The Essence of Music

They say that music is the international language, but what is music?

For the Bergantino-Bredice family, music was the family business.

In terms of what kind of music you listen to, my father, Dan Bergantino, always told me, "If you put shit in, shit will come out!" That is, it will reflect when you play music.

My cousin Louis Bredice told me, "When I first started playing Jazz, I played a lot of notes. Then I realized that all I needed were the right ones."

My cousin Freddie Bredice had the fastest technique on guitar I had ever seen. The first time I met him was on a gig in 1967. His speed was blinding, faster than a speeding bullet! I was leaning against a wooden beam next to him, and when he finished, I said, "You must be cousin Fred." He said, "Yeah, I don't play chords! It fucks up your hands!"

Freddie was one of Joe Diorio's guitar teachers, and Joe said he still has nightmares about Freddie's speed! Joe was known as the best jazz guitar player in the world of guitar players. I got him to play songs again in a CD entitled Falling in Love where I played mandolin, and Joe accompanied me on guitar. This CD can be purchased from orchard records.com and amazon.com.

This is a multi-purpose book, just like the previously published book entitled "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance," which had more to do with human growth than motorcycle maintenance. This book is a natural model for how musicians, as human beings, deal with each other, thereby providing a baseline for humans in answering Shakespeare's question, "To be or not to be!" Further, this book is substantive and full of depth, enough to be used in music schools no matter what musical genre since it focuses on musicality, pure sound, the art of musicality, and peace. It can be utilized in the psychotherapeutic arts, and its content is healing in nature.

The Reverend Dr. Len Bergantino
Professional Musician from 1196-2012
(Age: 56-70) Musician's Local 47
American Federation of Musicians