French-Brazilian guitar virtuoso Marcelo Paganini released the critically acclaimed album “Identity crisis” on his birthday on December 11, 2020. On Saturday December the 10th 2022 at 8 pm, he will play his first solo birthday show in Spain, at the magical small mountain town of Osor, in the comarca of la Selva in Catalonia, Spain, where his recording studio has been located since last year. Marcelo Paganini will also officially release two videos.
The lyrics video for the song “Bacteria” using NASA animations and ISS videos are really out of this world. The way images and music blend rhythmically together to share with us Marcelo Paganini’s vision of the whole Universe/Multiverse being full of bacteria may change your perspective in life. “You ain’t nothing but a bacterian droid.” The song opens the album “Identity crisis.” Billy Sherwood sings, Rachel Flowers sings and plays piano, Adam Holzman plays keys, Marc Madore plays bass, Chad Wackerman plays drums, and Marcelo Paganini plays guitar and keys.
The short film “Learn to love to wait,” based on the song from the album “Identity crisis,” was shot at La Cellera de Ter, Covas Del Pasteral and other locations in La Selva, during the lock-down. Shake together a prog song, Buster Keaton, Charles Chaplin, Bruñel and Jodorowisky and enjoy the ride... Marcelo Paganini plays the sinner. His lovely neighbor Toni plays God. The one-eyed cat next door is the Heaven’s Gate guardian and the frog from the garden also joined in. No animal was harmed, touched, or even told what to do to make this 7:30 minutes short film, which took almost two years to complete. On the recording Billy Sherwood sings and plays bass, Lenny White plays drums, Adam Holzman plays keys, Rachel Flowers sings and plays the first guitar solo, and Marcelo Paganini plays the guitar.
Marcelo Paganini is also very proud to announce a Brazil Tour 2023 with first show back at Audio Rebel in Rio de Janeiro on June the 18tth 2023, 40 years after his first theater show. More dates will be added in his hometown Belo Horizonte and his father’s hometown Conceiçao do Mato Dentro, in Minas Gerais state.
Featuring special guests Billy Sherwood (YES/ASIA), Adam Holzman (Steve Wilson Band), Rachel Flowers, Lenny White (Return to Forever), Chad Wackerman (Frank Zappa Band), Jan Dumée (Focus), Marc Madoré, Karla Downey, Jamison Smeltz, Damilton Viana, Esdras Ferreira and Adriano Campagnani (Beto Guedes Band)
“Identity Crisis” is the new guitar virtuoso Marcelo Paganini prog rock jazz fusion album to be released on his birthday December 11, 2020. The album features special guests Billy Sherwood (YES/ASIA), Adam Holzman (Steve Wilson Band), Rachel Flowers, Lenny White (Return to Forever), Chad Wackerman (Frank Zappa Band), Jan Dumée (Focus), Marc Madoré, Karla Downey, Jamison Smeltz, Damilton Viana, Esdras Ferreira and Adriano Campagnani (Beto Guedes Band). 5 out of 6 songs of the album were mixed and mastered by Gudjon Sveinsson in Iceland. The single “Circus is empty” was mixed by Daniel Boivin in France and mastered by Maor Appelbaum in LA, California, USA.
“When Allan Holdsworth passed away all of a sudden it was up to me and the others to keep guitar composition and playing moving forward. ‘Do your own thing’ he said every time we met. Now Eddie Van Halen passed away as well and we realize how hard it will be,” remembers Marcelo Paganini about his intentions when he started this project. “I changed the tuning of the guitar so I could not repeat anything I knew before. I decided to only use in the whole album, except for acoustic 12 string intros, the black guitar X-Ing Ibanez, no vibrato bar, bare bones. And to record just one guitar per track, to be able to play it live and sound like the album, or better. When live concerts will come back.”
The music on “Identity Crisis” mixes up the best influences from classic prog rock, with unexpected contemporary harmonic solutions and melodic turns. The songs can break loose by surprise in furious jazz fusion improvisations. As impressive as the casting in the album can be, and it is, the incredible alchemy that happened between Marcelo Paganini and Rachel Flowers in 4 out of 6 songs, at the 11th hour, was a game changer in the intensity of that musical language. Mr Bowler Music Agency in the Netherlands is booking Marcelo Paganini Band featuring Rachel Flowers.
TRACK LIST: Bacteria Circus is empty Soul much further away Learn to love to wait Tangerine way Captain's face
Featuring special guests Billy Sherwood (YES/ASIA), Adam Holzman (Steve Wilson Band), Rachel Flowers, Lenny White (Return to Forever), Chad Wackerman (Frank Zappa Band), Jan Dumée (Focus), Marc Madoré, Karla Downey, Jamison Smeltz, Damilton Viana, Esdras Ferreira and Adriano Campagnani (Beto Guedes Band)
“Identity Crisis” is the new guitar virtuoso Marcelo Paganini prog rock jazz fusion album to be released on his birthday December 11, 2020. The album features special guests Billy Sherwood (YES/ASIA), Adam Holzman (Steve Wilson Band), Rachel Flowers, Lenny White (Return to Forever), Chad Wackerman (Frank Zappa Band), Jan Dumée (Focus), Marc Madoré, Karla Downey, Jamison Smeltz, Damilton Viana, Esdras Ferreira and Adriano Campagnani (Beto Guedes Band). 5 out of 6 songs of the album were mixed and mastered by Gudjon Sveinsson in Iceland. The single “Circus is empty” was mixed by Daniel Boivin in France and mastered by Maor Appelbaum in LA, California, USA.
“When Allan Holdsworth passed away all of a sudden it was up to me and the others to keep guitar composition and playing moving forward. ‘Do your own thing’ he said every time we met. Now Eddie Van Halen passed away as well and we realize how hard it will be,” remembers Marcelo Paganini about his intentions when he started this project. “I changed the tuning of the guitar so I could not repeat anything I knew before. I decided to only use in the whole album, except for acoustic 12 string intros, the black guitar X-Ing Ibanez, no vibrato bar, bare bones. And to record just one guitar per track, to be able to play it live and sound like the album, or better. When live concerts will come back.”
The music on “Identity Crisis” mixes up the best influences from classic prog rock, with unexpected contemporary harmonic solutions and melodic turns. The songs can break loose by surprise in furious jazz fusion improvisations. As impressive as the casting in the album can be, and it is, the incredible alchemy that happened between Marcelo Paganini and Rachel Flowers in 4 out of 6 songs, at the 11th hour, was a game changer in the intensity of that musical language. Mr Bowler Music Agency in the Netherlands is booking Marcelo Paganini Band featuring Rachel Flowers.
TRACK LIST: Bacteria Circus is empty Soul much further away Learn to love to wait Tangerine way Captain's face
French-Brazilian guitar virtuoso Marcelo Paganini is releasing his new prog rock-jazz-fusion single called “Circus Is Empty” on 28th August 2020. Written, arranged and performed by Marcelo on guitar and keyboards, the track features Billy Sherwood (Yes/Asia) on vocals, Adam Holzman (Steve Wilson Band/Miles Davis) on solo keyboards, Chad Wackerman (Frank Zappa/Alan Holdsworth) on drums, and Adriano Campagnani (Beto Guedes Band) on bass. Daniel Boivin mixed and Maor Appelbaum did the mastering.
“I was daydreaming, thinking that after ARW (Anderson, Rabin, Wakeman) maybe it’s time for PSH (Paganini, Sherwood, Holzman)!” jokes Paganini from the studio of his old stone house in Catalunia, Spain. “It’s unbelievable that some of the best talents on the planet all agreed to participate – the whole Universe conspired to make it happen! All my steps led me to this old house in the woods.”
“Circus Is Empty” is the song people didn’t know they were waiting for. It blends the urgency of 2020 vibes and sounds with classic prog elements and furious jazz-fusion improvisation. The title is a tribute to Shakespeare’s The Tempest - “Hell is empty, and all the devils are here.” “Crazy times, the circus is empty and all the clowns are in power,” says Paganini. “There is a call to vote, if it wasn’t important they would not be trying so hard to discourage people.”
Marcelo faced an uphill task moving his studio from Normandy, France to Catalunia, Spain. Closed borders, an old laptop which struggled in the Spanish heat, a 300-year-old house which floods in the rain, and an album to finish. “It was 40 degrees outside, not that I could go outside while there was still work to do inside. Not to mention all gigs stopping overnight! It became so much that I had to ask my friends for help, but it taught me who my real friends are, and that I have the best friends around. Then I had to let some good old friends go too, I was too much trouble in too little time for them.”
His persistence has paid off though. “Identity Crisis”, which includes “Circus is Empty”, is due for release on all platforms, with an exclusive vinyl version on his Bandcamp page, on December 11th to mark his 56th birthday. “If the world is still spinning by then!” he laughs.
“I am trying to prove to myself that my last compositions are as good as the first ones... The prog scene is full of artists that wrote their best material many Dark Sides of the Keith Moon ago! Me too by the way, but seriously… Folks are you keeping your best songs for when they will offer a better deal? They won’t, so it is better to release your best material right now while we are all still around! Or else it may end in the trash can.”
“Why ‘Identity Crisis’? Who the Hell is this Marcelo Paganini guy anyway?” he asks. “I am trying to figure that out, for now I don’t even know what food to eat without getting sick... Let’s say for now that Marcelo Paganini is a French-Brazilian guy from New York City, with an Italian stage name, living secluded in the woods up the hill in Catalunia, Spain, that thinks he is a real Spitfire Dragon from Outer Space who crash landed on Earth some time ago...”
Billy Sherwood sings lead on the whole album, and on two tracks along with special guests Marcelo Paganini performed with on Cruise to the Edge 2015: Karla Downey and Jamison Smeltz. Jamison also provided a searing sax solo on the final track “Captain’s Face”, which was written for producer Larry Morand, who invited him to attend the 2015 Cruise To The Edge, about his life changing experience. “Of course I’d love to come back to Cruise To The Edge in 2022,” says Paganini. “It would be great to play live with this band at least once, Billy Sherwood and Adam Holzman are already on board, I bet Captain Prog Larry can make it happen!”
Among other surprise guests, legendary jazz Drummer Lenny White (Return To Forever/Miles Davis) recorded two songs for the album, including “Learn To Love To Wait” which also features Billy Sherwood on bass and Adam Holzman on keys. “I only played guitar on that one,” laughs Paganini. “With so many legends from other bands it’s the mother of all supergroups, but only if it happens without me, I was told. So, I had to let them play together without me for a few bars so it remains a supergroup at least there! I am trying hard to convince another legend to record a guitar solo in that spot!”
Marcelo lost his beloved rescue cat Don Juan in March 2019, and “it was then that things started to become weird fast. The French Cinema Archive CNC demanded a €15K 35mm print of my film ‘First time in Rio’ or I’d have to pay a €70k fine, an absurd situation as I couldn’t afford either. I couldn’t understand why, since they accepted a digital deposit of my film “The 8th Bullet” in 2007. I had to put everything I have on a truck and move to Spain last October. Here I will wait until French cinema people get me out of this. Meanwhile I am depressed, broke, in debt, away from home, family and remaining cats and did nothing wrong! Maybe the president of UNIFRANCE, the president of the CNC and the new Culture Minister of France Rosalyne Bachelot can get Kafka out of my reality? I feel like someone powerful did not want me to make any more films, but it backfired, since I am making a new film about all this.” The upcoming film is also called “Identity Crisis” and will use the album for its soundtrack.
“Then my credit card disappeared and I had no money to live for several weeks. All these events were eye opening experiences. They made me discover fundamental truths: only stupid people are afraid of dying, they are also afraid of living.
“I was bullied since I was little, most people in real life reject me, I am strange, different and proud of it, but harmless. The cat came to me, he chose me, that changed me forever, I learned a lot from him. My friends joke that Don Juan wrote most of the music and that I cannot really play it without him! Let’s just say that so many things happened ever since, that today no one can play that stuff on the guitar, not even me, since I forgot everything. But don’t worry I am a fast learner”. Marcelo wrote most of the songs of the album with Don Juan around and “Identity Crisis” is dedicated to him and to Billy's brother Michael Sherwood that left us too soon last November.
Marcelo Paganini is now represented by Mr Bowler Music Agency in the Netherlands. Exciting news awaits for 2021…
French-Brazilian guitar virtuoso Marcelo Paganini is releasing his new prog rock-jazz-fusion single called “Circus Is Empty” on 28th August 2020. Written, arranged and performed by Marcelo on guitar and keyboards, the track features Billy Sherwood (Yes/Asia) on vocals, Adam Holzman (Steve Wilson Band/Miles Davis) on solo keyboards, Chad Wackerman (Frank Zappa/Alan Holdsworth) on drums, and Adriano Campagnani (Beto Guedes Band) on bass. Daniel Boivin mixed and Maor Appelbaum did the mastering.
“I was daydreaming, thinking that after ARW (Anderson, Rabin, Wakeman) maybe it’s time for PSH (Paganini, Sherwood, Holzman)!” jokes Paganini from the studio of his old stone house in Catalunia, Spain. “It’s unbelievable that some of the best talents on the planet all agreed to participate – the whole Universe conspired to make it happen! All my steps led me to this old house in the woods.”
“Circus Is Empty” is the song people didn’t know they were waiting for. It blends the urgency of 2020 vibes and sounds with classic prog elements and furious jazz-fusion improvisation. The title is a tribute to Shakespeare’s The Tempest - “Hell is empty, and all the devils are here.” “Crazy times, the circus is empty and all the clowns are in power,” says Paganini. “There is a call to vote, if it wasn’t important they would not be trying so hard to discourage people.”
Marcelo faced an uphill task moving his studio from Normandy, France to Catalunia, Spain. Closed borders, an old laptop which struggled in the Spanish heat, a 300-year-old house which floods in the rain, and an album to finish. “It was 40 degrees outside, not that I could go outside while there was still work to do inside. Not to mention all gigs stopping overnight! It became so much that I had to ask my friends for help, but it taught me who my real friends are, and that I have the best friends around. Then I had to let some good old friends go too, I was too much trouble in too little time for them.”
His persistence has paid off though. “Identity Crisis”, which includes “Circus is Empty”, is due for release on all platforms, with an exclusive vinyl version on his Bandcamp page, on December 11th to mark his 56th birthday. “If the world is still spinning by then!” he laughs.
“I am trying to prove to myself that my last compositions are as good as the first ones... The prog scene is full of artists that wrote their best material many Dark Sides of the Keith Moon ago! Me too by the way, but seriously… Folks are you keeping your best songs for when they will offer a better deal? They won’t, so it is better to release your best material right now while we are all still around! Or else it may end in the trash can.”
“Why ‘Identity Crisis’? Who the Hell is this Marcelo Paganini guy anyway?” he asks. “I am trying to figure that out, for now I don’t even know what food to eat without getting sick... Let’s say for now that Marcelo Paganini is a French-Brazilian guy from New York City, with an Italian stage name, living secluded in the woods up the hill in Catalunia, Spain, that thinks he is a real Spitfire Dragon from Outer Space who crash landed on Earth some time ago...”
Billy Sherwood sings lead on the whole album, and on two tracks along with special guests Marcelo Paganini performed with on Cruise to the Edge 2015: Karla Downey and Jamison Smeltz. Jamison also provided a searing sax solo on the final track “Captain’s Face”, which was written for producer Larry Morand, who invited him to attend the 2015 Cruise To The Edge, about his life changing experience. “Of course I’d love to come back to Cruise To The Edge in 2022,” says Paganini. “It would be great to play live with this band at least once, Billy Sherwood and Adam Holzman are already on board, I bet Captain Prog Larry can make it happen!”
Among other surprise guests, legendary jazz Drummer Lenny White (Return To Forever/Miles Davis) recorded two songs for the album, including “Learn To Love To Wait” which also features Billy Sherwood on bass and Adam Holzman on keys. “I only played guitar on that one,” laughs Paganini. “With so many legends from other bands it’s the mother of all supergroups, but only if it happens without me, I was told. So, I had to let them play together without me for a few bars so it remains a supergroup at least there! I am trying hard to convince another legend to record a guitar solo in that spot!”
Marcelo lost his beloved rescue cat Don Juan in March 2019, and “it was then that things started to become weird fast. The French Cinema Archive CNC demanded a €15K 35mm print of my film ‘First time in Rio’ or I’d have to pay a €70k fine, an absurd situation as I couldn’t afford either. I couldn’t understand why, since they accepted a digital deposit of my film “The 8th Bullet” in 2007. I had to put everything I have on a truck and move to Spain last October. Here I will wait until French cinema people get me out of this. Meanwhile I am depressed, broke, in debt, away from home, family and remaining cats and did nothing wrong! Maybe the president of UNIFRANCE, the president of the CNC and the new Culture Minister of France Rosalyne Bachelot can get Kafka out of my reality? I feel like someone powerful did not want me to make any more films, but it backfired, since I am making a new film about all this.” The upcoming film is also called “Identity Crisis” and will use the album for its soundtrack.
“Then my credit card disappeared and I had no money to live for several weeks. All these events were eye opening experiences. They made me discover fundamental truths: only stupid people are afraid of dying, they are also afraid of living.
“I was bullied since I was little, most people in real life reject me, I am strange, different and proud of it, but harmless. The cat came to me, he chose me, that changed me forever, I learned a lot from him. My friends joke that Don Juan wrote most of the music and that I cannot really play it without him! Let’s just say that so many things happened ever since, that today no one can play that stuff on the guitar, not even me, since I forgot everything. But don’t worry I am a fast learner”. Marcelo wrote most of the songs of the album with Don Juan around and “Identity Crisis” is dedicated to him and to Billy's brother Michael Sherwood that left us too soon last November.
Marcelo Paganini is now represented by Mr Bowler Music Agency in the Netherlands. Exciting news awaits for 2021…
The Great Gig Beyond 2001 - Paganini, McBroom, Deodato, Husband, Madore Prog Odyssey
On July 2016 French-Brazilian guitar virtuoso Marcelo Paganini had a “what if” moment and asked common friend Fernando Perdomo to help him get in touch with Pink Floyd's singer Durga McBroom about recording some vocals on a couple of songs. The stars were aligned, Durga was touring Italy and agreed to come to Marcelo Paganini's studio in the Normandy's countryside in France for a couple of days in early August.
They recorded a 4 songs EP “B4ever now” being released digitally and on CD on CD Baby and digital platforms on March the first 2018. The songs are: “Crying with a smile”, then 2 songs with jazz legend Eumir Deodato “2001” on keys: “Last BART to San Bruno” and “B4ever now”. The last song is “2012 Space Traffic Jam”, from the critically acclaimed album of same name released in 2014, like all the other songs on this EP. The songs were all re-mixed and re-mastered. New arrangements with Durga's vocal make it a completely new musical experience. Even for those who know the 2014 versions. Prog rock jazz fusion for the digital space age, with guitar and vocals out of this world.
“Working with Marcelo Paganini was one of the most unique experiences of my career. It will make a great chapter in my autobiography. He is the quintessential mad prog rock musician - think of Mickey Mouse as the Sorcerer's Apprentice, but instead of a magician's hat he is using a guitar to create a chaotic, mystical masterpiece.” - Durga McBroom
Joking about the song title “2012 Space Traffic Jam”, Marcelo Paganini laughs: “Looks like the UFO Space Traffic Jam is just above our heads on planet Earth, I mean... Did you see the videos on the mainstream press? Too many UFOs to hide Mode: On...” The cosmic surreal cover art featuring Marcelo Paganini, Durga McBroom and Eumir Deodato was done by French artist Raquel de Miranda.
Marcelo Paganini recorded all the guitars and most of the keyboards in all songs, Marc Madoré played bass and Gary Husband played drums. “I lived all my life to record with those wonderful musicians and specially with Durga McBroom. She have it all, her voice is pure passion and magical powers, she is simply the very best. Durga McBroom put my music in another dimension. And what a talent in front of a camera, just stunning... Miracles DO happen. Be careful about what you wish for: she came, she sang, then she left... Now I have the rest of my life to deal with it... At least I have, and now with this release we all have, the music and the films... That I hope will bring more music and films together and specially live shows. Now Durga is living in Italy. Who will be the first prog festival to book us?”
Marcelo Paganini worked night and day for months on the “Crying with a smile” experimental short film, that will go into the film festivals circuit first, before being posted on the Internet. A 43 seconds teaser is available on YouTube and Facebook. “The song was about human life and death, when I lost my grand father in 1989. Then I moved to New York City... Lots of people everywhere in the free wild 90's Times Square.... It was all about people's life and death... But it changed after a river called 'Rio Doce', died in Brazil in 2015, because of greed. Nobody talks about it. Then the film became about the survival of rivers, oceans, blood, sweat and tears, in other words, life... The small village we see in the film with the wonderful bridge, the Sarthe River and the small chappell is Saint Cenery le Gerei in France. Just a few miles away from my studio”. Another short film is on the making for the song “B4ever now”.
Marcelo Paganini met Durga McBroom for the first time on Cruise to the Edge in 2015, after winning a Facebook contest at the last minute. Written in the stars? It was a life change experience for many reasons for Marcelo Paganini, “any prog rock lovers must go at least once in their lifetimes. Especially singers and musicians... A musical prog cruise with the coolest people inside that are your next best friends... In one word: GO. Thank you Larry Morand, I wrote a song about my cruise experience that will be on my next album called 'Captain's face' for the man I never met but had such a big impact in my life and musical direction. Since the McBroom sisters will already be on board, of course I dream about being booked on the next Cruise to the Edge.”
Since the release of “2012 Space Traffic Jam” in January 2014, Marcelo Paganini toured Brazil in December 2014 to release the album there, making the musical film “First time in Rio” live. In the Fall 2017 Marcelo Paganini released the album in France at Reveillon Jazz Cafe in September. In October Marcelo Paganini made a new musical film “Live at Music Alençon” with new keyboard player Ricardo Fiuza, Marc Madoré on bass and Christophe Bras on drums. Some short videos published on Facebook already got thousands of views. More will be posted soon...
The Great Gig Beyond 2001 - Paganini, McBroom, Deodato, Husband, Madore Prog Odyssey
On July 2016 French-Brazilian guitar virtuoso Marcelo Paganini had a “what if” moment and asked common friend Fernando Perdomo to help him get in touch with Pink Floyd's singer Durga McBroom about recording some vocals on a couple of songs. The stars were aligned, Durga was touring Italy and agreed to come to Marcelo Paganini's studio in the Normandy's countryside in France for a couple of days in early August.
They recorded a 4 songs EP “B4ever now” being released digitally and on CD on CD Baby and digital platforms on March the first 2018. The songs are: “Crying with a smile”, then 2 songs with jazz legend Eumir Deodato “2001” on keys: “Last BART to San Bruno” and “B4ever now”. The last song is “2012 Space Traffic Jam”, from the critically acclaimed album of same name released in 2014, like all the other songs on this EP. The songs were all re-mixed and re-mastered. New arrangements with Durga's vocal make it a completely new musical experience. Even for those who know the 2014 versions. Prog rock jazz fusion for the digital space age, with guitar and vocals out of this world.
“Working with Marcelo Paganini was one of the most unique experiences of my career. It will make a great chapter in my autobiography. He is the quintessential mad prog rock musician - think of Mickey Mouse as the Sorcerer's Apprentice, but instead of a magician's hat he is using a guitar to create a chaotic, mystical masterpiece.” - Durga McBroom
Joking about the song title “2012 Space Traffic Jam”, Marcelo Paganini laughs: “Looks like the UFO Space Traffic Jam is just above our heads on planet Earth, I mean... Did you see the videos on the mainstream press? Too many UFOs to hide Mode: On...” The cosmic surreal cover art featuring Marcelo Paganini, Durga McBroom and Eumir Deodato was done by French artist Raquel de Miranda.
Marcelo Paganini recorded all the guitars and most of the keyboards in all songs, Marc Madoré played bass and Gary Husband played drums. “I lived all my life to record with those wonderful musicians and specially with Durga McBroom. She have it all, her voice is pure passion and magical powers, she is simply the very best. Durga McBroom put my music in another dimension. And what a talent in front of a camera, just stunning... Miracles DO happen. Be careful about what you wish for: she came, she sang, then she left... Now I have the rest of my life to deal with it... At least I have, and now with this release we all have, the music and the films... That I hope will bring more music and films together and specially live shows. Now Durga is living in Italy. Who will be the first prog festival to book us?”
Marcelo Paganini worked night and day for months on the “Crying with a smile” experimental short film, that will go into the film festivals circuit first, before being posted on the Internet. A 43 seconds teaser is available on YouTube and Facebook. “The song was about human life and death, when I lost my grand father in 1989. Then I moved to New York City... Lots of people everywhere in the free wild 90's Times Square.... It was all about people's life and death... But it changed after a river called 'Rio Doce', died in Brazil in 2015, because of greed. Nobody talks about it. Then the film became about the survival of rivers, oceans, blood, sweat and tears, in other words, life... The small village we see in the film with the wonderful bridge, the Sarthe River and the small chappell is Saint Cenery le Gerei in France. Just a few miles away from my studio”. Another short film is on the making for the song “B4ever now”.
Marcelo Paganini met Durga McBroom for the first time on Cruise to the Edge in 2015, after winning a Facebook contest at the last minute. Written in the stars? It was a life change experience for many reasons for Marcelo Paganini, “any prog rock lovers must go at least once in their lifetimes. Especially singers and musicians... A musical prog cruise with the coolest people inside that are your next best friends... In one word: GO. Thank you Larry Morand, I wrote a song about my cruise experience that will be on my next album called 'Captain's face' for the man I never met but had such a big impact in my life and musical direction. Since the McBroom sisters will already be on board, of course I dream about being booked on the next Cruise to the Edge.”
Since the release of “2012 Space Traffic Jam” in January 2014, Marcelo Paganini toured Brazil in December 2014 to release the album there, making the musical film “First time in Rio” live. In the Fall 2017 Marcelo Paganini released the album in France at Reveillon Jazz Cafe in September. In October Marcelo Paganini made a new musical film “Live at Music Alençon” with new keyboard player Ricardo Fiuza, Marc Madoré on bass and Christophe Bras on drums. Some short videos published on Facebook already got thousands of views. More will be posted soon...
Paris - French-Brazilian guitar virtuoso Marcelo Paganini has been away from his native Brazil for more than 11 years when he booked a last minute tour in December 2014 to release there his critically acclaimed prog rock jazz fusion album “2012 Space Traffic Jam”. Three gigs in his home town Belo Horizonte, including the private party for Marcelo's 50th anniversary, and three gigs in Rio de Janeiro where he has never played before with his band. Being also a film maker, doing what he calls “No BS films” (means “no budget/no script films”) since 2003, Paganini decided to make a rockumentary about the tour: “First time in Rio” (“Primeira vez no Rio”) 34 minutes 57 seconds, color, France, that was concluded in March 2016. There is also one extended version planned, around one hour long, with more live songs. The rock doc will be screened at Portobello Film Festival in London next September. The live soundtrack of the film is being released in April the 14th 2016 on CD Baby “First time in Rio - Marcelo Paganini Band Live”. 49 minutes of music in 6 tracks. 5 from the “2012 Space Traffic Jam” album: "Sphinxes of Babel", “Crying With a Smile”, “Somewhere Somehow”, “B4ever Now”, “Somewhere Somehow” encore and the instrumental bonus track “Trindade” used in the end credits of the film. All songs and lyrics by Marcelo Paganini.
As a film maker Marcelo Paganini participated in festivals in several countries (Brazil, Netherlands, Iceland, France, UK) and made, among others: “Interactivity”, an experimental film in 35 mm in 2003; signed a distribution deal in Hollywood with Big Films Short/Tigris Films in 2007 for his short “The 8th Bullet”; was selected at Short Film Corner, Cannes Film Festival in 2008 with “The 8th Bullet Samba”; got short listed on “Best Musical Film” at Portobello Film festival in 2011 with “2010 Os Mutantes - Back to Paris” and won the “69 Hours Film Challenge” during the same Festival.
Several top Brazilian musicians participated in the documentary “First time in Rio”: the founders (with Milton Nascimento) of the world famous mouvement “Clube da Esquina” (Corner's Club) Marcio and Lo Borges, Claudio Venturini from 14 Bis band, Marcio Buzelin from Jota Quest band, one of the most popular rock bands in Brazil, among others. Also interviewed for the film were two out of three original members of Marcelo Paganini's band in 1983, when he played his first theater show at ICBEU in Belo Horizonte and performed “Sphinxes of Babel” live for the first time, song that opens his “2012 Space Traffic Jam” album released in 2014.
On this tour Marcelo Paganini had a great band in Belo Horizonte with Leo Javali on bass, Walner Lucas on keys and Christian Weber on drums. They played to a full house at Gilboa, the crowd sang along, danced and went wild. There are many videos on-line. They also played the birthday party and the last gig in town at Livraria Status, an open air show which was almost canceled because of the rain. People came anyway with umbrellas and at the end the sun showed up as well.
In Rio, Marcelo Paganini also got some of the best musicians in town, therefore in the country: Milton Nascimento's keyboard player Kiko Continentino, with whom he had a jazz duo back in 1987. Almost 30 years later, they connected together again like no time had passed, and shared adventurous and burning hot improvisations. Kiko Continentino is one of the most exciting keyboard players in prog rock today and joined one year ago legendary Brazilian jazz band Azymuth. Sergio Brandao, the first call Brazilian bass player in New York City, and Paganini's friend for over 25 years also joined his band for the Rio leg of the tour. Cassia Eller's (one of the top Brazilian rock singers who died in 2001) drummer Elcio Cafaro was thrilled to accept the invitation for the shows. Elcio was on the cover of Modern Drummer Magazine Brazil last January. With only two half rehearsals the band fusioned around the complex compositions playing with fire and passion like if they have always played together. The first show was at Audio Rebel on December the 22nd. The 23rd it was at Godofredo Rio and the final gig of the tour was at Vizta on the 27th. The CDs sold out during the tour but are still available on line. Marcelo Paganini came back to France without knowing if or when he will come back to Brazil.
There was an overwhelming response on the Internet when the video of “Somewhere Somehow” on Facebook. https://www.facebook.com/13255032254/videos/10153135644402255/ More than a thousand video views in a single day! As Marcelo Paganini puts it: “There are two versions of the song on the live album, completely different from each other, always fresh approach, instant group composition. The encore was melting the walls. Gary Hobish from A. Hammer Mastering in San Francisco did an awesome job, this was one of the best shows in my life and I am glad to share it with the world. Once you walk in the right direction the whole Universe conspires to help you. Sounds like ready-made wisdom, but it turns out to be true. If you try to please everybody you will fail and go crazy. 'My music will please somebody else, at least I now it pleases itself'(from “Somewhere Somehow”). Sometimes when you don't know what are you doing means you also don't know it can't be done. It is all about letting interesting accidents happen. The music industry is obsessed with audio quality, and rightly so. Me too. But in 2016 people are listening to music on their phones, on ear buds and on computer speakers. Some people, me for example, prefer to hear an spectacular performance with less than ideal sound quality, rather than a lifeless musical noise perfectly recorded. Robert Johnson rules. Same thing applies to my film. It is no budget, not Hollywood, capisco? Do it yourself Mode: ON. If you put ten or more people in there with lights, wires and stuff, nothing spontaneous can happen, or rarely happens. It is completely artificial. Everybody else goes around trying to make 'good' films, but we all know most films are 'bad'. I only go around to make 'bad' films. Since I can't do anything right, even starve as a musician/film maker after all these years, maybe at the end my films will be 'good'. At least to the right audience. You can not be everything to everybody. The trouble is not being pretentious, the trouble is being up to the pretension. I went there for one month alone with just one old camera, one suitcase, one guitar, one effects rack, one old laptop computer. I made two bands, rehearsed a little bit, played 6 shows made a film, and a live recording out of it. I edited and posted on line several videos. I also composed a couple of songs and did some recordings. How many people can do that? I mean, most people go to Brazil for a month and do nothing but stay in the beach until they turn red shrimp. And my mom asking when I am going to have a real job... The content is the most important thing, even with rough edges. I make stuff happen in front of my lonely camera, I direct the REALITY. I found my public at Portobello Film Festival, we feel the same way. "
After being added by organizers Rael and JoJo Razor at the last minute to play with the After Hours Electric Prog Jam on the Cruise to the Edge 2015, Marcelo Paganini stunned the audience at the pre-sail party at Magic City Casino in Miami with a very emotional (it was the following day of the Paris Attacks) and breath taking interpretation, even after breaking the D string of his guitar in the middle of a very demanding King Crimson song and keep playing to the end. The performance was shot with 5 cameras and will be available on-line soon. One camera video is already on-line. There was no rehearsals, no scores, no sound check, some musicians met on stage for the first time. They are all passengers of the cruise who organizes themselves over the Internet to play the most demanding prog rock songs without rehearsing. Famous musicians from YES and other bands joined the jam during the late hours.
Cruising from Miami to the Bahamas and back, Marcelo Paganini rocked the ship. Check out the pictures and videos already on-line. Paganini also re-connected with YES bass player Billy Sherwood who agreed to record one song with original YES keyboard player Tony Kaye on the follow up to his album “2012 Space Traffic Jam”. Gary Husband will record the drums once again, with Marc Madore on bass. Eumir Deodato is also expected to come back on keyboards in a couple of songs. The album is still in the early stages, Paganini composed a couple of very promising tracks that gave him the confidence to push the project forward. The idea is to record later this year and release it in 2017. There will be another Cruise to the Edge in February 2017 and Marcelo Paganini is hoping, like all the other prog acts not already in the bill, to be invited with his band by Larry Morand. “Cruise to the Edge was one of the best experiences in my life. It was very touching to see several people asking for my band on the cruise's group, it went straight to my heart. Guitar Player Magazine showed interest in sharing my memories, pictures and videos from CTTE 2015 in a blog that will be on-line soon. They already published an article on my live album,” smiles Paganini. http://www.guitarplayer.com/artists/1013/gp-now-hear-this-alumni-marcelo-paganini-releases-live-in-brazil-film--cd/57587
Marcelo Paganini is currently looking for a singer to record with him, “someone ideally living in France or Europe who loves prog rock jazz fusion, digs my music and has no trouble with odd time signatures and strange melodies and harmonies. I wish Glenn Hughes would be interested, even if he lives in LA. ” Paganini is also looking for a keyboard player to do a couple of gigs in France later in 2016 or early in 2017, “someone glad to learn the parts on the album and who can improvise wildly. The ideal person would also sing to keep the band a quartet and may record on the next album too. If you are interested send me a message on Facebook with some video links”. Paganini recorded most of the keyboards himself on his last album, and wish he had Shiva-like extra arms to play guitar and keys at once. The live band in France has Marcelo Paganini on guitar, Marc Madore on bass and Christophe Bras on drums, they have been together for many years. They will start recording Marcelo Paganini's new studio album later this year, for a release in early 2017. Special guests Billy Sherwood, Tony Kaye and Eumir Deodato will also contribute.
Paris - French-Brazilian guitar virtuoso Marcelo Paganini has been away from his native Brazil for more than 11 years when he booked a last minute tour in December 2014 to release there his critically acclaimed prog rock jazz fusion album “2012 Space Traffic Jam”. Three gigs in his home town Belo Horizonte, including the private party for Marcelo's 50th anniversary, and three gigs in Rio de Janeiro where he has never played before with his band. Being also a film maker, doing what he calls “No BS films” (means “no budget/no script films”) since 2003, Paganini decided to make a rockumentary about the tour: “First time in Rio” (“Primeira vez no Rio”) 34 minutes 57 seconds, color, France, that was concluded in March 2016. There is also one extended version planned, around one hour long, with more live songs. The rock doc will be screened at Portobello Film Festival in London next September. The live soundtrack of the film is being released in April the 14th 2016 on CD Baby “First time in Rio - Marcelo Paganini Band Live”. 49 minutes of music in 6 tracks. 5 from the “2012 Space Traffic Jam” album: "Sphinxes of Babel", “Crying With a Smile”, “Somewhere Somehow”, “B4ever Now”, “Somewhere Somehow” encore and the instrumental bonus track “Trindade” used in the end credits of the film. All songs and lyrics by Marcelo Paganini.
As a film maker Marcelo Paganini participated in festivals in several countries (Brazil, Netherlands, Iceland, France, UK) and made, among others: “Interactivity”, an experimental film in 35 mm in 2003; signed a distribution deal in Hollywood with Big Films Short/Tigris Films in 2007 for his short “The 8th Bullet”; was selected at Short Film Corner, Cannes Film Festival in 2008 with “The 8th Bullet Samba”; got short listed on “Best Musical Film” at Portobello Film festival in 2011 with “2010 Os Mutantes - Back to Paris” and won the “69 Hours Film Challenge” during the same Festival.
Several top Brazilian musicians participated in the documentary “First time in Rio”: the founders (with Milton Nascimento) of the world famous mouvement “Clube da Esquina” (Corner's Club) Marcio and Lo Borges, Claudio Venturini from 14 Bis band, Marcio Buzelin from Jota Quest band, one of the most popular rock bands in Brazil, among others. Also interviewed for the film were two out of three original members of Marcelo Paganini's band in 1983, when he played his first theater show at ICBEU in Belo Horizonte and performed “Sphinxes of Babel” live for the first time, song that opens his “2012 Space Traffic Jam” album released in 2014.
On this tour Marcelo Paganini had a great band in Belo Horizonte with Leo Javali on bass, Walner Lucas on keys and Christian Weber on drums. They played to a full house at Gilboa, the crowd sang along, danced and went wild. There are many videos on-line. They also played the birthday party and the last gig in town at Livraria Status, an open air show which was almost canceled because of the rain. People came anyway with umbrellas and at the end the sun showed up as well.
In Rio, Marcelo Paganini also got some of the best musicians in town, therefore in the country: Milton Nascimento's keyboard player Kiko Continentino, with whom he had a jazz duo back in 1987. Almost 30 years later, they connected together again like no time had passed, and shared adventurous and burning hot improvisations. Kiko Continentino is one of the most exciting keyboard players in prog rock today and joined one year ago legendary Brazilian jazz band Azymuth. Sergio Brandao, the first call Brazilian bass player in New York City, and Paganini's friend for over 25 years also joined his band for the Rio leg of the tour. Cassia Eller's (one of the top Brazilian rock singers who died in 2001) drummer Elcio Cafaro was thrilled to accept the invitation for the shows. Elcio was on the cover of Modern Drummer Magazine Brazil last January. With only two half rehearsals the band fusioned around the complex compositions playing with fire and passion like if they have always played together. The first show was at Audio Rebel on December the 22nd. The 23rd it was at Godofredo Rio and the final gig of the tour was at Vizta on the 27th. The CDs sold out during the tour but are still available on line. Marcelo Paganini came back to France without knowing if or when he will come back to Brazil.
There was an overwhelming response on the Internet when the video of “Somewhere Somehow” on Facebook. https://www.facebook.com/13255032254/videos/10153135644402255/ More than a thousand video views in a single day! As Marcelo Paganini puts it: “There are two versions of the song on the live album, completely different from each other, always fresh approach, instant group composition. The encore was melting the walls. Gary Hobish from A. Hammer Mastering in San Francisco did an awesome job, this was one of the best shows in my life and I am glad to share it with the world. Once you walk in the right direction the whole Universe conspires to help you. Sounds like ready-made wisdom, but it turns out to be true. If you try to please everybody you will fail and go crazy. 'My music will please somebody else, at least I now it pleases itself'(from “Somewhere Somehow”). Sometimes when you don't know what are you doing means you also don't know it can't be done. It is all about letting interesting accidents happen. The music industry is obsessed with audio quality, and rightly so. Me too. But in 2016 people are listening to music on their phones, on ear buds and on computer speakers. Some people, me for example, prefer to hear an spectacular performance with less than ideal sound quality, rather than a lifeless musical noise perfectly recorded. Robert Johnson rules. Same thing applies to my film. It is no budget, not Hollywood, capisco? Do it yourself Mode: ON. If you put ten or more people in there with lights, wires and stuff, nothing spontaneous can happen, or rarely happens. It is completely artificial. Everybody else goes around trying to make 'good' films, but we all know most films are 'bad'. I only go around to make 'bad' films. Since I can't do anything right, even starve as a musician/film maker after all these years, maybe at the end my films will be 'good'. At least to the right audience. You can not be everything to everybody. The trouble is not being pretentious, the trouble is being up to the pretension. I went there for one month alone with just one old camera, one suitcase, one guitar, one effects rack, one old laptop computer. I made two bands, rehearsed a little bit, played 6 shows made a film, and a live recording out of it. I edited and posted on line several videos. I also composed a couple of songs and did some recordings. How many people can do that? I mean, most people go to Brazil for a month and do nothing but stay in the beach until they turn red shrimp. And my mom asking when I am going to have a real job... The content is the most important thing, even with rough edges. I make stuff happen in front of my lonely camera, I direct the REALITY. I found my public at Portobello Film Festival, we feel the same way. "
After being added by organizers Rael and JoJo Razor at the last minute to play with the After Hours Electric Prog Jam on the Cruise to the Edge 2015, Marcelo Paganini stunned the audience at the pre-sail party at Magic City Casino in Miami with a very emotional (it was the following day of the Paris Attacks) and breath taking interpretation, even after breaking the D string of his guitar in the middle of a very demanding King Crimson song and keep playing to the end. The performance was shot with 5 cameras and will be available on-line soon. One camera video is already on-line. There was no rehearsals, no scores, no sound check, some musicians met on stage for the first time. They are all passengers of the cruise who organizes themselves over the Internet to play the most demanding prog rock songs without rehearsing. Famous musicians from YES and other bands joined the jam during the late hours.
Cruising from Miami to the Bahamas and back, Marcelo Paganini rocked the ship. Check out the pictures and videos already on-line. Paganini also re-connected with YES bass player Billy Sherwood who agreed to record one song with original YES keyboard player Tony Kaye on the follow up to his album “2012 Space Traffic Jam”. Gary Husband will record the drums once again, with Marc Madore on bass. Eumir Deodato is also expected to come back on keyboards in a couple of songs. The album is still in the early stages, Paganini composed a couple of very promising tracks that gave him the confidence to push the project forward. The idea is to record later this year and release it in 2017. There will be another Cruise to the Edge in February 2017 and Marcelo Paganini is hoping, like all the other prog acts not already in the bill, to be invited with his band by Larry Morand. “Cruise to the Edge was one of the best experiences in my life. It was very touching to see several people asking for my band on the cruise's group, it went straight to my heart. Guitar Player Magazine showed interest in sharing my memories, pictures and videos from CTTE 2015 in a blog that will be on-line soon. They already published an article on my live album,” smiles Paganini. http://www.guitarplayer.com/artists/1013/gp-now-hear-this-alumni-marcelo-paganini-releases-live-in-brazil-film--cd/57587
Marcelo Paganini is currently looking for a singer to record with him, “someone ideally living in France or Europe who loves prog rock jazz fusion, digs my music and has no trouble with odd time signatures and strange melodies and harmonies. I wish Glenn Hughes would be interested, even if he lives in LA. ” Paganini is also looking for a keyboard player to do a couple of gigs in France later in 2016 or early in 2017, “someone glad to learn the parts on the album and who can improvise wildly. The ideal person would also sing to keep the band a quartet and may record on the next album too. If you are interested send me a message on Facebook with some video links”. Paganini recorded most of the keyboards himself on his last album, and wish he had Shiva-like extra arms to play guitar and keys at once. The live band in France has Marcelo Paganini on guitar, Marc Madore on bass and Christophe Bras on drums, they have been together for many years. They will start recording Marcelo Paganini's new studio album later this year, for a release in early 2017. Special guests Billy Sherwood, Tony Kaye and Eumir Deodato will also contribute.
Paris - French-Brazilian guitar virtuoso Marcelo Paganini has been away from his native Brazil for more than 11 years when he booked a last minute tour in December 2014 to release there his critically acclaimed prog rock jazz fusion album “2012 Space Traffic Jam”. Three gigs in his home town Belo Horizonte, including the private party for Marcelo's 50th anniversary, and three gigs in Rio de Janeiro where he has never played before with his band. Being also a film maker, doing what he calls “No BS films” (means “no budget/no script films”) since 2003, Paganini decided to make a rockumentary about the tour: “First time in Rio” (“Primeira vez no Rio”) 34 minutes 57 seconds, color, France, that was concluded in March 2016. There is also one extended version planned, around one hour long, with more live songs. The rock doc will be screened at Portobello Film Festival in London next September. The live soundtrack of the film is being released in April the 14th 2016 on CD Baby “First time in Rio - Marcelo Paganini Band Live”. 49 minutes of music in 6 tracks. 5 from the “2012 Space Traffic Jam” album: "Sphinxes of Babel", “Crying With a Smile”, “Somewhere Somehow”, “B4ever Now”, “Somewhere Somehow” encore and the instrumental bonus track “Trindade” used in the end credits of the film. All songs and lyrics by Marcelo Paganini.
As a film maker Marcelo Paganini participated in festivals in several countries (Brazil, Netherlands, Iceland, France, UK) and made, among others: “Interactivity”, an experimental film in 35 mm in 2003; signed a distribution deal in Hollywood with Big Films Short/Tigris Films in 2007 for his short “The 8th Bullet”; was selected at Short Film Corner, Cannes Film Festival in 2008 with “The 8th Bullet Samba”; got short listed on “Best Musical Film” at Portobello Film festival in 2011 with “2010 Os Mutantes - Back to Paris” and won the “69 Hours Film Challenge” during the same Festival.
Several top Brazilian musicians participated in the documentary “First time in Rio”: the founders (with Milton Nascimento) of the world famous mouvement “Clube da Esquina” (Corner's Club) Marcio and Lo Borges, Claudio Venturini from 14 Bis band, Marcio Buzelin from Jota Quest band, one of the most popular rock bands in Brazil, among others. Also interviewed for the film were two out of three original members of Marcelo Paganini's band in 1983, when he played his first theater show at ICBEU in Belo Horizonte and performed “Sphinxes of Babel” live for the first time, song that opens his “2012 Space Traffic Jam” album released in 2014.
On this tour Marcelo Paganini had a great band in Belo Horizonte with Leo Javali on bass, Walner Lucas on keys and Christian Weber on drums. They played to a full house at Gilboa, the crowd sang along, danced and went wild. There are many videos on-line. They also played the birthday party and the last gig in town at Livraria Status, an open air show which was almost canceled because of the rain. People came anyway with umbrellas and at the end the sun showed up as well.
In Rio, Marcelo Paganini also got some of the best musicians in town, therefore in the country: Milton Nascimento's keyboard player Kiko Continentino, with whom he had a jazz duo back in 1987. Almost 30 years later, they connected together again like no time had passed, and shared adventurous and burning hot improvisations. Kiko Continentino is one of the most exciting keyboard players in prog rock today and joined one year ago legendary Brazilian jazz band Azymuth. Sergio Brandao, the first call Brazilian bass player in New York City, and Paganini's friend for over 25 years also joined his band for the Rio leg of the tour. Cassia Eller's (one of the top Brazilian rock singers who died in 2001) drummer Elcio Cafaro was thrilled to accept the invitation for the shows. Elcio was on the cover of Modern Drummer Magazine Brazil last January. With only two half rehearsals the band fusioned around the complex compositions playing with fire and passion like if they have always played together. The first show was at Audio Rebel on December the 22nd. The 23rd it was at Godofredo Rio and the final gig of the tour was at Vizta on the 27th. The CDs sold out during the tour but are still available on line. Marcelo Paganini came back to France without knowing if or when he will come back to Brazil.
There was an overwhelming response on the Internet when the video of “Somewhere Somehow” on Facebook. https://www.facebook.com/13255032254/videos/10153135644402255/ More than a thousand video views in a single day! As Marcelo Paganini puts it: “There are two versions of the song on the live album, completely different from each other, always fresh approach, instant group composition. The encore was melting the walls. Gary Hobish from A. Hammer Mastering in San Francisco did an awesome job, this was one of the best shows in my life and I am glad to share it with the world. Once you walk in the right direction the whole Universe conspires to help you. Sounds like ready-made wisdom, but it turns out to be true. If you try to please everybody you will fail and go crazy. 'My music will please somebody else, at least I now it pleases itself'(from “Somewhere Somehow”). Sometimes when you don't know what are you doing means you also don't know it can't be done. It is all about letting interesting accidents happen. The music industry is obsessed with audio quality, and rightly so. Me too. But in 2016 people are listening to music on their phones, on ear buds and on computer speakers. Some people, me for example, prefer to hear an spectacular performance with less than ideal sound quality, rather than a lifeless musical noise perfectly recorded. Robert Johnson rules. Same thing applies to my film. It is no budget, not Hollywood, capisco? Do it yourself Mode: ON. If you put ten or more people in there with lights, wires and stuff, nothing spontaneous can happen, or rarely happens. It is completely artificial. Everybody else goes around trying to make 'good' films, but we all know most films are 'bad'. I only go around to make 'bad' films. Since I can't do anything right, even starve as a musician/film maker after all these years, maybe at the end my films will be 'good'. At least to the right audience. You can not be everything to everybody. The trouble is not being pretentious, the trouble is being up to the pretension. I went there for one month alone with just one old camera, one suitcase, one guitar, one effects rack, one old laptop computer. I made two bands, rehearsed a little bit, played 6 shows made a film, and a live recording out of it. I edited and posted on line several videos. I also composed a couple of songs and did some recordings. How many people can do that? I mean, most people go to Brazil for a month and do nothing but stay in the beach until they turn red shrimp. And my mom asking when I am going to have a real job... The content is the most important thing, even with rough edges. I make stuff happen in front of my lonely camera, I direct the REALITY. I found my public at Portobello Film Festival, we feel the same way. "
After being added by organizers Rael and JoJo Razor at the last minute to play with the After Hours Electric Prog Jam on the Cruise to the Edge 2015, Marcelo Paganini stunned the audience at the pre-sail party at Magic City Casino in Miami with a very emotional (it was the following day of the Paris Attacks) and breath taking interpretation, even after breaking the D string of his guitar in the middle of a very demanding King Crimson song and keep playing to the end. The performance was shot with 5 cameras and will be available on-line soon. One camera video is already on-line. There was no rehearsals, no scores, no sound check, some musicians met on stage for the first time. They are all passengers of the cruise who organizes themselves over the Internet to play the most demanding prog rock songs without rehearsing. Famous musicians from YES and other bands joined the jam during the late hours.
Cruising from Miami to the Bahamas and back, Marcelo Paganini rocked the ship. Check out the pictures and videos already on-line. Paganini also re-connected with YES bass player Billy Sherwood who agreed to record one song with original YES keyboard player Tony Kaye on the follow up to his album “2012 Space Traffic Jam”. Gary Husband will record the drums once again, with Marc Madore on bass. Eumir Deodato is also expected to come back on keyboards in a couple of songs. The album is still in the early stages, Paganini composed a couple of very promising tracks that gave him the confidence to push the project forward. The idea is to record later this year and release it in 2017. There will be another Cruise to the Edge in February 2017 and Marcelo Paganini is hoping, like all the other prog acts not already in the bill, to be invited with his band by Larry Morand. “Cruise to the Edge was one of the best experiences in my life. It was very touching to see several people asking for my band on the cruise's group, it went straight to my heart. Guitar Player Magazine showed interest in sharing my memories, pictures and videos from CTTE 2015 in a blog that will be on-line soon. They already published an article on my live album,” smiles Paganini. http://www.guitarplayer.com/artists/1013/gp-now-hear-this-alumni-marcelo-paganini-releases-live-in-brazil-film--cd/57587
Marcelo Paganini is currently looking for a singer to record with him, “someone ideally living in France or Europe who loves prog rock jazz fusion, digs my music and has no trouble with odd time signatures and strange melodies and harmonies. I wish Glenn Hughes would be interested, even if he lives in LA. ” Paganini is also looking for a keyboard player to do a couple of gigs in France later in 2016 or early in 2017, “someone glad to learn the parts on the album and who can improvise wildly. The ideal person would also sing to keep the band a quartet and may record on the next album too. If you are interested send me a message on Facebook with some video links”. Paganini recorded most of the keyboards himself on his last album, and wish he had Shiva-like extra arms to play guitar and keys at once. The live band in France has Marcelo Paganini on guitar, Marc Madore on bass and Christophe Bras on drums, they have been together for many years. They will start recording Marcelo Paganini's new studio album later this year, for a release in early 2017. Special guests Billy Sherwood, Tony Kaye and Eumir Deodato will also contribute.
Paris, France - Marcelo Paganini, now a proud endorser of Dean Markley Strings, Intex Cables and Godin Guitars, is releasing today the video of the song “B4Ever Now” from his critically acclaimed album '2012 Space Traffic Jam' released on the 25th of January 2014. Recorded at Eastcote Studios in London with Marcelo Paganini on vocals, guitars and keys, Eumir Deodato on keyboards, Marc Madoré on bass, and Gary Husband on drums.
Along with Guitar Club Magazine in Italy, Marcelo was recently featured in Guitar Player magazine (US), where editor Micheal Molenda says, “Paganini certainly appears to move through his music career as one of the enchanted. For his debut CD, 2012 Space Traffic Jam - which pretty much came out of nowhere - he managed to bring heavy hitters Gary Husband (John Mc Laughlin, Allan Holdsworth, Robin Trower), Eumir Deodato, Tony Kaye (Yes) and Billy Sherwood (Yes, Circa) into the studio to perform on ten of his prog-rock compositions.”
The album '2012 Space Traffic Jam', which was released on January 25, 2014 was written in the stars, and had to happen, no matter how impossible it seemed to be. To make the impossible possible is Marcelo Paganini's full time job. He was called a crazy man, a fool, a dreamer... but the album now is a reality. Recorded Fall 2012 and Winter 2013 at Phil Bagenal's Eastcote Studios in London by George Murphy, this is a big international production most indie labels only dream about. Your band is just as good as your drummer: Gary Husband plays drums on the entire album. Eumir Deodato plays keys on three songs. Marc Madore plays bass on nine songs. And two ex-YES members (now in CIRCA:) Tony Kaye and Billy Sherwood play on the song “Somewhere Somehow”.
Along with substantial airplay, the new album has been receiving rave reviews worldwide:
“South American composer, producer, film maker, singer, poet, writer, journalist and actor, Marcelo Paganini has one hell of a CV...” - Classic Rock Presents Prog Magazine (UK)
“ '2012 Space Traffic Jam' is an album,at least surreal. It is a complex and almost indescriptible cacophonic and schizofrenic mix of jazz, fusion, prog rock and metal.” - Via Nocturna (Portugal)
“Possibly the somewhat oblique overall effect is simply due to the slightly oblique personality of the band leader. Crucial to the overall impression are also the virtuoso propelling drumming of Husband and boisterous guitar solos of Paganini...highly recommended” - Siggy Zielinski - Babyblaue-Seiten (Germany)
“Marcelo Paganni is on par with any rock guitarist on the planet... '2012 Space Traffic Jam' is that unique release that sounds like a classic from thirty years ago but can still easily pass for a fresh release today. This is the new sound for prog rock enthusiasts!” - Brent Black, Critical Jazz (US)
“A feast for lovers of progressive ambient rock.” - Patrick Van de Wiele, Keys and chords (Belgium)
“An unstoppable and technical prog that highlights individual talents serving structurally solid compositions, where some craziness can happen once in a while.” - François Becquart, Musique in Belgium (Belgium)
“I live in a world where I’m not unfamiliar with oddities, but here comes a CD of French / Brazilian prog rock with fusion vibes. Read that sentence and weep.” - Stuart Hamilton, The Rocker (UK)
“The really striking feature in MARCELO PAGANINI sound in the interplay with the melancholy. '2012 Space Traffic Jam' course , however, is exactly what you would expect - with spiritual jazz fusion - attitude - interesting...The best of this sound will still be enjoying live - my word on it!” - Andreas Kummer, Medicine-Mag (German)
Paris, France - Marcelo Paganini, now a proud endorser of Dean Markley Strings, Intex Cables and Godin Guitars, is releasing today the video of the song “B4Ever Now” from his critically acclaimed album '2012 Space Traffic Jam' released on the 25th of January 2014. Recorded at Eastcote Studios in London with Marcelo Paganini on vocals, guitars and keys, Eumir Deodato on keyboards, Marc Madoré on bass, and Gary Husband on drums.
Along with Guitar Club Magazine in Italy, Marcelo was recently featured in Guitar Player magazine (US), where editor Micheal Molenda says, “Paganini certainly appears to move through his music career as one of the enchanted. For his debut CD, 2012 Space Traffic Jam - which pretty much came out of nowhere - he managed to bring heavy hitters Gary Husband (John Mc Laughlin, Allan Holdsworth, Robin Trower), Eumir Deodato, Tony Kaye (Yes) and Billy Sherwood (Yes, Circa) into the studio to perform on ten of his prog-rock compositions.”
The album '2012 Space Traffic Jam', which was released on January 25, 2014 was written in the stars, and had to happen, no matter how impossible it seemed to be. To make the impossible possible is Marcelo Paganini's full time job. He was called a crazy man, a fool, a dreamer... but the album now is a reality. Recorded Fall 2012 and Winter 2013 at Phil Bagenal's Eastcote Studios in London by George Murphy, this is a big international production most indie labels only dream about. Your band is just as good as your drummer: Gary Husband plays drums on the entire album. Eumir Deodato plays keys on three songs. Marc Madore plays bass on nine songs. And two ex-YES members (now in CIRCA:) Tony Kaye and Billy Sherwood play on the song “Somewhere Somehow”.
Along with substantial airplay, the new album has been receiving rave reviews worldwide:
“South American composer, producer, film maker, singer, poet, writer, journalist and actor, Marcelo Paganini has one hell of a CV...” - Classic Rock Presents Prog Magazine (UK)
“ '2012 Space Traffic Jam' is an album,at least surreal. It is a complex and almost indescriptible cacophonic and schizofrenic mix of jazz, fusion, prog rock and metal.” - Via Nocturna (Portugal)
“Possibly the somewhat oblique overall effect is simply due to the slightly oblique personality of the band leader. Crucial to the overall impression are also the virtuoso propelling drumming of Husband and boisterous guitar solos of Paganini...highly recommended” - Siggy Zielinski - Babyblaue-Seiten (Germany)
“Marcelo Paganni is on par with any rock guitarist on the planet... '2012 Space Traffic Jam' is that unique release that sounds like a classic from thirty years ago but can still easily pass for a fresh release today. This is the new sound for prog rock enthusiasts!” - Brent Black, Critical Jazz (US)
“A feast for lovers of progressive ambient rock.” - Patrick Van de Wiele, Keys and chords (Belgium)
“An unstoppable and technical prog that highlights individual talents serving structurally solid compositions, where some craziness can happen once in a while.” - François Becquart, Musique in Belgium (Belgium)
“I live in a world where I’m not unfamiliar with oddities, but here comes a CD of French / Brazilian prog rock with fusion vibes. Read that sentence and weep.” - Stuart Hamilton, The Rocker (UK)
“The really striking feature in MARCELO PAGANINI sound in the interplay with the melancholy. '2012 Space Traffic Jam' course , however, is exactly what you would expect - with spiritual jazz fusion - attitude - interesting...The best of this sound will still be enjoying live - my word on it!” - Andreas Kummer, Medicine-Mag (German)
“Impossible things I do right away, miracles take a bit longer” (lyrics from the song “For Real” by Marcelo Paganini)
Paris, France - It took 35 years to finally make the album French-Brazilian guitar virtuoso Marcelo Paganini dreamed about in 1979, when he wrote the song “Lost Secrets”. The album '2012 Space Traffic Jam', which will be released on January 25, 2014, was written in the stars and had to happen, no matter how impossible it seemed to be. To make the impossible possible is Marcelo Paganini's full time job. He was called a crazy man, a fool, a dreamer... but the album now is a reality. Recorded Fall 2012 and Winter 2013 at Phil Bagenal's Eastcote Studios in London by George Murphy, this is a big international production most indie labels only dream about. “Your band is just as good as your drummer”. Gary Husband plays drums on the entire album. Eumir Deodato plays keys on three songs. Marc Madore plays bass on nine songs. And two ex-YES members (now in CIRCA:) Tony Kaye and Billy Sherwood play on the song “Somewhere Somehow”, which is featured on the covermount CD included in the latest issue if UK's PROG Magazine available on January 8, 2014. “The song is in 7/4 and my picture is on page 7, reality is magical if you know how to look at it”. Marcelo is a happy man Mode: ON.
“I fly to the future closed inside my studio” (lyrics from the song “Somewhere Somehow” by Marcelo Paganini)
The album version of “Somewhere Somehow” is actually more than two minutes longer than the version released on the PROG magazine covermount CD and features a brilliant drum solo by Gary Husband and a burning Hammond solo by Tony Kaye. Says Marcelo, “If my band on the song 'Somewhere Somehow' is not a supergroup I don't know what is. In my book any band with Deodato and Husband is a supergroup too, by the way. The song is a big 'I love you' to English prog rock that completely changed my musical vision forever. In my hometown of Belo Horizonte we have a strong prog rock tradition since the 70's, heavily influenced by ELP, Gentle Giant, Genesis, King Crimson and of course YES... But we also have an even older tradition in dense harmony and counterpoint going back to the 18th century. Some of the best jazz musicians in Brazil live there, Milton Nascimento and the Corner's Club (Clube da Esquina) put the town on the musical map. And of course Belo Horizonte is also the place where Sepultura came from, some call it the metal capital of the world. And I was lucky enough to have assimilated and linked all these influences together in my own music”.
The lyrics are also very important... “If your heart were bigger my ego would be smaller”, “Can't autograph your mp3”, “There is only now and we are here forever”, “Act as if you had a brain” and so forth... The lyrics will surely resonate in your head for a while. “This record changed my life forever, maybe it will change yours too...”, says Marcelo with a laugh. And about the album title, it started as a joke: “Eumir Deodato was number 2 in the USA in 1972/73 with his historical Grammy awarded jazz funk version of 'Also Sprach Zarathustra (2001)', an arrangement of the theme from '2001: A Space Odyssey'. Forty years later there were so many UFOs coming our way at the same time that the infamous 2012 Space Traffic Jam happened on the other side of the galaxy and we saw nothing here...so far. Now it is coming to earth on January 25th”.
Gary Husband has invited Marcelo to record one song on his next album 'Dirty & Beautiful' volume 3.
The two videos being released today are trailers from a forthcoming Marcelo Paganini documentary about the 'making of' the album. On the first video drum legend Gary Husband recorded a groove so deep it became hot to the point of making the fire detectors scream!!!
Let's take a London cab with Eumir Deodato (legendary Brazilian jazz producer, arranger and keyboardist with 16 platinum albums, 25 million records sold in the USA alone, who has recorded with Frank Sinatra to Bjork and everyone in between, as well as having a successful solo career) going to Eastcote Studios to record three songs on the album. He remembers some of the great guitar players he worked with, and reveals how he used to call Sinatra back in the day...
Marcelo Paganini first started performing back in 1975, and has worked with the likes of renowned guitarist Tiberio Nascimento in New York City, as well as legendary Belo Horizonte ensemble Tribo de Solos. In 1985 Marcelo made a guest appearance on the album 'Four French Forms' released on Luc Mariani's Delphes Records in France, which has become a cult classic amongst progressive rock fans. His one-man Midi band show 'Marcelo Paganini is the Band' was one of the first Brazilian live electronic acts back in 1986 and had influenced countless musicians and bands. He has his own studio in the countryside close to Le Mans in Normandy and leads the only Brazilian funk/rock band in France that has played at some of the best clubs in Paris: New Morning, Divan du Monde, Cithéa, La Java, Flèche d'Or. Over the past 30 years Marcelo has written over 300 songs, and in 2004 he composed his first symphony titled 'Belo Horizonte'. From 2003 to the present Marcelo has been active in film making and has received the Oddball TV 69 Hours Film Challenge at the Portobello Film Festival in London in September 2011.
