Al Fabrizio

Al (Anselmo) Fabrizio grew up in New York State with two musician brothers. His parents were from Abruzzi, Italy. He reminisces about his early days in Cortland: "It seemed like everybody played an instrument. We'd walk by our neighborhood barber shop in the evenings and hear Nick, and his son Matt playing clarinet duets by the hour. They'd be playing classics and mazurkas-joyous music that touched my heart." He recalls, "Our house was always filled with music-my mother singing along to the radio, my brothers and I playing duets or trios, and on rare occasions my father playing heart-warming melodies on his old mandolin. Whether it was the songs, the mandolin or the way he played, I've never forgotten those hauntingly beautiful sounds."

Al plays the Neapolitan mandolin in the expressive "tremolo" style. Interestingly, his career as a mandolinist did not begin until adulthood shortly after the sudden loss of his brother Ray, a flute virtuoso. At that time, Al made a commitment to keep music alive in the family. With this in mind, he picked up his father's old mandolin. Al explains, "For me, the mandolin became a way of re-connecting with my childhood memories and my heritage, as well as a way to honor the memory of my brother." Carrying on the family tradition, Ray's children, Rita, Carla and Raymond, Jr., are also outstanding musicians and perform in the San Francisco Bay Area.

For much of his adult life, Al left music behind for a career as a graphic artist. He has owned and operated Fabrizio Publications, a graphic arts and publishing company in Palo Alto for the past 37 years. He also taught art for 12 years at both San Jose State University and Foothill Community College.

With the completion of the CDs, "Serenata Italiana" and "Italian Heartstrings", Al's lifelong love of music comes full circle. He is gratified to be sharing with others this music that is so much a part of him. "Serenata italiana" is in its fourth pressing and the new release "Italian heartstrings" is receiving four star reviews.

Fabrizio is a co-owner of Heartstrings Music, LLC., a recording and production studio in Palo Alto, along with his partner Hugo Wainzinger.

Email Al
al@heartstringsmusic.com

Hugo Wainzinger

"I first met Hugo Wainzinger in 1992 through a mandolinist friend, Carlos Lopez, and we began performing as a trio. What impressed me about Hugo was his vast repertoire combined with his remarkable skill as both composer and performer. In the recording studio, his ear for mixing and mastering is unmatched. After more than ten years of working together, I never cease to be amazed by his musical genius. His songs (which number in the hundreds), are surely destined to be loved and sung by many."- Al Fabrizio

HUGO WAINZINGER is a composer, guitarist, and arranger. Born in Argentina, he was exposed to a wide variety of music since childhood, largely through the influence of his mother, a passionate bolero singer. He absorbed many musical styles, making him uncommonly versatile as an arranger. A prolific composer as well as a wide-ranging performer, he spans the spectrum from classical to jazz to contemporary and world music. Frequently performing as a soloist, he also plays with both Latin and American artists at various Bay Area venues and festivals including the San Francisco Jazz Festival. In addition to his active career as a composer and performer, he engineers and produces recording projects at Heartstrings Studio in Mountain View, California.

Email Hugo
hugo@heartstringsmusic.com