<p style="margin: 0.15in 0in 0pt 0.2in; text-align: justify; mso-layout-grid-align: auto;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: 0.15pt;">John Tropea is one of the most admired and highly regarded guitar players of his generation. His </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: 0.1pt;">playing shows a vast knowledge and respect for the tradition of the instrument as well as an original </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: 0.2pt;">style that continues to define how the guitar best serves a wide variety of musical styles. He is a </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: 0.1pt;">musician's musician who attracts the finest players for his own projects.</span></span>
<p style="margin: 0.25in 0in 0pt 0.2in; text-align: justify; mso-layout-grid-align: auto;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: 0.2pt;">Tropea has written for and played with major recording artists from around the world. In his long </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: 0.3pt;">career, his contributions to other artist's successes have been numerous, including his solo work </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: 0.35pt;">with Deodato, (2001 theme), projects with Laura Nyro, Harry Chapin (Cat's in the Cradle), Paul </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: 0.2pt;">Simon (Fifty Ways), Alice Cooper (Goes to Hell), Eric Clapton (Journey Man), Dr. John, and many </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: 0.45pt;">others. He is also a composer, arranger, and producer whose vital work is ably demonstrated by </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: 0.35pt;">his personal projects. Tropea has a deserved worldwide reputation as an artist of quality among </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: 0.2pt;">both audiences and other musicians.</span></span>
<p style="margin: 19.8pt 0in 0pt 0.2in; text-align: justify; mso-layout-grid-align: auto;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: 0.4pt;">Tropea began guitar studies at the age of 12. His musical education continued at Berklee School </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: 0.2pt;">of Music in Boston, where he studied jazz guitar, harmony, composition, and big band arranging. Immediately after arriving in Boston, Tropea began playing live R & B and jazz gigs with many different bands in the area, including The Three Degrees. Influenced by Wes Montgomery, Johnny </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: 0.45pt;">Smith, Louis Bonfa, Pat Martino, and George Benson, it was at this time that Tropea began to </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: 0.3pt;">absorb those influences into an original style of his own. Also among his mentors at the time were </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: 0.15pt;">the great B3 organ players Jack McDuff and Jimmy Smith.</span></span>
<p style="margin: 0.3in 0in 0pt 0.2in; text-align: justify; mso-layout-grid-align: auto;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: 0.2pt;">After Berklee, Tropea recorded and toured with Deodato. Moving to New York in 1967, Tropea </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: 0.6pt;">quickly became one of the most sought after session players. He soon became a peer among </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: 0.35pt;">New York's finest studio musicians. As well as world touring, Tropea wrote and produced three </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: 0.4pt;">critically acclaimed solo albums with TK records. His first solo album "Tropea," was released in </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: 0.25pt;">1975, followed by "Short Trip to Space," and "To Touch You Again." With those early recordings </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: 0.2pt;">and other projects, Tropea formed close musical alliances with other great New York musicians </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: 0.65pt;">including: David Spinozza, Warren Bernhardt, David Sanborn, Randy and Michael Brecker, </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: 0.2pt;">Steve Gadd, Anthony Jackson, Don Grolnick, and Richard Tee (Tropea played in The Richard Tee band). During this time Tropea also wrote and arranged music for film and broadcast advertising. </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: 0.1pt;">With his frequent co-producer and friend Will Lee, Tropea went on to release "Simple Way to say I </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: 0.3pt;">Love You”, and "Something Old, New, Borrowed and Blues" Live gigs from that era by The </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: 0.2pt;">Tropea Band at Mikell's, in New York City, remain legendary. Along with his own projects, Tropea </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: 0.1pt;">currently plays with the Original Blues Brothers Band.</span></span>
<p style="margin: 16.2pt 0in 0pt 0.2in; text-align: justify; mso-layout-grid-align: auto;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: 0.4pt;">Recently, Tropea has formed an astonishing band that not only gives voice to his "standard </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: 0.3pt;">influences" but also defines him as a player, composer, and arranger of consummate musicianship </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: 0.2pt;">and exciting presence. "When I was in college at Berklee School of Music, I was introduced to the </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Hammond B3 Bands and it was a heavy influence in my development. At this time in my life now, <span style="letter-spacing: 0.55pt;">it is my passion to continue to play with this format." Tropea's band plays live regularly these days </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.6pt;">and has produced two CDs, "Standard Influence," and "Standard Influence II/Rock Candy," both </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.7pt;">"must haves" in any CD collection. Made up of world-class players, this is no pick up band; this is </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.75pt;">a REAL band that plays with the refined sense of ensemble one finds in the finest string quartet </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.8pt;">or chamber music group. Made up of: Ronnie Cuber, baritone sax, Clint de Ganon, drums, or </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.6pt;">Steve Gadd, drums, Anthony Jackson, electric bass, Dave Mann, tenor sax, Lou Marini, tenor sax, </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.35pt;">and Chris Pa!mar°, Hammond B3; everyone in this band is a virtuoso, yet no one ever over-plays.</span></span></span>
<p style="margin: 0.25in 0.05in 0pt 0.1in; text-align: justify; mso-layout-grid-align: auto;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: 0.75pt;">While the band has a refined sense of time and a compelling groove that makes it impossible to </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: 0.6pt;">sit still while listening, the arrangements have, at the same time, a transparency that allows the </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: 0.8pt;">listener in, where all the intricacies become apparent. The sound is always balanced. You hear </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: 0.65pt;">what everyone is playing. The musicians in this band know how to use space in their playing. And </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: 0.8pt;">while all the solo playing is creative, musical, and virtuosic, it is the rhythmic component, the </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: 0.75pt;">sense of accent, the power of the ensemble playing that drives this group to astonishing heights </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: 0.45pt;">of excitement. The comping, the back up playing, is as vital, as intricate, as interesting as the solo </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: 0.55pt;">playing integrated with it. Here is a refined group of musicians whose playing complements one </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: 0.45pt;">another, whose aim is the sound, the quality of the band as a whole. They achieve this goal to the </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: 0.4pt;">highest degree.</span></span>
<p style="margin: 0.3in 0.05in 0pt 0.1in; text-align: justify; mso-layout-grid-align: auto;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: 0.8pt;">The band plays jazz, R&B, and Funk standards, along with original compositions. But each tune </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: 0.7pt;">is made up of an original, tightly constructed, and sophisticated arrangement. This quality is a </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: 0.6pt;">delight for the listener and makes an audience eagerly look forward to the next tune and what </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: 0.55pt;">wonderful surprises that next tune will bring. Don't look for long solos, endless choruses from this </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: 0.2pt;">band. That is not what they are about. There is no dross here. While the band demonstrates complete </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: 0.4pt;">understanding and mastery of a variety of musical styles, they play entirely without cliché.</span></span>
<p style="margin: 0.25in 0.05in 0pt 0.1in; text-align: justify; mso-layout-grid-align: auto;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: 0.75pt;">And this band knows how to program a set. Offering a wide dynamic balance, The Tropea Band </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: 0.6pt;">plays with a savvy and wit that is appreciated by its audiences. Continually bringing new elements </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: 0.4pt;">and surprises with each new tune, they know how to drive a set to an unbelievably energetic and satisfying conclusion.</span></span>
<p style="margin: 16.2pt 0.05in 0pt 0.1in; text-align: justify; mso-layout-grid-align: auto;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: 0.6pt;">With the respect he has gained from some of the finest musicians playing today, Tropea has been </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: 0.55pt;">able to put together a group that shares his vision, that continues to re-define venerable traditions, and that makes music together that is of lasting beauty and significance. Tropea has once again </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: 0.75pt;">gotten back to his live audience, as well as those who follow his recordings, and with this band, </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: 0.35pt;">he has found his apotheosis.</span></span>
<p style="margin: 16.2pt 0.05in 0pt 0.1in; text-align: center; mso-layout-grid-align: auto;" class="MsoNormal" align="center"><span style="font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: 0.35pt;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">T. McFaul – Sept. 2005 </span><a href="http://www.tommcfaul.com/"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">www.tommcfaul.com</span></a></span>
<p style="margin: 16.2pt 0.05in 0pt 0.1in; text-align: center; mso-layout-grid-align: auto;" class="MsoNormal" align="center"><span style="font-size: 16pt; letter-spacing: 0.35pt;"><a href="http://www.johntropea.com/"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">www.johntropea.com</span></a></span><span style="font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: 0.35pt;"></span>
