VIDEO: Ricardo Iamuuri

Ricardo Iamuuri

— “Imperial Sugar”

Pittsburgh's @ricardoiamuuri urges listeners: "Don't refine your shine." Indeed.

Good and interesting work is happening everywhere.  Sometimes it’s too easy to get very NY-centric or, even, Brooklyn-centric.  Fact is, it’s what happens when you live at the center of the known universe.

That was a joke, people.

Seriously, I’ve said for years that folks are creating all over the place: NYC, ATL, Nairobi, London, Oakland, Johannesburg, and Pittsburgh, where I went to college.  Even when I was  there, the city had a strong and growing decent music scene, most of which I remember as indie rock (we called it “new music” back then).  Which brings us to Ricardo Iamuuri, who was recently brought to my attention by video artist Alisha Wormsley, a friend of the talented Christiane D.

Of course, I start watching this video, Ricardo starts singing and I’m immediately struck by how much he reminds me of vocalist Dean Bowman.  Both are artists are heavily influenced by Negro Spirituals, but Dean plays much more on the avant-garde end of things.  Ricardo’s music, his bio says, “rests firmly upon the foundation of traditional folk music.  His primary influence came through Negro Spirituals sung a cappella by his family choir, “The Gift of Song,”  but the inspiration of musical theatre, urban blues, R&B, soul and classic hip-hop is evident throughout his work.”

Definitely someone to watch, and a great example of the creativity that’s flourishing in Pittsburgh, along other artists such as rapper and activist Jasiri X, rap-rockers Formula 412 and the aforementioned avant art songtress Christiane D.

 

via boldaslove.us

 

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Conversations w/ Shepherds, Sheep, Guinea Pigs, and Monkeys... Nursery Rhymes For The Underfed Minds Vol. 1 by ricardo iamuuri

 

What's in a name? Well, according to Ricardo Iamuuri, everything! The title of his first conceptual album deserves a little unpacking. It’s not a conceptual album musically, rather the title alone sets the tone and the standard for what is expressed lyrically, allowing Ricardo to approach his subjects and songs with an acute awareness and a provocative delivery. 

The four mentioned characters are likened to Jungian archetypes. They are representatives or guides of human behavior and psyche, all carrying with them a sort of ancient collective symbolism. They become the puppets for Ricardo’s play, not in the sense that they have their own personalities and distinct voices but in the reflective light of perspective. The Shepherd clearly assumes the leadership role (religious figures, teachers and politicians), The Sheep represent an assortment of followers, passive and aggressive (even the rebel is consider to be a sheep, according to Ricardo), and The Guinea Pigs and The Monkeys symbolize a kind of dangerous gullibility and an entertaining new form of prostitution and slavery. Ricardo Iamuuri is not averse to owning all of these various characteristics, and he readily admits they make up his personal understanding of self. 

The latter portion of the title simply explains the recurring theme consistent in the majority of his work, a balance between levity and gravity, knowing and believing, the child and the adult. In essence, Conversations w/ Shepherds, Sheep, Guinea Pigs, and Monkeys: Nursery Rhymes For The Underfed Minds....Vol. 1 is a window to the quiet conflict of a thoughtful human being determined to know freedom firsthand by way of embracing all of his natural limitations.

credits

released 25 May 2012 
all sounds created by: ricardo iamuuri