The CD project was a collaborative effort, involving four family members and spanning both coasts. Gatti wrote and recorded each song on his own equipment under his Cottonwood Records label. Betsy Gatti wrote the song titles, descriptions and liner notes and John's son Casey designed the CD graphics. Betsy's nephew in California, Jon Barnes, took the cover photography.
Despite all those steps, producing the CD itself was a relatively swift process compared to the years of travel, writing and perfecting the songs that preceded the actual recording. “The songs on Destinations were composed over the course of almost 20 years," Gatti notes. “It took me awhile to realize that I might just have an entire CD of travel songs. But I think what's unique about this collection is that the songs celebrate more exotic locales along with familiar places, everything from Paris, France to the Jersey shore. Musically, I felt inspired by the distinctive energy and people of each place."
Some of the songs on Destinations celebrate people as well as places, like “Red-Tail Wally," a tribute to Gatti's late father-in-law, Edwin Walter Hays, who was also his fishing buddy for 15 years. “Wally had been a tail-gunner on a B-17 in WWII, so he had a keen eye and was an expert birder. He and I had a secret fishing place in Armonk, New York, and on the drive up to that lake he would invariably spot hawks in the sky, alerting me with the military terminology, 'Red-tail hawk, two o'clock.' This song reminds me of our wonderful times together."
While Gatti has been a respected musician and frequent performer in the northern NJ music scene for over three decades, composing, arranging and performing solo as well as with groups such as Truth, The Good Rats, and Grover Kemble and ZaZuZaz, this is his first jazz recording. In 2002 Gatti released Life Lines, Heart Lines, his first CD of original easy listening compositions, and in 2006 created the edgy soundtrack for a Mac-based video game, The Adventures of El Ballo.
As a commercial composer, John has created music and recorded commercials for such companies as Mercedes, Shop Rite, American Airlines and Buick. In addition,John played on the movie soundtrack for a horror film, Vultures in Paradise, and in 2004 a song he co-wrote was featured in the movie Grownups, starring John Stamos.
The John Gatti Trio, composed of Gatti on keyboards, Bob DeCaro of Wyckoff on drums and Jeff Gellis of Rutherford on electric and upright bass, have been playing selections from the new CD as well as contemporary jazz standards at area venues.
For more information, visit www.johngattimusic.com. Destinations is available online from CD Baby and iTunes, or by emailing [email protected] or calling (973) 839-9374.
