Maurice D'Abruzzo
D’Abruzzo is a musical family now in its 2nd generation. The irresistible combination of energy & experience is the reason why Maurice & Aaron D’Abruzzo are turning heads with their unique brand of latin soul - a saucy blend of latin rhythms, topped with sizzling rock n soul vocals. On hearing them for the first time, George Negus (legendary Australian TV presenter) declared: ’D’Abruzzo - they don’t come much cooler than that!’

Originally from Newcastle, NSW, Maurice D’Abruzzo spent his early professional years recording & touring nationally with pop/rock bands such as Eighty Eights and Getaway Plane, although his musical roots are predominantly in jazz, rock n soul, funk, gypsy & latin. During the 90s, Maurice concentrated on soundtrack work, including two songs for the Australian feature film Exchange Lifeguards, starring Elliott Gould & Julian McMahon, as well as the full score for the award-winning documentary The Amazing World Of Minibeasts, distributed worldwide by National Geographic. In 2005, Maurice returned to the original music scene as the artist D’Abruzzo, recording & releasing the critically acclaimed Cool Threads album - which DRUM MEDIA described as ’a heady mix of latin grooves, jazz licks, & sinuous funk’. The album was recorded on the GITLIX MUSIC label & distributed by MGM Distribution & iTunes. Guesting on several tracks was German-based acoustic guitarist Lulo Reinhardt, grand-nephew of gypsy icon Django - in early 2006, the duo embarked on an amazing mini-tour of Sydney & Melbourne, mesmerising packed houses with their unique electric/acoustic guitar interplay. They also released Freestyle, a compilation of their recent work.

A few months prior to that, D’Abruzzo turned in an inspired performance at the Darling Harbour Jazz Festival 2005. That performance earned them a return engagement at the festival in 2006.

On July 18, 2006, the band performed at The Basement, Sydney’s premiere jazz club, delivering a rich mix of latin/gypsy/jazz/pop - the music was recorded, & spawned the Live At The Basement album - which was released on iTunes in late November.

By mid-2007, new material & new blood was being introduced - & a NEW EP - WALK TIGHT - was released - exclusively on iTunes - this time featuring the funky bass & vocal of Aaron Dane D’Abruzzo. Aaron is the offspring of Maurice & was born & bred around music – in his Music HSC 2006, he made the NSW Honours List. As a child, he did modelling work, including a Paton’s Wool magazine feature.

As 2007 rolled on, D’Abruzzo signed a licensing deal with Eroica (US), which would make their music available in 144 territories worldwide - & so a new set of recordings began, with special guests James Valentine (saxophonist with The Models/Wendy Matthews, plus legendary ABC Radio host!) & Adrian Keating (first violinist with the Australian Opera & Ballet). On February 7, 2008, D’Abruzzo launched their new album, Up On The Beat at The Basement. By April, one of the tracks from the album, "Step Into The Light", had reached No 8 on the SLC National Chart.