Dear friends, it is live
There are not many words I can use to describe this album - I tried to be a craftsman in the discovery, study and recording of this repertoire and I believe that the result is quite transparent. It is a labor of love: the best I can give, today, to the instrument I embraced.
When I asked Emmett Chapman if he would authorize me to use his and the Stick’s name as the title for this album, he understood the honesty behind the association: in the most atypical year of them all, farm from a world in lockdown and confinement, an instrument and a musician came together - there was little else besides that.
One important note: each one of these songs is a very small part of the overwhelming legacy of its authors, for whom my admiration is unlimited. Nothing would be possible without these people and their dedication to music, respective cultures and the level of craftsmanship in their art. However, honesty demands that I make an exception regarding number 9, “A song for Emmett” - the composer may be the least important but the album had to include, forcefully, a tribute of admiration to the man entitled to it.
A very special thanks to those people who listened to the album beforehand and gave me ideas, opinions and some comments: better than mine, their words are the ones worth reading at the end of each video.
The disc and all 10 new videos will be in free pre-listening through Bandcamp https://rodrigoserrao.bandcamp.com/album/chapman-stick until next December 15th, when it will no longer be exclusive and will be available on all other platforms as well.
As usual all scores that I can share are freely given.
Thank you all, it has been a tremendous ride!
Rodrigo serrão
