Alex Saba Press Release

Born at Rio de Janeiro - Brazil in 1958, he begun playing acoustic guitar at age 8. Played with many schools groups until formed his own band (Hora do Rush) with his son's godfather Beto Frega on keyboards. The band had some success playing only original instrumentals songs. At this time he studied classical guitar with Mr.Sergio de Pinna and composition with the Ukrainian maestro Vladimir Ostrovsky), but the four members of the group took different pathways and Alex begin his solo career.

Alex Saba (in his own words) is only a composer. But he also plays many instruments. His main axe is the guitar (acoustic, electric or synth, 6 or 12 strings, fretless or fretted), but he also plays bass, mandolin, keyboards, flutes (recorders and bamboo) and many other exotics as quenacho, kalimba, pandeiro, matchbox and so on.

But the most important thing for him is to transmit experiences, emotions, past, present and future.

Alex begun playing acoustic guitar at age 8, but as many children, soon stopped. Five years later he pick it again, when were invited by his father to play at church. It was not the ideal place to try “new sounds” as he recalls, but he made new arrangements for old songs in almost three years playing there.

Waiting for the right moment to start his solo career, he plays with many different groups and formations and makes a lot of friends too. But in his projects he plays alone - the most difficult part – he composes his own songs and did all the “dirty” work (like recording and fixing the equipments), but there are no concessions in it: he plays what he wants.

After many hard work, he finished the first CD - ANGEL'S DREAM – a daring project involving only one person in all stages (Alex composed, played, recorded, mixed, produced and designed the cover - to be completely honest, his great friend Beto Frega played piano and synth on 2 tracks). Alex used the facilities from his own personal studio (Aquilante). This CD is eclectic – like Alex – with jazzy ballads, classical acoustic guitar’s pieces and a bit of rock, blues, bossa nova and progressive-rock.

ANGEL'S DREAM is more then a solo projects, it is a solitary-project. “Only this way I couldn’t blame others for any fault. If anything get wrong the responsibility will be all mine.” – reminds Alex, but nothing went wrong.

His second effort was MISSA UNIVERSALIS (or Music for the Modern Mass) a CD with themes for an actual Mass. A return to his origins. Once more Alex composed and arranged all songs and played all instruments, but with only one acoustic guitar’s track. All others were planned to be played by an orchestra in a live situation. By now these CD is been played as it is in some churches during the Mass.

Alex had written (and played) the score for the theatre play by TEREZA AMOÊDO and LUIZ HORÁCIO. This sounds are being played at stages in Rio de Janeiro and Europe this year.

This work is the most complex Alex was involved. The play treats 6 emotions (fear, solitude, anguish, anger, despair and paralysis) plus a "return". Here he choose feel instruments to use. Each one the main axe of the theme, like ANGUISH, with an emotional solo distorted electric guitar or SOLITUDE a flute trio with percussion, actualy the sound of his wife’s heart.

Alex will soon release the CD with the themes plus two more extra tracks.

But Alex is now involved in the work of Tolkien. He is writing and recording what he call: "The original Sound Track for The Book Lord Of The Rings". This project will be recorded by Alex Saba, The Petit Brancaleone Orkestra and nine soloists.

He is also working with television themes, DOCUMENTARIE MUSIC is a possible title for an album with the songs he wrote for TV.

There is always something new to come.