User:Willy Sparrow

Willy Sparrow (a.k.a. Al Hofmann in the virtual world Second Life), was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in a family of musicians, and started to play the guitar at the age of six. At twenty he recorded his first album named Magic Band, released by I.O.N records. He has done session work with several well-known musicians in Buenos Aires.

Since arriving in Europe, in the late 80's he performed a lot of fusion and modern-jazz (among other styles) in Madrid, Barcelona, the Basque Country, not to mention his participation in various festivals: Gent, Oostende, Brussel, Lyon, Brighton, Hamburg, Ferrara, Ravenna, Sta. Sofia, New York, etc. In Amsterdam (home base) he played at the Bimhuis, Milky Way multicultural centrum, Tropen Museum (with ex-percussionist Osibisa Kofi Ayibor) and made a couple of programs for Marra TV and the Kunst channel. At the same time he produces music of his own and for other artists, using computer devices and Midi systems at his home studio.

At present he is gigging around performing material from his latest CD "The signs are everywhere" in which he introduces his Midi guitar playing and multilayered system, where different instruments sounds (using a midi guitar convertor) can be recorded in real time and played at the same time on the principal of accumulating musical phrases in a loop device.

A new approach to the "One man band"concept.