New Release Spotlight: Tower Music by Joseph Bertolozzi

This blog is dedicated to authors and publishing but today I'm mixing it up a little bit by introducing my friend Joseph Bertolozzi, a world-renowned musician and composer about to release his long-awaited album Tower Music. His efforts are not unlike those of an author. He heard a muse. It moved him to explore and imagine his idea. He created a plan to bring his idea to life. He confronted and overcame many obstacles. He did not give up. Now he's on the brink of seeing his efforts launched into the music world, to be heard by millions of listeners.

I know Joe as the music director at my church, St. Joseph's in Middletown, New York. He is a wonderful organist and under his leadership our choir performs beautifully. But Joe is more than an organist and choir director; he's also a percussionist and a composer. One day when looking at a poster of the Eiffel Tower he had an epiphany: What kind of music could he create from the sounds of this architectural landmark? Joe knew that such a structure is a living, breathing thing with a life of its own. What if he could harvest its sounds and compose from those sounds? What would that music be like? Thus Tower Music was born, and the full album will be released on April 29th. This project is so unique, innovative, and out there I can't explain it, so watch the video. 

 

TOWER MUSIC / MUSIQUE DE LA TOUR from the EIFFEL TOWER is available April 29th on Innova Recordings, iTunes, and Amazon.

Joe has authored many albums and compositions including his first architectural endeavor Bridge Music, composed from the sounds of the Franklin D. Roosevelt Mid-Hudson Bridge, which connects the cities of Highland and Poughkeepsie, New York. This is another original, out there project. My family and I were fortunate enough to be able to visit the bridge and experience the music ourselves. I don't know what was more exhilarating: walking across the suspension bridge with vehicular traffic whizzing by at top speed, traversing the Hudson River from 135 feet above, or listening to and experiencing Joe's incredible bridge music. Again, this is so unique you have to see it for yourself. 
Watch the New York Times video. 

About Joseph Bertolozzi

Photo: © 2009, Dawn Sela

American composer Joseph Bertolozzi forges a unique identity as a 21st century musician with works ranging from solo gongs to full symphony orchestra to sound-art installations. With increasingly numerous performances across the US and Europe to his credit, his music is performed in concert halls and conservatories, and he himself has played at such diverse venues as The Vatican and The US Tennis Open. His latest explorations in sound have brought him to ‘Tower Music,’ using the Eiffel Tower in Paris itself as his instrument. This project builds upon ‘Bridge Music,’ his “audacious plan” (New York Times) to compose music for a suspension bridge using New York’s Mid Hudson Bridge. These works have brought Bertolozzi sustained international attention. In 2009 his CD “Bridge Music” (Delos) reached #18 on the Billboard Classical Crossover Music Chart. His concert music and theatrical scores have also enjoyed particular success, including “The Contemplation of Bravery,” an official 2002 Bicentennial commission for The United States Military Academy at West Point and his incidental score to “Waiting for Godot” at the 1991 Festival Internationale de Café Theatre in Nancy, France. He also has a large body of liturgical music for use in both Christian and Jewish worship. Many of his compositions can be heard at JosephBertolozzi.com and The American Music Center. 

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