Pam Duronio & Tim
Stemper
Where voice & guitar meet with a most unique
interpretation of today's jazz
Pam and
Tim knew when they first met that they had a lot in common. Pam could sing
24 hours a day, constantly exploring new musical territory, and Tim loved to
follow her movements with a rich blanket of guitar chords punctuated by
alternating bass and melody lines. You can sense the musical passion when
you hear their artistic interpretations. Creative spontaneity during
rehearsal or performance is a practice they seem to thrive on . . .
rewriting and rearranging many of the songs they play. The idea of recording
their music was inspired by the encouragement of the fine friends Pam & Tim
made along their musical path.
Originally from Buffalo, New York, Pam started singing as a teenager in
various R & B, Soul and Mainstream venues while also studying classical
singing. During this period, she was introduced to recordings by
Ella Fitzgerald,
Billie Holiday and other legendary jazz
vocalists . . . whom she greatly admired. Their scat singing and vocal
nuances presented new options for Pam's learning foundation. You will hear a
blend of all these influences flowing throughout her singing while she
maintains her own unique vocal style and expression.
Tim
studied guitar privately as a young boy and became a professional musician
in his teens playing in and near his home town of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. His
diverse exposures range from Don Momblow,
Howard Roberts and Johnny Smith to
Eric Clapton and Carlos Santana. Tim has
a keen sense for rhythm which is why he gravitated toward playing hand
drums. Although he became adept at playing drums, he has limited
opportunities to do so. It seems he almost always has his hands on one of
his guitars! Later, he shared his musical life with other interests,
developing his knowledge of the real estate industry through home building
and brokering.
After meeting in a
rehearsal in Milwaukee, Pam and Tim combined their musical talents,
enthusiasm and love of music. They traveled together performing throughout
the U.S. and Caribbean as well as various Milwaukee venues. They eventually
settled in Milwaukee where they married and began a real estate brokerage
called Shelter
Real Estate while
continuing to pursue their music.
Their
2001 recordings, 'All
is Calm'
and
'Better
Than Anything',
are a true representation of Pam & Tim's live music performances. They
wanted their CDs to be as true to a live performance as possible. Tim,
however, took the initiative to play a few hand drum tracks for fun. During
live duo performances, Pam actually plays some percussion and bongos. Tim
stretches out on hand drums when he has more freedom during band
performances where there are other musicians to play the chords, bass and
melody.
Often
times, Pam & Tim like to invite other talented players to join them at their
performances. They are looking forward to featuring some of these fine
artists on future recordings so stay tuned for upcoming news!
Pam & Tim
are delighted to share the music they love and hope you experience as much
enjoyment while listening as they do while playing.
