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|| Stephen Duros, nuevo
flamenco guitarist. Born in Glen Ellyn, Illinois, 1975. Early on, he showed a
precocious interest in everything musical. Keyboard lessons at 6, and soon
after that, drums. By 10 he was competing annually in the Yamaha National
Keyboard Festival, placing 1st locally and when he was 13, 4th nationally.
Always open to new ideas &
sounds, Steve used his winnings to buy an electric guitar... which quickly
became his favorite instrument. "The minute I felt that fret board, I was
hooked," he says. During the teen years he formed various rock bands, developed
his skills composing and arranging original material and performing in front of
audiences.
But after hearing acoustic masters
such as Paco De Lucia and Ottmar Liebert and Luna Negra, the influence of
flamenco guitar drew him to experiment with Spanish/Latin, Jazz and New Age
Music. Where did this lead? To the magic of Luna Negra, eventually. "It's
unbelievable that 10 years later I now find myself playing in Ottmar Liebert's
band," says SD. "It was a dream of mine but I never expected it to
happen."
Perhaps it was fate, or just some
fantastic synchronicity. While he initially went to L.A. to pursue his academic
career and check out the music scene, it wasn't long before he was introduced
to the guitarist Paco Arroyo, a master of Flamenco duende, who became a strong
and valuable mentor.
"I went to check out some clubs in
LA and met some players who suggested that I talk with Paco Arroyo who lives in
Glendale, CA," says SD. "So I called him up and started studying with him. It
was a serious eye-opening experience for learning flamenco rumba rhythms and
other techniques. Paco, yeah... those sessions made an enormous difference in
my playing." |
SD records with
Simon Phillips
"When I first started
lighting with Toto, I happened to show one of the crew guys my music. One day
with out me knowing he happened to play it for band. Later at a show in Salt
Lake City, Simon approached me backstage and said that he'd like to record me
at his home studio. I was very excited about the opportunity.
"I learned how to be
very particular about the tracks I was recording. How to make finished
professional tracks and not just demos. I loved his attention to detail in
every way. I learned how to be a better player with rhythm, timing and how to
listen carefully to certain instruments and lock in with them. Mike Porcaro
came in and played bass on the track "Cirrus" as well. I was very impressed how
Simon worked around the studio, not only being a legend in the drum world, but
also writing and playing keyboard parts to engineering and
mixing."
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