Peppino D'Agostino
Peppino D'Agostino is a Renaissance man. This is not just because he was born in Italy although he is now a longtime California resident. His art -- virtuoso acoustic guitarist, composer, singer, teacher and all-around entertainer -- is rooted in his heritage.
Peppino has a long and distinguished career filled with highlights. His most recent accolade came from Guitar Player magazine when he was named Best Acoustic Guitarist by its readers in the Reader's Choice Awards in the May 2007 issue.
Listen to
Peppino D'Agostino
- Ancora un Instante [2.83Mb]
- Fiuda Bagadia [3.20Mb]
- La Danze di Rossini [4.04Mb]
- O Sole Mio [3.02Mb]
- Santa Lucia [4.18Mb]
The latest album, 'Made in Italy', continues D'Agostino's 2007 hot streak. In the making for two years, it's a CD that's very close to his heart especially because half of its 16 songs feature Peppino singing. He has included vocals on earlier CDs but 'Made in Italy' opens the door to a future of singing as one more colour on Peppino's musical palette.
Variety is important to Peppino which is clear from his live performances. You never know what you're going to get, and he doesn't either. He doesn't map out his shows from A to Z and feeds off each individual crowd to decide what he's going to play and sing and how he's going to mix up the set.
"All the different parts of me are out there -- the singer, the composer, the guitarist, all together. I'm all of those. I really believe in that because I like to entertain an audience. I usually talk and try to make them laugh. Sometimes I tell jokes. The audience wants an experience where they feel connected to the performer and moved by the music. Otherwise people would just buy the CD and listen to it at home. I'm a medium -- a filter between the music and the audience," said D'Agostino.
Peppino's personal and artistic journeys have certainly been out of the ordinary. He first discovered the acoustic guitar when he was 10 years old and heard his older cousin play in church. His cousin gave him a few lessons, but soon he began teaching himself. Through his teen-age years and into his 20s, he studied all kinds of Irish, Brazilian, folk and classical music. He also absorbed pop and rock music of the 1970s, including the work of progressive rockers like Genesis, Emerson Lake & Palmer, Gentle Giant and Mike Oldfield. At age 23, while serving in the Italian army, he actually went AWOL one night to catch a concert by some acoustic guitarists.
Shortly after that he arrived in the USA: "I was a struggling street musician. I also painted houses and sold vegetables to support myself. I started playing on the streets of San Francisco in 1985. I played on Fisherman's Wharf and I also started playing in clubs."
Collaborations are an important part of D'Agostino's career. He has performed with the likes of classical guitar master David Tanenbaum of the San Francisco Conservatory, and the children's choir VOENA.
D'Agostino has taught at guitar clinics the world over, and his instructional releases include a country and bluegrass songbook 'Metodo Per Chitarra Flatpicking Country e Bluegrass' for Italian publisher Berben (1984), 'New Acoustic Guitar' for Warner Bros. Publications (1997) and a teaching video 'The Guitar of Peppino D'Agostino' from Homespun Tapes (1998), to name just a few. Also, his song "Bella Donna" was included in the songbook-and-CD package 'Fingerstyle Guitar Masterpieces' published by Acoustic Guitar magazine (1999).
D'Agostino's creativity is not only confined to composing and performing music. In 2002, in association with guitar maker and instruments innovator Robert Godin, D'Agostino developed his Seagull signature guitar model, which employs the new compound-curve design. This instrument features a slightly wider fingerboard, and it's perfectly designed to suit his explosive rhythms and almost constant changing of tunings. Furthermore, he developed a guitar accessories pouch called the D'Agostino Tool Bag with the renowned Jim Dunlop Manufacturing.
2008 and beyond will find D'Agostino digging deeper into the various kinds of music he's been making in recent years. He's never at a loss for inspiration to trigger exploration. "The next project will probably be another CD with Stef Burns, and then a CD of new compositions for solo guitar. There's also the possibility of another CD with the United Guitar Ensemble - which features eight classical guitarists and D'Agostino on steel string. I also want to do more vocal CDs," said D'Agostino. "I have a lot of things in my head. We'll see what happens. Keeping busy is part of being a musician."
It doesn't matter what order the projects flow out of D'Agostino. All of them are guaranteed to entertain and enlighten us.
For more information visit Peppino D'Agostino website
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