Oct 12.2009 - Milan, Italy

SS : I had the distinct opportunity to record in the famous Jingles Factory studio this day… I had run out of time back home before departing and needed to record a rather lengthy project for WSBZ – The Seabreeze in Destin, Florida. Loris locked me into his sound booth (literally) and let me knock out my session on his top-of-the-line gear. Then afterwards he and his son Michele tricked it out for me and we uploaded it to the station.
JF is building a brand new, state of the art studio just a few miles from the current studio, and as beautiful as it is, I have to say that this one is so comfortable and warm.

Loris’ dogs are part of the atmosphere… Ugo, Maggie and Gizmo are here this day and we are enjoying their company. Sadly, little Ugo is very sick. At the age of 16, we can see that he is leaving this life soon. Loris continues to be a wonderful host despite his heartache and maybe we are here to help in some way.

This afternoon Donna and I got to meet Ivan from Radio Energy… another Internet Radio pioneer and a rather fashionable gentleman. We had lunch with him and JF star singer, Susie who is the star of many of our SmoothJazz.com and SmoothLounge.com jingles!

We spent the evening with one of our favorite sax players, recording artist and wonderful human being Amedeo Bianchi… Along with Loris and his brother Walter, Donna and I adventured to a Pizzeria in downtown Milan and sat and enjoyed each other’s company until we closed the place.

Jetlag is still very much part of the picture, but we’re doing well thanks to a million little cups of espresso each day!

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DKP : As little Ugo peacefully sleeps after a rough night, our friend Loris plans a full day for us. Today we get to watch Jingles Factory in action. Loris has called on Suzy, a very talented Italian singer that has the ability to sing in different languages whilst fully masking any trace of an accent. She is in the midst of recording a new Jingles package for Internet Radio Station NRG (energy) in Milan.

After a late lunch break of Caprese Panini and Italian Bier, where we discuss the important differences of dinner times and the levels of spiciness in the food between Northern and Southern Italians, we head back to the Studio to knock out a few new Jingles for Smoothjazz.com and a demo for our friends at WSBZ The Seabreeze in Destin, FLA. We come back to find Ugo a little more peppy and eating, impressive!

Later we head to the centre of Milan to have dinner with Italian recording artist Amadeo Bianchi. Amadeo is a saxophonist whom we love playing on Smoothjazz.com. Loris feels the same, he has Amadeo in his stable of talent to call on for just the right project.

A quick walk downtown by the waterway and through the back alleys reveal some crazy photo opps (click on the FB logo to view), one of which is an old "Lavenderia" (Laundry) where woman would gather to wash and scrub the clothes in a public tub with scrubbing stones and a fully intact wooden roof... amazing. We met some great characters (Lucky and Giovanni "the wolf), waiters out for a smoke break that wanted their shot taken... I told you guys you're going on the FaceBook :-))

Famished, we settle into a lively examination of the deevolution of the music industry and the best funghi & formaggio pizza with Italian Bier (AGAIN). After we have exhausted the subject and had our espresso, we tour the city by moonlight where Loris learns the word "gorgeous" - yes EXACTLY! We practically jump from the moving car when we catch a glimpse of the stunningly lit Castillo in the center of the city. Apparently this castle has become the incredibly beautiful setting for many a concert... the pics tell the story - Enjoy!