Tony Senatore - previous...
 Born in Manhattan on May 7th, 1962, Tony Senatore's early childhood was spent in the Bronx, but the "Bronx Tale" ended when his family relocated to New Jersey in 1968. Tony was influenced early on by his father, who was a professional musician, touring the world with Tito Puente in the late 60`s to early 70`s.
Senatore's formal introduction to music was at age 5, when dad decided it was time to learn how to play the trumpet and learn music theory basics. It was at age five that Senatore discovered that he had "perfect pitch", which has been a valued asset his entire career. The trumpet studies continued until he was 16, then he fell in love with the bass guitar. The young musician played first trumpet in a school Concert Band, and the bass in the jazz band.
Tony said "I started studying the bass guitar in 1977 with a local teacher by the name of Al Faraldi. He was a jazz guitarist that also played classical guitar. He taught fundamentals, not trickery or gimmicks. Reading, Bach Inventions, Partitas, and Cello suites, and all five Carol Kaye books were the core of his teaching, and are the core of MY teaching."
After 3 years of studying with Mr. Faraldi, Tony decided to get out into the real world and get some experience and has made his entire living from music since 1980. His work includes sessions at all the major New York studios, many of them under the direction of top engineer Jason Corsaro, who has produced and engineered for everyone from Soundgarden to Motorhead, a stint with Mary's Magnet, a stellar solo album titled Holyland and a soon to be released instructional DVD on the 12-String Bass. Senatore will be a pioneer in the realm of the 12-String Bass, as nobody has ever released a DVD pertaining to playing the instrument before.
Tony has been featured in Mike Varney`s Spotlight column in Guitar Player Magazine in July 1987, recorded for Mr. Varney as a sideman on the 1991 Shrapnel Release entitled Midnight Drive, by virtuoso guitarist Stephen Ross, with special guests Joe Nevolo on Drums (Greg Howe, Mahogany Rush) and Jens Johanssen (Yngwie Malmsteen, Ronnie James Dio) on keyboards. Other publications where the artist has appeared include Down Beat Magazine, and an article by Jay Lustig for the Aquarian.
 Since 1993, Tony has dedicated his services and time as the bassist at Visionary Sound Studios. At Visionary, under the direction of producer/engineer Tom Gioia, he has been involved with a great deal of projects, including music for numerous soap operas, such as; Guiding Light (CBS), Another World (NBC), As the World Turns (CBS), and One Life to Live (ABC). You can find out more about Studio owner Tom Gioia and Visionary Sound Studios at Visionary Music Group.
Tony has also performed on countless sessions for veteran producer/engineer Jason Corsaro (Soundgarden, Motorhead) as well as for Ben Elliot of Showplace Studios in Denville, New Jersey, and a six month stint with King/Mercury Recording artists DOGMA.
I have known Tony for several years now and found him to be a real down to earth individual with tremendous insight into the music industry. His talent as a bass player is very unique. If you listen to Holyland you will realize this in short order. The name Tony Senatore is not a household name when it comes to bass players. Chris Squire, Tony Levin and Jack Bruce are not mentioned in the same breath but I must say after hearing Tony’s music and watching his new DVD A 12-String Bass X-Ploration, that I am convinced, he could play right alongside those legends. Tony is a very humble man and he knows his instrument. He knows it so well that he decided to share his love and respect with his instrument by recording an instructional DVD for those that want to learn more about the bass that was born in 1978. Even if you do not play the bass, there is plenty of enjoyment on this DVD visually and aurally.
Very little information has been available about the 12-String Bass, all of that has changed thanks to Senatore. The instrument is versatile enough to serve as a bass and guitar. The upper strings are your traditional bass strings tuned as such and each string in between are the lower keys, the one’s that sound like a guitar. Tony demonstrated this on his studio recording Holyland (2005) beautifully. Some of the tracks off that album shows Tony displaying how he played the instrument and then actually takes you through the tracks.
“Holyland,” shows how the bass is used in a supportive chordal role. “Life And Times” expands upon his concept of playing melody while still functioning as a bassist. “Shapla” is a nine-minute Beatles medley, which is the highlight of the DVD (and CD). Tony lays down a bed track of fretted 12 string bass that is the focal point- followed by a track of fretless 12 string bass, which duplicates various string and melody lines, and then comes a track of four string bass that ties together all the loose ends to complete the composition.
Manolo Badrena (percussion), Van Romaine (drums), and Percy Jones (fretless bass) join him for the video shoot. This provides a glimpse into the recording process and all the parts that make up the entire songs with a focus on Tony’s technique and style of handling the 12-String Bass.
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