JamPlay Member: nomadsplace

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Member Since:	Hidden
Name:
Sex:	Male
Location:	Los Angeles CA
Occupation:	Musician/Producer/Composer/Clinician
Website:	www.NomadsPlace.com
NOMAD’s musical style much like his Cuban/ Italian heritage is a hybrid of genres - Pop, Rock, Latin, Soul, Classical, Funk and Jazz. Although the guitar being his primary instrument, NOMAD is fluent in over 2 dozen stringed and fretted instruments. NOMAD's compositions are in circulation in over 300 TV shows, commercials, films, as well as chart topping albums. In his career he’s been fortunate enough to work with iconic composers such as, Danny Elfman (Men in Black 3), John Powell (Ferdinand, Happy Feet 1 & 2, Mr. & Mrs. Smith), and A.R. Rahman. As a coveted session musician, NOMAD’s most recent album credits include working with GRAMMY award winning producers and artists: Rodney Jerkins, David Foster, Walter A., Tommy Simms, Bernie Herms, Celine Dion, Aretha Franklin, Justin Bieber, Colbie Caillat, Josh Groban, Stevie Wonder, Sting, Toby Mac, and Leslie Odom Jr. While he remains an artist and composer first, NOMAD also operates as the music director and guitarist for Grammy-award winning producer and songwriter, Kenny Babyface Edmonds. Culminating a lifetime of experience, NOMAD’s latest endeavor is THE CAREER MUSICIAN; a podcast highlighting interviews with other industry professionals, providing insight and practical wisdom for the next generation of aspiring career musicians.

In a Band:	Yes
Skill Level:	Advanced
Guitar(s):	All
Amplifer(s):	All
NOMAD’S BULLET POINT TIMELINE What started off as a mere list has now been expanded with re-drafting/editing as I realize this could act as an auto-biography for me which describes my journey in music and tells the story of how I went from a kid with a dream, to actually realizing and fulfilling that dream, only to discover that I had a whole other dream at 35 which I decided to pursue! I think it can be a blog along the likes of "Nomads Inspiration Time Line" if you think that's a good idea? I'd like your thoughts on this….Or this could be the Foreword for my instructional book: The Career Guitarist So follow me??? It goes like this: IN THE BEGINNING - My dad always played guitar around the house while I was growing up - I swore I'd never play guitar like my dad when I was a little snotty-nosed brat - He bought me an electric guitar and amp with a lesson package, probably around 9 or 10 yrs old - Guitar ended up under the bed because the teacher was lame and taught me "Mary Had a Little Lamb" - Then it happened, my folks got cable TV! I saw Eddie on MTV it was 1984 and the video was "Jump" - The guitar came out from under the bed, the amp plugged in and I taught myself how to play - Then my dad noticed I was getting really good and offered to get me lessons again - This time we went to a cool guitar store down the street in Commack, NY (on Long Island where I grew up) - I still remember the name of the store - Focus II Guitars - I had an awesome teacher Greg (can't remember his last name). He taught me all of the Van Halen and other rock songs I wanted to know! - Dad also bought me my first distortion pedal. (guitar effect pedal aka stombox. See Nomad's Pedal Board Diaries) - With the new rig, new teach and tons of inspiration from Eddie, it was over. I was well on my way! - My dad's friends would come over to jam or just hang out and he'd show me off to them saying, "watch what my kid can do…" and I'd bust out with Panama, or anything else I was working on at the time and they'd get embarrassed and not want to play after that. I was about 13 at this point. - He always had other instruments around the house - drums, organ which I played constantly as well. IN THE MIDDLE - From private lessons with several teachers, I started becoming more aware of different genres and really broadened my palette, preparing for my future as a 'Career Guitarist'. - At some point my family relocated to Ft. lauderdale, FL from Long Island, NY to which I had no control over, or choice but to follow suit. It was there that I enrolled in Dillard high school of the Performing Arts which really prepared me for the career I would have. - Here I studied everything from jazz to classical to electronic music to advanced music theory and everything else in between. I credit all of the fantastic teachers I had while there to my success, however there was one in particular that was truly my beacon of light and inspiration, Daryl Kunesh. Although Daryl is no longer with us, his legacy is felt and heard throughout the world in all of the students lives he's touched over the years. Mr. Kunesh really prepped me for what would be awaiting me out there in the real world of this music biz, and for that I am eternally grateful. - At this point, I had all of the necessary tools, put my 10,000 hours or preparation/practice in, and was ready to get a gig! - And thanks to another good friend, I was able to do just that. I was the guitarist in the 'top 40 house band' for a famed club in Ft. lauderdale beach - Septembers. We played 5, 40 minute sets a night, (6 on Saturdays) 6 nights a week for 3 years. You name it, anything and everything from Prince, Madonna, and Sting, to every Motown song imaginable, to the swing classics from the 40's, all the way to the House movement and yes even it's predecessor, Disco! - This training was invaluable to my musical growth, knowledge, and probably most important my social skills and onstage charisma. If you can get a gig like this, I urge you to do so! Trust me, it's worth every hard long hour of schlepping gear and learning the hottest chart toppers of the era. - Rockstar by night (well, at least a local guitar mini-hero of sorts) and devout student by day. I would play from 9pm-2am every night with the band and practice from about noon to around 6pm-ish every day in my bedroom, just as when I was an adolescent punk. - These were the true years of cultivating my craft to its finest, sharpest, and most learned state. To this day, I look back on those years and wouldn't trade them for a million dollars! - After plateauing in my little neck of the South Florida region, I decided in order to be the true session/touring guitarist that I aspired to, it was time to move to the big city. No, not NY (which seemed like a logical choice being that was my home), not even LA (gosh that seems so scary at 20 years old), but I chose Nashville. Well, Nashville kind of chose me as I knew two friends living there who were actually in the biz practicing their craft successfully as I had hoped to do. - And so it was, as I settled into the new scene where I literally became the smallest bait fish in an ocean full of Great Whites, I had to start over. Literally. I worked in a bagel shop from 5am till noon, then went home and did guess what? Practiced! - Eventually I met some really cool people who liked my style of playing and I got some really wonderful gigs. One of which was with my favorite saxophonist to this day, Kirk Whalum. - A handful of years doing session work, coupled with lots of weekend touring dates, I was well on my way to achieving my dream of being the Career Guitarist I had always aspired to be. - And of course as my Nomadic tendencies led me, I felt the urge to go west and take my love for Latin music and Spanish/Flamenco style guitar to the big screen! LA landfall, 2005! - After playing on several box office hits, and hundreds of tv shows, I was now in the drivers seat to which I had truly aspired to be in all of these years. - But wait, there's more! Around my mid-thirties I realized that I really wanted to sing all of the songs I had been writing in the privacy of my various home studios all of these years. Which brings me to the next chapter of the story.... THE END??? - Now as I aspire to balance my new set of goals while maintaing a semi-normal family life, I am constantly reminded of the fact that.... - It's about the journey and not the destination. So now I'm living in the moment, grateful for the career I've had thus far and for the career I have yet to experience in the future. - I am content in knowing that I don't have to be famous to be successful. - I also strive for the perfect balance between Nomad the artist, composer, producer, & professor. I enjoy each and every aspect of these entities and each of them have their own set of challenges that always keep me striving for perfection of my craft. MUSICAL INFLUENCES: It started with guitar players, then branched out into bands. All of this happened in steps as I was growing, discovering, and learning new music. I'll break them down by genre and put them in a sort of chronological order. My initial rock roots: Eddie Van Halen Steve Vai Joe Satriani Paul Gilbert Yngwie Malmsteen U2 Branching out to Jazz Fusion: Al DiMeola Mike Stern Pat Metheny Alan Holdsworth Then finally to pure Jazz/Bebop: Wes Montgomery Charlie Christian Pat Martino George Benson Joe Pass Furthers my Jazz studies while simultaneously delving into Classical guitar: Andre Segovia Christopher Parkening Nato Lima Sharon Isbin Then I found inspiration from R&B/Funk with bands like: Rufus Earth Wind & Fire Ohio Players P-Funk Then, full circle I went back to my Latin roots: Paco DeLucia Trios Los Panchos Buena Vista Social Club Strunz & Farah Gypsy Kings Then, it was an all-out assault on everything guitar-related regardless of genre so I could follow my dream. Which was to be a studio/touring guitarist! What I now refer to as a Career Guitarist! (which btw, will be the title of my book/online tutorial that we will hopefully release late 2014 - The Career Guitarist, by Michael 'Nomad' Ripoll) So at that point in my life, (I was around 15/16) I realized that in order to fulfill my dreams I had to model myself after the ones who had come before me in this capacity and trace their footsteps. As such I did…the players that were inspirational in this fashion were: Tommy Tedesco - One of the most recorded guitarists in history! If you ever watched The Brady Bunch, or Three's Company or any TV show and/or Film from the 1950's-late 70's, then you've heard Tommy's playing! Larry Carlton - LA session ace turned solo artist Lee Ritenour - LA session ace turned solo artist Steve Lukather - Founding member of the hit band Toto in the 80's and session ace eventually turned solo artist. Paul Jackson Jr. - RnB session ace who still rocks every TV show imaginable including a seat in the house band for the Tonight Show Band with Jay Leno. Now it's an eclectic mix of everything that has ever inspired me from the early days when I was 12 years old and saw Eddie on MTV which inspired me to pick it up, to my Latin roots, Classical training, Funk explorations and everything else in between.

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