An interview with

Dino Pacifici

 

One of the most versatile artists in contemporary instrumental music, and one of the most easy-going people in the business, Dino Pacifici (Dee to his friends) is equally at home jamming to jazz and blues in a live gig as he is weaving ambient soundscapes in his recording studio. Here's a look inside the life and times of the accomplished musician, conducted via email.

 

Bill Binkelman

Well, it all started when my grandfather decided to leave Italy and come to Canada to start a new life for his family. Actually, he was alone. He met my grandmother here in Canada. He lived in Montreal right from the start, early 1900's and basically that's the story. The rest of the family is Canadian born , my parents are Canadian and so am I and living in Quebec. Except for the few political problems that arise sometimes, and where don't they?, it is quite diverse and is the perfect mix of North American modernism and the old classic feel of Europe. It's very cool. We, our family, speak English, French, Italian and in my wife's case, Sicilian.

Not exactly a complex story but, well we don't have a family tree, just a branch :-)

Now that we've covered your personal background (to a limited degree, of course), how about your musical one? What was your introduction to music and when did it occur, e.g. in your childhood or later and with what instrument(s)?

I come from a very musical family which means I was surrounded by music from very early on. My grandfather and my father played trumpet, my father in a local big band in the '40s and '50s. I have uncles who play bass and accordion and a cousin who played drums for a while.

With all this, I started studying music seriously when I was 5 or 6 years old. My uncle, who played accordion, taught me to read music at this time and I continued to study with him for a year.

At seven years of age, I got my first guitar, a beat up piece of wood that cost 5 bucks. This was not to last too long since it was very difficult to play, let alone study with. It was at this time that I received my first "real " guitar which was a classical nylon string guitar. For the next 7 years I studied with Tony Romandini, who is one of Canada's premiere guitarists, and a relative. With Tony, I studied the Carcassi method for classical guitar. I learned much of my technique from Tony and continue to use what I leaned then now.(Later on I would study the Berklee method for guitar).

We come to the teen years where I joined garage rock bands with friends who also played and we go through the Led Zeppelin, Doobie Bros., etc., thing while doing fabulously mediocre in high school..except in music! I was also deeply into Tangerine Dream, Michael Franks and Pat Metheny, etc... a diverse list of influences for sure.

I continued studying privately all through high school and cegep and continued on to university where I received a Bachelor's degree in music at Concordia university here in Montreal in 1982. After graduating and finding myself driving cars for a living or being a photographer's assistant, I decided, after discussing at length my plans with my wife..yes, I am now married very happily, to start Scorpio Rising Music [SRM], my label. Working with a dance band to make a living , I began composing the music you now hear once in a while. Mind you, my first LP release was Become a Man, released in 1979, which were songs I wrote from age 13 to 17. I actually sing these 'cuz no one else would! It was a proud moment for me to give copies of this LP to my family and friends, I was 17 after all. It even received airplay here in Montreal, an 8-track analog production...go figure!

Back to the present, my first SRM release was Random Factors released in 1994 and I never looked back. I hate being stale so most of my releases seldom sound the same. I enjoy composing in many different styles and being a jazz-influenced guitarist brings a unique perspective when it comes to composing ambient music using mainly samplers and synths.

I will continue to compose for Scorpio Rising Music as well as other endeavors. I also have been making a living playing live every week for about 15 years now which gives me time to compose and watch the kids. Not a bad set up, indeed.

Sounds like you took a less direct route to becoming an independent musician. Was it scary to take the plunge and form Scorpio Rising and what was the main reason you finally did it? Do you ever wish you could have gotten on with a label instead, rather than go it alone?

I never did get signed to a major label With the music that I compose, I knew that the majors would not be interested so why bother. I did however, contact Windham Hill and Narada at the time, as well as others, but it was rejection slips all around. So , no it was not scary to take the plunge , it was my only alternative. To tell you the truth, I'm glad it worked out this way. I have complete control over my music concerning publishing, copyrights, etc. In a way, I'm still a number in a record company.....number 1 :-) I would estimate that more than a few of my contemporaries feel the same way. Although having the power of a major behind you might get you to where you want to be quicker, it probably will cost you a high price in the end. This is not to say that if I had an opportunity to get a record deal , I would not take it, but it would have to be more of a co-production kind of deal than an artist signed to a record label deal. I ceased having stars in my eyes many moons ago. It's just not that important.

It doesn't surprise me to see you write that as an AMBIENT artist, but as a jazz artist, it's surprising. I'd think you might sometimes wonder what it would be like to have a label's muscle behind one of your jazz releases (such as Higher Octave). You certainly seem to have the greatest affinity for jazz (as opposed to new age or ambient), although your recordings in those genres are very solid. Would it be unfair to say that you are, at heart, a jazz musician who dabbles in ambient and new age?

You're right there, Bill. I love jazz. But I love all genres, and being that I grew up playing all styles I don't connect myself to any one [genre]. Hence, no need to [go] after Higher Octave or anyone else. The one genre that did hit on a much deeper level later in life was ambient. Using this term meaning very atmospheric music or music placing the listener in a special emotional place. This of, of course could be "serious" ambient music like Hallowed Ground or the fun stuff like Blue Velvet Lounge. Serious is in quotation [marks] because I don't take anything at all that seriously. I get the most enjoyment composing this music and to me, life is about enjoyment. So, I think it would be more correct to say that I am an ambient musician who sometimes dabbles in jazz, rock, dance, etc.. Hmmm, I think it was Neil Leacy who once referred to me as a musical chameleon :-)

Who were your earlier influences in ambient music? On Hallowed Ground, I heard echoes of Steve Roach and A Produce. Of course, everyone seems to be somewhat influenced by Roach, but are there others that you listened to before you started recording ambient music who "planted the seed" and got your engine started? (mixing my metaphors there, but you know what I mean)

Definitely listening to Steve's music was a factor in my deciding to go that way. The first time I heard his music, it seemed to click a light on in my head . It's as if someone said feel free to do what the hell you want to. Screw convention. Tangerine Dream and Kraftwerk come to mind early on , also Floyd. Most other influences were jazz musicians. Being first and foremost a guitarist, I listened heavily to Pat Metheny, John Scofield, Wes Montgomery, Pat Martino, Larry Carlton, my fave guitarist , also Al Di Mieola, Jim Hall and so many more.

Do you ever think you'll record music such as Hallowed Ground again, and in that same vein, strictly from an "effort" standpoint (addressing things like inspiration, technical recording issues, and editing/mastering/engineering), is jazz "easier" to compose/record as a genre than ambient and I mean Hallowed Ground ambient, not your more recent chill-out/lounge style?

I definitely will record more music like Hallowed Ground again. I actually have quite a bit of that style "in the can". It is just a matter of being able to afford to release it. I will one day. From the standpoint of effort, there really is no music that I compose that is "easier' to create and finish. The most important difference is my own mindset. If I'm in a GRP/Impulse/Verve kind of place, then the jazz side of me will be flowing like a river and I will come up with music easily. On the other hand , If I'm in a more introspective state, I will usually be composing ambient a la Hallowed Ground.

Technically , things are the same for both styles. My recording and mastering techniques are very similar. The only difference is the way I use effects to create an atmosphere that will benefit the style of music I'm composing. Whereas the jazz stuff will be much tighter and focused in production values i.e., more compressed, shorter reverb times, etc., the ambient pieces will be very spacious and wide using long ,wide, deep reverberation with other spacializing techniques to create vastness. Either way, when I'm "in the zone", the music composes itself.

With so many ambient artists collaborating these days (or at least it appears that way to me), have you ever been approached to work with someone, or is that something you're not interested in doing?

I'm always interested in doing projects with other artists. I have had the opportunity to discuss potential collaborations with some artists but nothing came out of these discussions so far. One project did get off the ground but was put on hiatus half way through because of personal difficulties encountered by the other artist. Perhaps we will continue one day.

Is there anyone in particular that you would like to have the opportunity to record with someday, either in ambient, chill-out, or jazz? I guess what I mean by that is do you have a "dream gig" that you every wish for or think "if only"?

Steely Dan....period!

Since music seems to be a big part of your life, what other interests do you have, if any? As an addendum to this question, e.g., if you had to do something other than music to support yourself and your family, what would it be?

I have a keen interest in computers and, though I do not have any formal training, I never need tech support to figure out problems. I love trouble-shooting and finding the answers myself. I am a certified Mac addict and I will never do windows :-) So to answer the second part of the question, If I was not a musician, I would probably be doing something in the computer industry. I also had a childhood dream of being an astronomer. Of course, that was until I met up with calculus and received a thrashing. Mathematics to study the stars..Go figure!

I also love to collect exotic musical instruments and if I had the money, I would love to build and set up a world-class museum where every instrument old or new would be displayed and every day there would be concerts in the adjoining concert hall highlighting these works of art. Seminars and hands on classes for people of all ages would be part of the set-up and facilities for live recording and multi-track recording would also be available. It would a true music museum for the ages.

It's always interesting to me to find out how many musicians are also computer geeks, if you don't mind my using that term. To me, they should be somewhat at odds, i.e. one requires logic and reason and the other...well, logic and reason and ambient music? (LOL) Somehow I don't see the connection. The astronomy thing, on the other hand, is not unexpected. A lot of artists in the ambient genre (and, to a lesser degree, new age music) seem to have a fascination for outer space and/or science fiction. Care to comment on that, or is it too "hot" a topic?

Well you hit a bullseye on this one. I'm a huge sci-fi fan and have been since childhood. I love to read although I don't have much time these days. I read all the Star trek novels and of course, Asimov, Niven, Clarke, Anderson, Bradbury, Bova, Silverberg, Dick, Pohl,etc. I could go on and on. For me, these stories are the written equivalent of ambient music. Simply put, they take you to...another place and time - another space.

Maybe because ambient music does have at least informal (if not more definitive) ties to SF, outer space, fantasy and the future, I find that some of the "presentation" of the music by some artists is somewhat too serious, even bordering on pretentious at times. This can mean the liner notes, the album graphics, or even the artist's personality. Yet you always seem to keep things kind of light, even on Hallowed Ground there was that one track that kind of had me grinning. Do you personally think a sense of humor and a sense of perspective is important? Or is this just that your music-making is about more than ambient music, i.e. jazz and fusion as well?

You might be right about that though I won't comment on other artist's prerogatives in this matter because I don't know them personally . Being in your position, you probably have dealt with artists of all stripes. I try not to take myself or what I do too seriously in a general sense, meaning that when it comes time to do a project and compose, mix and master it, I'm very serious about getting the best performance and sound that I can. This is important to me BUT I will always keep in perspective what I do and how I do it. You And Hannah [Shapero, former Wind and Wire reviewer] were the first to notice that I have fun with what I do and that some elements of my work are tongue-in-cheek . Little cheezy things I do keep things light even if the music is considered "dark." I definitely need to show a little humour and laugh at myself once in a while. It keeps me humble. For me, even in darkness there is a little light.

I'm also interviewing another Canadian artist at this time, Rik MacLean, who records as Mara's Torment. He lives in Toronto and can't say enough good things about the support that is afforded the ambient music community in that city. How about you? Do you like living in Montreal? Does "new age music" or "ambient" music get a fair deal in your neck of the woods? And if you could move anywhere else, would you and where would it be to?

I was born in Montreal and lived here all my life. I'm used to the Euro-American atmosphere that exists in Montreal and I know that it is a unique city to live in because of this blend of cultures. Unfortunately, the only thing missing is support for the type of music that Rik and I compose along with so many others. There are no real clubs that support ambient music 100%. Once in a while, an artist will come to a special event . I think Robert Rich was here a while ago. But, there is no central nexus for this music and also no radio support whatsoever in Montreal. So this definitely is not the city to create this music in if you're looking to create a buzz. There are a few indie labels here but they deal outside of the city and most of the time outside of Canada in general. Toronto is way ahead of Montreal when it comes to supporting ambient music. Go Toronto! I really love it here but if I was to think about moving and did not have a family to worry about, I would love to try Australia or the American southwest, maybe Vancouver if I stayed in Canada.

You've recorded more than a few albums, so I think you can speak with some experience on this last topic. What do you think are the pressing issues facing independent artists (in the ambient and chill-out and new age genres) in the new millennium? Do you think times will get tougher, easier, stay the same? And do you personally have any strategies that you'd care to tell us about?

Well, I know I am probably not saying anything new or ground-breaking here but I think the most important issues that have to be solved are issues of public awareness and marketing. It seems to me that, at this point in time, we must find avenues in which we as artists can create awareness. The music industry being what it is right now, IMO, has no place for or interest in the indie artist and won't for a long time. It is thanks to people like yourself and BEAR and Bill Fox and Chuck V [Chuck VanZyl of Star's End] and many others that we as artists can show our wares to the public, even on a relatively small level as compared to commercial radio, that is. Live venues like the one in Philly or Toronto also play an important role for those artists who can get out and play live. These things definitely help our cause. I think that all artists should have their own web site and it should be set up so that they can sell their CDs directly. As I see most do.

About the times changing, I think that this a something that everyone will have a different opinion on. For some, it will be easier and vice-versa. Personally I don't have a formal strategy, I will simply continue to compose and when I can, release my music. I will always look out for new ways to spread it around and continue to nurture the relationships I have with many friends who are in the ambient field. Perhaps, if we all continue to persevere and be determined to get our music out there, critical mass might be achieved and we will be heard more and more. I hope so.

Thanks for taking the time to do this interview, Dee. Do you have any parting words for your fans?

Bill, Thank you for offering to do this interview . As always, I appreciate your support and on behalf of all my colleagues, I thank you for consistently promoting and supporting the ambient genre and its creators. Your efforts are priceless.

To the fans of this genre, not only my music but, all the great artists out there, I thank you for your enthusiasm, your encouragement, your support... your love of the genre.. It is you that keeps people like me going. As artists, we all need the feedback and love, if I may use that word, that you so generously give us..

Thank you.

Dino Pacifici Discography The Blue Velvet Lounge (2003) Hallowed Ground (1999) Acquiescent Resonance (1998) The Journey (1997) Urban Oasis Random Factors Reflections: Long Ago and Far Away (1994)   Visit Dino Pacifici's website for more info on his recordings.