ABOUT US

 A native of New York City, Angelo Ficara honed his skills as a guitarist and writer while working with bands and doing sessions in the New York metropolitan area. His album with Polydor records, recorded under the name Uncle Chapin and produced by Shadow Morton, was widely praised for exceptional musicianship and intricate, driving arrangements. Playing and touring in support of the record brought Angelo into contact with musicians who would play a major role in the next phase of his musical and personal journey, among them bassist Jimmy Haslip, who would later move to L.A. and co-found the band Yellowjackets with Russell Ferrante. After Uncle Chapin, Angelo and Jimmy joined forces in a band they called Captain Cook (a takeoff on musicians' slang for hot playing), and again as part of the backup band for R&B singer-songwriter Will Porter in San Francisco.
 

Around the same time, Angelo was approached by jazz trumpeter Mike Lawrence and asked to become part of a band called Eclipse that Mike was putting together in New York. It was an intense period of collaboration and inspiration that deepened Angelo’s musical vocabulary,  accelerating his development as a player and writer.

Angelo moved to the Mid-Hudson Valley and recorded “Middle Ground,” an LP of his instrumentals, which caught the attention of Tom Desisto, a composer, producer, guitarist, and owner of Desisto Music Studio in Woodstock, NY. Angelo and Tom assembled a group of talented musicians from the local jazz scene to form The Angelo Ficara Project. Their first EP, “Heard it From a Friend,” co-produced by Angelo and Tom, with mixes produced by Jimmy Haslip in L.A., was released in 2017. The EP showcased Angelo’s guitar work and unique writing style, with his signature blend of jazz, blues, funk, and ballads. The Angelo Ficara Project is composed of some of the best players in the Hudson Valley who elevate this music with their energy and spirit.