Solo Accordion Project
LIVE IMPROVISATIONS
Renzo Ruggieri, electric accordion

00:00 IG (Shark)
(April 14, 2001, Club Il Nome della Rosa, Giulianova, TE)
It takes its name from the internal pattern, with frequent references to the eponymous film. Song full of moods, with a final choral particularly accomplished.

12:18 IG (Mostro)
(May 8, 2006, Circolo Unicredit, Verona)
It presents numerous digital effects and a loop of very effectively repeated notes. The sequence of minor chords is quite intresting togheter with the strong contrast to the dissonances in the background.

23:25 IG (Vento Calmo)
(April 22, 2006, ITIS Auditorium, Sala Consilina, Salerno)
It is a light melody with calm pace, similar to the evening hot wind of summer evenings where I live.

31:36 IG (Radio)
(January 23, 2010, Pescarabruzzo Fondazione, Pescara)
In this concert I had a lot of time to check the sound. The performance describes the empty hall with my accordion improvising freely on new sounds. While I was listening to it I decided to call the soundtrack in such a way that would evoke the potentiometers of old radio frequency modulation.

39:20 IG (Lines)
(February 1, 2001, Teatro Centrale, Ostia, Roma)
The lines are the words that I think adequately describes improvisation.

44:18 IG (Saltarè)
(February 1, 2001, Teatro Centrale, Ostia, Roma)
This track was inspired by the Saltarello which is a typical dance from central Italy.

50:10 IG (Unheard Words)
(November 15, 1999, Caister, UK)
There is a feeling of not listening on this track, at the same time we can clearly feel the presence of an unprepared audience at the time of my improvising.

53:00 IG (Distortions)
(April 22, 2006, ITIS Auditorium, Sala Consilina, Salerno)
The word « distortion » does not necessarily indicate a decay of the modified material; sometimes it is only a different point of view.

57:35 IG (Voci)
(February 1, 2001, Teatro Centrale, Ostia, Roma)
High notes of a musical instrument have always evoked distant and mysterious charms in my imagination. In this track the voices constantly change referring to the similar fragments.

1:06:30 IG (Aria)
(April 24, 2001, Cremona Jazz)
This melody comes out so easily so that the notes can emerge and roam in the air, despite the annoying noise of the jazz club background.

1:12:32 IG (Onde Mosse)
(April 24, 2001, Cremona Jazz)
This is the improvisation in “crescendo”, interesting for the continuous vibrato and tremolo that create a deep and intense anxiety.

1:18:08 IG (Free Tango)
(November 27, 1998, Villa Comunale, Roseto degli Abruzzi, TE)
The tango is an extreme and intense music style. It is often enough to fix a minor chord, a gait to milonga and a few other notes.

1:24:00 IG (Ticks)
(February 1, 2001, Teatro Centrale, Ostia, Roma)
There are one hundred beats per minute, and the wish to create melodies with rhythm.

1:31:42 IG (Film)
(September 26, 2007, Matita Film Festival, Guardiagrele, Chieti)
Taken from the concert at which I created a combination of music and a silent movie. The recording was damaged, so many parts of it have been deleted; nevertheless it is the longest track of the album. There appear some new elements in this track in comparison to the rest of the album. This is because there was not only my idea to look for the « new », but also some images stimulating my creativity.

2:00:54 IG (Si Sol Re)
(April 9, 2006, Conservatorio di Castelfranco Veneto, Treviso)
At the 3rd encore, I asked the public to offer me three notes, which I would use to improvise a melody. In this case, the notes were B-G-D with not only melodic alterations but also harmonic improvisations.

Credits
All improvisations by Renzo Ruggieri
Recorded live from november 1998 to january 2010.
Mixed & Mastered by Voglia d’Arte Studio (Roseto degli Abruzzi, Italy)
Cover photo by RR+
Renzo plays esclusively accordion by Andrea Ballone Burini (model RR)
Voglia d’Arte Production (© 2016 VAP 109)

October 1996. Days of deep concern. I asked the technician of the Iceland National Studio (Reykjavik) to start recording and to be by myself. My accordion started creating sounds that I had never heard before.
The solo Accordion Project explores improvisation of an acoustic accordion with the use of digital multi-effects and loopers.
« Live improvisation » is an album that collects recordings from live concert improvisations taking place between november 1998 and march 2010. It is the closure of the triptych of the SAP with the first two Cds: Improvvisazioni Guidate (VAP100) and Storie di Fisarmonica Vissuta (VAP101) recorded in the studio. The audio quality is not perfect, but the intensity of the « live performance » remains unchanged. When I played live I always used headsets and I would recommend to use them while listening.
All tracks are marked with the word IG « Improvisation Guided » and the related indications for each track.