Fabrizia Barresi would like to thank:

Mark, Rusty, Keith, Ira and Carlos, for their great artistry, fantastic skills, and warm friendship; Patty and Jerry Coker, for their precious teachings, support, love and trust; Allen Smith for his complete dedication to this project, his perfect engineering skills and wise advices, the cheers, the goose bumps, and for the special creative atmosphere he keeps in his peaceful studio; Seva, for the incredible mastering sound, and Bob Wade, for having immediately gotten who I am, and pictured it; Betsy Wheeler for her sunny house, her smiles, her morning coffee, and her well tuned grand piano; the Langou family for the wonderful European meals we shared, and their great help in everything; my students and friends, Christian, Loretta, Lorenzo and Betta: without you my work would have had no sense; Ella, Billie and Sarah, for having haunted my teenager’s voice dreams; Miles, Trane and Bird for making me yearning for an instrumental sound; Juan Miró, Jacques Prévert and Pablo Picasso, for being around in my lyrics, Antibes (France) and “La Joie de Vivre” as well; my brother Luca for his great support and for organizing my trips all over the world; my father who made me sing and swing, and my mother who taught me how to write stories; my aunts Louise and Clara, who gave me the power to realize my dreams; Reine-Aimée Marcos, for her African, deep earthy wisdom; Alberto Tedeschi and prof. Emilio del Giudice, for their scientific research and discoveries; Sophie Commerman and Bruno Duquennoy, for taking good care of me; all those I’m thinking of, and not forgetting, just don’t have enough room here to tell you how grateful and happy I am to have had you with me in my life; the amazing Grace of the Lord, who called me to sing in His service so far away from my homeland.

Fabrizia epitomizes the definition of the ultimate artist: “the musician achieves true artistry when he or she becomes one with the spirit of the music being performed”. This, Fabrizia unfailingly achieves. She has an innate taste for what is beautiful and witty in jazz music, both intellectually and in her tender heart.

We met when she was in serious search for information that would deepen her understanding of the music she loves, and she applies information, as assimilated, effortlessly into her improvisation. Always the student, she then seeks to pass on ways to apply the information to her own students at the Fondazione Siena Jazz, in Siena, Italy.

No rote application for Fabrizia, as you will discover in this remarkable CD! It’s a joy to open up the ears for a treat of vocal versatility, sheer spontaneity, playfulness, and pathos, over a wide range of material, vocal and instrumental in intent and origin. “Amazing Grace” is a fitting signature for the offering here, simply sung with Ira Sullivan and Jerry Coker in full support. Just heavenly!

Special attention should be given to the strength and backgroup experience of the instrumentalists involved in this project. From the University of Tennessee Studio Music and Jazz Program developed by Jerry Coker, Fabrizia selected members of that Faculty for the CD.

She had already been working with and sitting in with the premier rhythm section, comprised of internationally known Donald Brown, piano; Mark Boling, guitar, Rusty Holloway, bass; and Keith Brown on drums; this made for a strong rapport going into the recording studio. Carlos Fernandez added the percussion spectrum brillianty. Add to this, the genius of Ira Sullivan, and the result is a rare musical treat!

Patty Coker.