Solo Accordion Project
STORIE DI FISARMONICA VISSUTA

(italian version) https://youtu.be/leQJZzoUKI4
(english version) https://youtu.be/FfCyeo0ANEI

00:00 Il Sole
10:24 Il Minuto
22:46 L’Attimo
30:50 Il Dolore
39:23 La Lotta

All compositons by Renzo Ruggieri played by himself.
Recorded on 27 January 2003.
Produced by Renzo Ruggieri for “VOGLIA D’ARTEPRODUCTION”, VAP101
All rights reserved. Made in Italy. March 2005

https://www.renzoruggieri.com
https://www.vogliadarteproduction.com

STORIES OF AN ACCORDION LIFE
The thing that has always struck me about jazz is the improvisation of the solo parts and the impossibility of reproducing them. In Solo Accordion Project (SAP) I have tried to apply this characteristic to all the musical elements with an objective: that the “frst performance” (recorded on Monday 27 January 2003 from 10.00 til 12.00) matched the material to be published.
“Stories of an Accordion Life” represents the continuation of the frst recording of SAP – Improvvisazioni Guidate (IG 1998, Voglia d’Arte) from which it continues and further explores sounds and intensions. The recording of IG was accidental as was the other part of the idea itself that of “total improvisation”. In this second work I knew better my reactions to improvisation and I knew that I would make a recording, but in both cases – no material was prepared beforehand.

THE RECORDING
I was interested to elaborate my acoustic sound digitally but without using other sound sources. The true sound of the reeds and the harmonics and noises
of the accordion body have been modifed in many ways: from simple repetition to multi-tracking, reverb, distortion and detuning effects. On the CD you will also fnd, in MP3 format, the whole recording session including errors, mistakes and verbal comments. I used two recordings; the frst recorded the complete electronic set up (which I heard on the headphones); the second the pure sound of the accordion which was the sound that I elaborated.

THE STORIES
At frst, conscious of my limits, I gave the literary task of this project to some friends who were poets and writers. The impossibility of writing someone else’s story however, meant that the responsibility passed back to me. In this task I thank my sister who helped me correct the drafts.
The stories serve the purpose of adding signifcance to the creative process. Understanding the reasons in the text has no artistic value and is pointless without understanding their musical contribution. The fve apparently separate stories in fact represent a single story. At live performances the audience will be able to follow the stories by means of images or other artistic interpretations that will accompany the performance. It is, fundamentally, “music with words”.