Maurizio Pugno is an elegant player who knows in detail several musical styles. His attempt is to make music that is genuine and melodic, and that doesn't forget the roots of Black Music. He is known as a perfect accompanist for vocalists. He has accompanied and recorded with some of the best blues singers that have toured Europe, such notables as Sugar Ray Norcia (with two cds produced by Jerry Hall for the American label Pacific Blues Records; “That’s What I Found Out” on 2007 and “Kill The Coffée” on 2010), Mark Dufresne, Tad Robinson, Lynwood Slim, Kellie Rucker, Mark Hummel, Dave Specter and many others. With Mz Dee, Maurizio Pugno released two albums; “Letters From The Bootland” (2012), and “The Next Episode” (2013). These are a journey through the worlds of Blues, Funk, Rock, R’n’B and Soul from pen of the renowned Etta James, Billy Preston, Al Kooper, Bobby Bland, Allen Toussaint, Ester Phillips, to originals from Maurizio Pugno and Mz Dee. This American/Italian projects shows Maurizio together with some Italians' finest Jazz/blues musicians today: ALBERTO MARSICO, GIO ROSSI, THE CAPE HORNS and THE SUBLIMES. With their CDs and with their performances the band has established a well-deserved reputation for getting toes tapping, and dance floors bouncing throughout the world, accumulating also numerous awards and critical praise. "Kill The Coffee" LINER NOTES: I first worked with Maurizio Pugno in April of 2004 when he invited me to perform with him at about six music festivals throughout his homeland of Italy. Up to that point in my career I had never played in Italy and being of Italian descent, my special desire had always been to tour there and see first hand where my roots were from. I decided to accept his offer but I really didn’t know what to expect. I admit that I was a bit apprehensive on the flight from Boston to Rome. Well, meeting and playing with Maurizio that spring of 2004 was the beginning of a very special relationship. We quickly realized that we shared a similar passion for family, food and playing the blues as well as a deep respect for each other and our views on life in general. We became good friends indeed. Since that first tour, I have returned to Italy almost every year to join Maurizio and what a thrill it has been! I am honored and pleased to be a part of this Maurizio Pugno CD “Kill the Coffee” especially since it also features the fantastic singer, harmonica player and song writer Mark DuFresne. Mr. Pugno has surrounded himself with top notch players on this project including Alberto Marsico on keyboards and Gio Rossi on drums. What a pleasure it is to be on a recording with all these great musicians! Here is a brief explanation of why I wrote the song “Kill the Coffee.” One evening after finishing yet another exquisite dinner with my new Italian friends, we all ordered the usual cup of espresso coffee but this time we also followed it with a shot of grappa, the traditional strong Italian after dinner drink made from grape skins, stems and seeds left over from wine making after pressing. Maurizio explained to me that in Italy there is an expression called “ammazza caffe” literally meaning “coffee killer.” This expression (and I suppose my fondness for grappa) sparked an idea in my head and the next day I wrote a song called “Kill the Coffee.” That is the story behind the title track of this CD! Maurizio and I collaborated on the five other songs that I sing and play on. He recorded the structure of his song ideas using a computer program which enabled him to send me a “scratch” CD of his musical compositions complete with guitar, computerized drums, keyboards and horn tracks. After I received the CD, I listened to each song over and over until I came up with a story line complete with lyrics, melody and song title. The compositions literally came to life as I was listening and writing! Sometimes the ideas flowed freely but more often than not, it took several weeks of experimenting with different lyrics and melodies before I found the appropriate match to Maurizio music. For me it is an unusual way to write a song but I have found that I really enjoy the challenge of this approach and it can be quite rewarding. In the meantime, Maurizio arranged another tour of Italy for me and his band. During that tour he also booked studio/theatre time so that we could record our new musical creations. What a great feeling of accomplishment it was to go in the Theatre and capture the songs that Maurizio and I composed while being more than three thousand miles apart! We both put a lot of personal feelings and emotions into this CD. I truly hope you feel it as well and most of all enjoy it. Ciao to all my friends everywhere! Sugar Ray Norcia If someone had told me that one day I would record in an old opera house in the town of Gubbio, Italy, I might have asked them what they were smoking and where can I get some. I was aware that Gubbio is famous for Paleontologist's digs and other ancient artifacts. But if one digs around town a little bit, it may be possible to uncover one of Europe's finest Blues and Roots Music's guitarists. My DJ friend Simone Bargelli had hipped my wife Laura and I to Maurizio Pugno and when I found that he often worked with Sugar Ray Norcia, I was very excited to hear this young man. In fact I called Ray from Seattle just to get some info and of course upon his recommendation, I jumped at the chance to play with Maurizio and his band. Quite simply Maurizio Pugno is one of the finest guitar players I've ever worked with. His knowledge of regional American styles of Blues is as good as anyone out there. His tone and timing are sensational. He also employs Soul Music, R&B, Rockabilly, and Surf Music in the mix which I love. Check out his Surf CD tribute to one of my musical heroes, Ennio Morricone and one can began to appreciate the depth that Maurizio brings to his instrument. I must say the same holds true for the brilliant keyboardist Alberto Marsico and drummer Gio Rossi. Both are skilled in Jazz and Blues but understand the history and differences in both musics. They always know when to keep things as simple as possible and when to throw in more complex arrangements, always with a respect for what each song is trying to say. Lucio Villani is one of Italy's best Bassists. Actually, he's one of my favorite upright bass players. All four of these gentlemen are multi-instrumentalists and the best part of working with them is the sense of humor they bring to the stage. Oftentimes some Blues and Jazz musicians can be so serious as to hold back the creative impulses. The Italians are not afraid to get a little "Marx Brothers" with the show and at the same time play with real Blues feel and always the sense of tradition that comes from years of performing and listening to those artists who have blazed the trails in this Music. I've had the honor to record with Roomful of Blues and some of the Hollywood Fats Band's former members with Kid Ramos on guitar and Larry Taylor on Bass, so it was a wonderful shock to play with musicians in Europe of this caliber. I am also honored to share space on this disc with the great Sugar Ray Norcia, who is obviously one of the finest Blues artists on the planet. We both hope the listener will find what we've added to Maurizio's and Alberto's music worth repeated plays. The level of Blues and Roots music talent in Europe I feel is better than ever, and so it is with great pleasure that we bring Italia and the USA together for some hard hitting Blues. Yours truly,,,,,,,, Mark DuFresne “Maestro" Maurizio Pugno is a multi-talented and all - round musician. I was really surprised the first time I met him, I have to admit... I was fascinated by his music culture, which ranged from blues to swing, from opera singers to kletzmer music, from surf guitar players to contemporary jazz, from country & western to hard rock... His playing is filtered through all these influences, but still... he plays THE BLUES. This is what he loves the most, and this is why I love playing with him! Alberto Marsico (piano and Organ) Maurizio Pugno has the unique capacity to makes his music unpredictable and interesting. Playing with Maurizio is an exciting experience. He's also a very good band manager and he's able to take out the best from every musician. If you never heard about Maurizio this will quickly change in the future!! Gio Rossi (drums) Maurizio is a fine guitar player and his mother Silvana makes the best home-made hot chocolate ever! Maurizio is a very tasty guitar player and drives the van very well! So in this way, you can understand, a bass player could sleep very well! Maurizio is a great guitar player and he knows a lot of women but he's married. So he's very generous with his friends too! Lucio Villani (upright bass)