Over my protracted career onstage and in recording, I have had the privilege of working with not more than a handful of supremely talented artists. Rather than simply ‘musician’, I use the term ‘artist’ to describe Mario Monterosso. Not only is he a gifted musician, he is also a brilliant song arranger and record producer. Above all, what distinguishes him as an artist, is that mysterious innate sensibility that distinguishes all true artist and sets them apart beyond virtuosity. Mario Monterosso lives and breathes music, as he has done all his life. His mastery of any genre that he approaches, is uncanny. In his hands, the guitar sings as if it had a voice; it dances as if it had feet, and it flies as if it had wings.
The tones of Mario Monterosso are golden. Exceptional. Powerful, yet delicate and lyrical. When he plays guitar he plays directly to you. He looks at you straight in the eye. Nowhere else. Mario Monterosso is a team player. He knows the potential of a group is always greater than any one of its members. Onstage he never distracts the attention audience from focus on the totality of the band. He doesn’t have to because when he plays a solo, all eyes are upon him. He performs to the highest standard, night after night day after day; always conducting himself like the professional that he is in attitude, demeanor, and ability.
As a producer and as an arranger in the recording studio, Mario Monterosso possesses the understanding and the cognizance required to bring the personality, the soul, and the artistry of his colleagues to their finest expression. For him, this work is far more than a job. Rather it is the product of inspiration, of sensitivity, of craft, of dedication to that elusive spirit of creation. Personally, I have the utmost confidence in the talents of Mario Monterosso and in his devotion to all that really matters in music. Confidence in him like no other.
