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| Mark Kostrzewa Signs With Sugo Music  We are pleased to announce the much anticipated debut album of acoustic guitar extraordinaire Mark Kostrzewa entitled 55 Miles. The first time we heard Mark's adroit finger style technique, we were impressed by inspired, cross-genre approach to the acoustic guitar as it injected a healthy dose of 'good feeling' around our office space! Mark Kostrzewa's debut CD features 16 original guitar compositions performed on both steel string and nylon string, taking the listener on an exciting journey through diverse musical terrains. Mr. Kostrzewa draws deep from the heart weaving a soudscape of Brazilian, Latin, Blues genres with a folksy New Age styling and lush fingerpicked textures.Jean Bartlett, Managing Editor of Jean's Magazines Music Reviewer, Pacifica Tribune, says it best: "Offering double-stops, string bending, Rio articulation, beautiful chord passages, washboard popping and a nice way of phrasing to let the cool air in - Mark Kostrzewa is having a string conversation and its magic"! Mark's delivery is a true inspiration for both guitarists and guitar lovers. We've been excited about this release all year. We hope you will be too! We sat down and chatted with Mark about his new album and how it felt to be cruising along the highway with his cool new release, 55 Miles... Why 55 Miles? The term "55 Miles" refers to the length of the San Mateo County Coastline. I'm lucky enough to live in this gorgeous area and equally lucky to have some incredible friends here as well. A lot of my compositions are inspired by some of the particular areas out here and also by some of the people I know this way. "Barefoot on the Bluffs" is one those compositions that combines a beautiful hiking spot above the world famous Maverick's surf break along with a friend that we used to know that would hike up there always in his bare feet - regardless of the weather. So basically this is a musical tribute and thanks to this area. What artist(s) have influenced you the most? I have to say I'm a huge Leo Kottke fan, along with many great acoustic guitarists like Michael Hedges, Pierre Bensusan, Alex DiGrassi. Al DiMeola, Pat Metheny and even Jimmy Page's acoustic works. For sheer melodic beauty Antonio Jobim and a lot of the Brazilian music really works for me. I was always amazed at the amount of musical power that the Brazilian musicians could pull out of soft and subtle melodies. If you were not a musician, what type of career would you have pursued? I actually have another career outside the music scene working for the airlines. I was a jet mechanic for a long time and quite enjoyed it other than the off-schedule working hours. I love to tinker with mechanical things so that profession kind of fit the bill there. I also love working with wood, when I have the time to do it. Probably a career in custom wood-working would be my alternate career of choice. What are you currently listening to these days? What is your iPod mix? I've always been a big jazz fan: Miles Davis - Kind of Blue, anything by Pat Metheny, Joshua Redman. I've actually been getting into Indian influenced music lately. Although they've been around for awhile, John McGlaughlin with Shakti is really fascinating stuff. My iPod mix is a little bit of everything from Stevie Ray Vaughn to Bill Frisell to Return to Forever. What does the future hold for Mark Kostrzewa? Since my wife and I have a toddler in the house, I'm going to go with the prediction of a lot of kid related activities for the fore-seeable future, but on the music scene I would really like to expand my base and get out to play new places. 'Especially like to collaborate with more musicians and see what comes of it. Hope to get back in the studio in the near future and push the boundaries a little harder on the guitar. Every once in a while I feel I wasn't aggressive enough with some of the compositions, but still I'm very happy with this first CD. I just think there is so much more to explore on the guitar for me. About Sugo Music & Solea Group We'd like to share with you our new SUGO Music website as we celebrate our 25th Year Anniversary! Over the last quarter century we've had the honor of traveling the world working with an array of inspiring artists representing diverse genres and amassing over 5000 audio masters. We are proud of our groundbreaking contributions made in the early 80's with independent music markets, introducing otherwise unknown artists and bringing bestselling music to consumers via alternative distribution methods. As we look to the future, once again we find ourselves embracing new delivery pathways for music and multimedia. The SUGO Music archive includes Jazz, World, Adult Contemporary, Classical, Dance, Easy Listening, Soundtrack, Relaxation, Singer-Songwriter, Electronica, Holiday genres and more. We would like to take this opportunity to thank you all for your support and feedback over the past 25 years. Please take a moment to visit our home page where you can see our special artists which include Grammy winners, platinum sellers, and some of the most respected musicians in the industry today! write your comments about the article :: © 2010 Jazz News :: home page |