Home > MUSIC > TRIO AMAROSO Trio Amaroso - Jim Porcella, Ron Murray, & Mike Monaghan

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TRIO AMAROSO Trio Amaroso - Jim Porcella, Ron Murray, & Mike Monaghan

Presented by Amazing Things Arts Center at Amazing Things Art Center

August 5, 2011

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Trio Amaroso is a World Music group with influences ranging from American jazz to Brazilian samba and bossa-nova to Andalucian Flamenco, performed in a unique fashion by three seasoned performers who have played together many times in other situations, but never as a self-contained group. Spearheaded by vocalist/percussionist Jim Porcella, the group is rounded out by 7-string guitarist Ron Murray and saxophone master Michael Monaghan. The repertoire is a scintillating mix of American jazz and pop standards, Brazilian tunes, Flamenco and South American themes, and a handful of original pieces by Porcella and Murray. In concert, the group pays homage to the great jazz performers from Miles Davis to Lambert, Hendricks & Ross (with Murray singing harmony parts), Brazilian tunes from Bonfa, Baden Powell and Jobim, and Murray's arrangements of exciting and exotic Flamenco themes as vehicles for improvisation.

Jim Porcella has made a name for himself throughout the Northeast as an exciting jazz-inspired vocalist, and is also handling Latin percussion in the trio, a natural outgrowth of his set drumming earlier in his career. Ron Murray is well-known for his versatility and the distinctly Latin flavor he brings to the music. Ron has added an extra string to his Spanish guitar in order to create bass lines and a fat bottom end for the groove to occupy, and he contributes most of the group's arrangements. Mike Monaghan's sax virtuosity is documented by many recordings and television appearances, from the Boston Pops to Rosemary Clooney, and he has performed at major venues worldwide. In fact, he appears on recordings by both Jim and Ron.

Trio Amaroso, while unique and exotic, is also very entertaining and exciting. The makeup of the band allows each player to really hear the others, resulting in a wide dynamic range and a magical interplay. Nightclub, concert and festival audiences will find something quite new, yet entirely comfortable.