitar.(*)

My Favorite Things A song made popular in the Mary Poppins movie and arranged into a heavy Jazz song by John Coltrane. John’s 29 minute version, one whole side of an album, appeared on Blue Note records around 40 years ago. I used a 1972 Selmer Tenor Sax on an untouched second take, with no manipulations of any kind. Thanks to brother Glenn for turning me on to jazz at an early age, a fine trumpet player back in the day.(*)

Someday Dedicated to Dennis Monroe. The untimely and sudden passing of a Rochester Icon, a fine human being, fellow musician and teacher, Dennis will be missed by many people. Our chance first meeting was on stage at J B Quimby’s restaurant, jamming impromptu with the band, Twice Guitars. It was a truly inspiring night, trading solos on fiddle and flute. Thanks Dennis, peace and love.

Afterlife (The Storms and Sun over Alagaesia) Movie Music. Originally written and finished with the book “Eragon” in mind. A trilogy, now a full-length feature, action-fantasy movie, written by the teen-age word genius Christopher Paolini. I read the book before any one thought of making a movie out of it, five years ago and finished developing this theme song with the fantastic images Chris had envisioned. A masterful young writer and storyteller in the vein of, “The Lord of the Rings”. About a half a year after I read the book I presented a rough draft of the song to Christopher and in response he said he liked the music but that he had just inked a deal & sold all the rights to the book and movie to Fox Feature Films and that anything further was completely out of his control. I liked the song so much that I finished it anyway and produced the hell out of it, using over 24 tracks of various sounds that Dave Anderson co-produced with me. The Alesis series Keyboards were a main stay in this recording, a former ”M X R” engineers company, out in California now. See more about the Author & Movie at www.alagaesia.com You will hear among the many layers of music some Flute work reminiscing of Ian Anderson or the late great master Rashan Roland Kirk (who played the Pythod Room in Rochester, NY) and whom Ian says was an early inspiration for him as well.

I Don’t Wanna Dream Anymore A light Jazz instrumental tune I wrote the melody for while in Paris, France with my former wife, Susannah Ploskonka a masterful artist of oil paintings, water colors and quilts.

Tom began playing music at the age of 8. At age 16 he received a music scholarship to New Mexico State . He has also studied at the Eastman School of Music and majored in flute at SUNY Brockport.

Tom has toured throughout 40 States, Canada, Mexico, England and South Africa. He spent three years in Las Vegas playing at The Silver Slipper, The Landmark Hotel & Casino, Vegas World, Hilton Hotel & The Flamingo Hotel & Casino.

Internationally, Tom has performed with G.E. Smith from the Saturday Night Live Band; Sandler & Young, a comedy troup from England; Trini Lopez; Texas rocker, Chris Durate; recording superstar, Mick Guzauski; from Roots – the mini series – actor and singer, Dorian Harewood and Elaine Boozler. He has played in warm-up bands for Kansas; Brian Setzer; Mountain; Stan Getz & Journey.

Tom has received two international songwriting awards for “Down In Nashville” and “Wheel Of Fortune” which are featured on his new solo CD, “Party Of One”. The songs were chosen from over 3,000 international entries.

Tom is featured on several other CDs:

Flute’s Dream – original works featuring flute, saxophone, piano & percussion performances - written and produced by Tom Gravino

Mixin’ It Up w/Holleywood Al & The Mix – featuring flute, saxophone, vocal, keyboard and percussion performances - 5 original songs

Jack Edward Smith – 2 cds – featuring one original song and flute & keyboard solos

Nora Green – piano, flute and vocal performances – produced by Tom Gravino

Frantic Flattops – 2 cds - featuring saxophone solos – horn arrangements by Tom Gravino

The Dukes – featuring saxophone and vocal performances

Trapper’s Christmas Holiday – featuring keyboard and vocal performances – 1 song written , produced and performed by Tom Gravino

Reggae Outkasters – featuring saxophone solos and horn arrangements.

Bob Denhe – featuring flute performances

Lauri Passineau – featuring saxophone solos.

Tony & Dee’s “Hear My Spirit Soar” – featuring his childrens song “You’ve Got To Be Nice”