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Michele Ramo
…this new Live Recording of the Michele Ramo World Jazz Orchestra feature 8 original compositions fusing elements of Traditional Jazz, Afro-Brasilian Samba, Cuban Montuno, Bossa Nova and Jazz Ballades with some of the top notch musicians of Detroit Musi
About Me
RAMO grew up in the small Sicilian village of ‘Costiera’, a hilltop village
located on the southwest coast of Sicily near the fishing port of Mazara del
Vallo. This is a rare story of a young Sicilian boy and a vast hidden reservoir of
unleased talents. With no musical exposure except for the local shepherds and
their 'Zufolo' - a handmade wooden flute, he would follow the sheep herds,
sitting upon the rocks to hear the shepherds play music while their sheep
grazed. He saw his first guitar ever on a television show and asked his mother
what it was. She replied, a guitar. Well, he said then and there that was what
he was going to be - a musician. With great persistance and his nature of
'never giving up', he finally convinced his parents to get him a guitar. He was
13 years old, and then, 6 months later he began violin studies at the
conservatory in Trapani. In only four short years of study, at the age of
seventeen, Ramo received his first professional contract with the Italian State
Symphony opera orchestra “Orchestra Del Teatro Massimo in Palermo. He
earned a Master's degree in violin from the music conservatory of
Caltanissetta. No small achievement as he finished this 10 year program in just
five years while working professionally. Ramo toured Europe with the
International Mediterranean Youth Orchestra –“Le Juness Du Mediterranee”.
In 1985 he was contracted with “Orchestra Sinfonica Siciliana” and worked as
Concert Master with “Orchestra Filarmonica Del Tirrreno touring Italy.
After five years in various Italian State Orchestras, Ramo left the orchestra job
and moved to the United States in 1987 to pursue his work as a composer and
instrumentalist in Jazz.
He spent the next twelve years working with Jazz greats in Detroit where he
soon developed an outstanding reputation as a top-notch musician and leader,
performing as a soloist and with 'The Ramo Group'. Ramo moved to New York
City in 1999 with his wife singer, lyricist Heidi Hepler.
Ramo is a Fingerstyle Nylon Jazz Guitarist ~ Jazz Violinist ~ Composer ~
Educator, Performer, and Teacher with more than 20 years of experience in live
performance - jazz, orchestral, studio work, recordings, composing, finale
engraving and teaching. Inventor of the ‘Ramo Hei-D MOSTRO’ 8 String
guitar.
PRIMARY INSTRUMENTS:
8 String Guitar Hei-D MOSTRO;
8 String Requinto;
7 String Fretless Guitar;
Violin;
Mandolin;
TRAINING / EDUCATION • Master’s Degree in Violin from Italian
Conservatory of Caltanissetta (1985) • Diploma in Piano as second instrument
(Italy) • Diploma in Theory & Solfege (Italy) • Diploma in Harmony (Italy)
TEACHERS:
Violin • Joseph Opitz - Germany • Teo Oloff - Israel/France • Pietro Marabete –
Concert Master - La Scala, Milan Italy, Concert Master - Arena di Verona
Guitar Master Classes: • Alirio Diaz / Classical Guitar • Carlos Barbosa-Lima /
Classical Guitar • Charlie Byrd / Nylon Jazz Guitar • Joe Pass / Jazz Guitar •
Kenny Burrell / Jazz Guitar • Baden Powell / Brazilian Jazz Guitar
TEACHING 1982 – Present • Violin, Viola, Guitar & Mandolin. Beginner,
Intermediate and Advanced • Jazz Improvisation and repertoire - Standards,
Latin & Brazilian • Classical repertoire - Renaissance, Baroque, Classical,
Modern, Contemporary • Theory, Sight Reading, Solfege, Chord Melody Style,
Finale Notation - String Teaching Specialties: • Improvisation for Classical
players…guitar, violin, viola, cello • Helping the classical students to improvise
in Jazz • Analyze, Transcribe, Apply and Delivery. Guitar Specialty: Chord-
Melody Fingerstyle Jazz – How to play melody, chords, rhythm and bass line
at the same time.
COMPOSER Compositions Over 300 works in the Classical, Brazilian & Jazz
styles
PUBLICATIONS: ‘Tribute To Guitar Masters’ Vol. I Original compositions for
classical and jazz guitarists - Book/Cd – Publisher Mel Bay (2005) ‘The Art Of
Bossa Nova’ Book – Publisher Ramo Music (1992) Original compositions
RECORDINGS:
Recordings as Leader: released by Ramo Music / MoonBoat Records Label:
• 2015 Song Stories - Heidi Hepler & Michele Ramo
Michele Ramo-8String Guitar & Heidi Hepler-voice
• 2014 Michele Ramo & Larry Fratangelo -
Michele Ramo-8String Guitar, Larry Fratangelo-percussion & Ralphe Armstrong-
bass.
• 2014 Te Amo Brazil - Choro & Chorinho
Michele Ramo-8String Guitar & Maurita Murphy Marx-clarinet
• 2014 A Cigar & A Scotch - Live at Jenuwine
Michele Ramo World Jazz Orchestra
• 2011 Duets with Friends -
Michele Ramo-8String Guitar w/ Mundell Lowe, Bucky Pizzarelli, Marcus Belgrave,
Roy Brooks, Guilhermo Franco, Larry Nozero, Jorge Morel & Heidi Hepler.
• 2008 The Song Is You - Tribute To Lawrence Williams.
Michele Ramo-8String Guitar & Marcus Belgrave-Trumpet
• 2008 Ramo Italian Tapestry
Solo 8 String Guitar / 17 Italian Classic Songs
• 2006 release ‘Oh' Lady Be Good’ w/ Ramo on violin, Bucky Pizzarelli - guitar
and Jerry Bruno - Bass
• 2005 ‘Mick & Mundy’ - ‘I Didn’t Know About You’ guitar duo with Mundell
Lowe - standards and one original
• 2004 ‘Ramo’ solo 6 & 7 String guitar - mix of standards and originals
• 2002 ‘Felicita’ Voice & Guitar Duo with Singer/Lyricist Heidi Hepler all
original compositions
• 2002 ‘Full Moon Above New York City’ Jazz Violin with Quartet - all original
compositions
• 1995 ‘Kiss My Head’ Ramo with his 7 piece group LIVE - all original
compositions
• 1993 ‘Live at Kerrytown’ Ramo Quartet LIVE Original Music & standards
• 1992 ‘Jalousie’ solo guitar - originals and standards
• 1992 ‘Earth & Sun’ duo with percussion - originals
• 1990 ‘Essence Of Romance’ solo guitar - all original music
• 1988 ‘Tina’ solo guitar - originals and standards
Recordings as Guest Artist: 2008 'Alone Together' with Jill O'Hara • ‘Sonatina’
with Bucky Pizzarelli (2003) as Violinist • ‘5 CD set for a Japanese Label with
new age flutist Nikkos (1995/1998/1999) as Guitarist • ‘Matador’ with singer
songwriter John D Lamb (1998) as Guitarist and countless studio and
commercial sessions.
PERFORMANCE:
Jazz Performance:
The Ramo Group – recordings and performances – leader, composer, guitarist,
violinist • Ramo & Heidi Duo – voice and guitar duo of Ramo and Heidi Hepler
– USA & Europe • Ramo Solo – solo guitarist • Ramo guitarist on tour with
James Carter’s Chasin’ the Gypsy Band 2001, 2002 • Ramo Violinist &/ or
Guitarist with: Bucky Pizzarelli, Al Caiola, Paquito D’Rivera, Arturo O'Farrill
Afro-Latin-Jazz Orchestra, Howard Alden, Martin Taylor, John etheridge,
Trefor Owen, Gary Potter, Jimmy Bruno, Gene Bertoncini, Regina Carter, Les
Paul, Marcus Belgrave, Roy Brooks, Harold McKinney, Ron Blake, Frank
Vignola, Mundell Lowe, Jack Wilkins.
Jazz Festivals: USA, Canada and Europe: The North Sea Jazz Festival
(Holland), Molde Jazz (Norway), Fano Jazz (Italy), Montreal Jazz, Ottawa Jazz
(Canada), Munich, Frankfurt, Berlin, Freiburg (Germany), Paris, Ile Del Re,
Souillac, (France), Cork Jazz (Ireland), Barcelona, Madrid (Spain), Republica de
Andorra, Burlington Jazz, Arkansas Jazz, Montreux-Detroit Jazz, Houston,
Chicago, Indianapolis, Dayton, (USA), Athens, Corfu, Corintos, Patras
(Greece).
Orchestral Performance:
Violinist - Orchestra Del Teatro Massimo of Palermo, Italy (1983/84/85) Violinist
- Orchestra Sinfonica Siciliana, Palermo, Italy (1985/86/87) Violinist - Orchestra
Filarmonica del Tirreno / Italy (1985/86/87) Violinist – La Junee Du
Mediterranee (European Youth Orchestra) / France, Italy, Spain, Greece.
(1984/85) Various Chamber Groups 1983-1987, Broadway ‘Al Jolson’ – guitar,
violin, mandolin, ukulele and banjo.
ADMINISTRATION & COORDINATION OF EVENTS Shows Produced by
Ramo Music: • ‘Ramo Guitar Night’ NYC with LaBella Strings - 2003- present 21
shows from 2003-2005 (See ‘Ramo Guitar Night’ in Photo Gallery of
www.RamoMusic.com ) • Detroit Jazz Scene – hundreds of performances as
group leader and show organizer • Preparing bookings, technical, music, promo
material, mailings for Ramo Music / MoonBoat Productions. • Produced and
recorded 13 projects from 1988 – present • Websites – Creation, info gathering
& maintenance for four (4) website projects. • Photography • Organize shows •
Booking musicians • Handle sound equipment & Lighting equipment
INVENTOR & CREATOR
Invented a new concept in guitar design ~ The 'RAMO Hei-D MOSTRO' 8
string Guitar ~ Built by Rich DiCarlo
PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS:
BMI – Writer and Publisher (read
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