* Nino Ciampa’s Album ‘Sin Miedo al Éxito’ – A VERY Biased Review

On the TRRcollective label, released today.

I am the stepdad of Antonino Salvatore Ciampa (AKA Nino Ciampa) and this is my VERY biased review of “Sin Miedo al Éxito,” his debut album.

There are few things that you need to know about Nino. First, both of his parents (Leonardo Ciampa and Rebecca Cazabon) are also very musical, so he’s got good music genes! Second, Nino has been very serious about music for a very long time. He was six years old when we met, and this was what I’d call his post-Wiggles and pre-Big-Time-Rush phase! Third, Nino doesn’t take himself too seriously, which I think comes through in the fun cover photo on this album.

In the fall of 2014, at the start of 5th grade, Nino started out on saxophone (pictured above). Note his hat and infectious smile: Nino has been a performer since the very beginning! In 6th grade (2015-2016), Nino pivoted to percussion and would end up taking drum lessons from 6th to 12th grade. In 10th grade (2019-2020), during the COVID-19 pandemic, Nino used his shut-in time to write the fun and quirky “Perpetually 62” album, and if he were Tom Petty, this would be his Mudcrutch! From the age of seven to the end of high school, Nino took piano lessons. Sometime in high school, his “piano lessons” (taught by Yale Beebee) morphed into music arranging, composition, and theory. In parallel, Nino immersed himself in different styles of music, memorizing The Beatles catalog (and I do mean memorizing) and then the music of Buena Vista Social Club. Along his musical journey, Nino also sat in (on drum kit) and substituted for an entire gig (on rhythm guitar) for my classic rock cover band.

And while this is *technically* Nino’s first album (on a label, at least), he also has under his belt:

2020 “Perpetually 62” album (mentioned above)
2022 “Navidad Cubana” Christmas EP (on Apple Music)
2024 “Live in Washington D.C.” album by Nino Ciampa and the Hartt Salsa All-Stars (on Apple Music)

Now on to the subject album.

It is worth noting that I’m the only one in the family who does not speak Spanish, so the titles and lyrics are lost on me. Maybe that helps with this review, maybe not. I’ll let you be the judge.

All arrangements and orchestrations are by Nino Ciampa; all compositions and lyrics are by Nino Ciampa unless otherwise noted. Track listing below, comments [in brackets] are mine.

1. [VOCAL] Cierra Carmen (lyrics by Diego Fernández)
2. [INSTRUMENTAL] Defiéndeme Bien
3. [VOCAL, SINGLE] Chicharró
4. [INSTRUMENTAL] Cuban Suite for Oboe
5. [INSTRUMENTAL] Coming Down Hard (comp. Clifford Robbins-Sennewald/Mia Jacobs/Nino Ciampa)
6. [VOCAL] Descarga Nino Ciampa
7. [INSTRUMENTAL] Melody for Henry
8. [VOCAL] Reina Morales

One of the first things that I noticed is that the songs are a mix of (almost alternating) instrumentals and vocals.

Track 1, “Cierra Carmen” is a joyful upbeat piece that transports you to another place, another time. So fun! When Nino was in high school, his salsa big band would practice in our driveway (and occasionally gig in our back yard). Spoken words and sold horns on this one. This brings back so many good memories of those times!

Track 2, “Defiéndeme Bien” is an instrumental that features Latin percussion and the flute. It almost sounds like the theme song for a 1970s game show, and I mean that in the very best of ways! Very nice piano work on this track.

Track 3, “Chicharrón” is the album’s single. Crazy interesting chord progressions, tempo changes, and instrumentation on this one. You can clearly hear Nino singing, something that he worked on extensively while in college. I wonder how many takes it took to get this one right. A very fun final chord!

Track 4, “Cuban Suite for Oboe” highlights Nino’s creativity. When was the last time you heard “salsa” and “oboe” in the same sentence? A three-movement piece (starting with a cha-cha-cha, I believe), so don’t clap prematurely. Nino started his big-band phase in high school (and continued it into college), and I’m pretty sure that the band was never the same lineup twice. Nino would fill in the parts with whatever musicians were available.

Track 5, “Coming Down Hard” is awesome, probably my favorite track on this album. Coming in at an efficient time of 2:13, this funky tune could easily be a song that you’d hear on RadioParadise.com or other eclectic radio stations.

Track 6, “Descarga Nino Ciampa” sounds like it’s an improvised piece designed to introduce the band. Introduce the band it certainly does. But improvised it is not! This piece reminds me that I really must try to learn Spanish! Listen carefully as the drums move from one channel to the other during the intro. Makes you feel like you are there with the band! This is another “driveway” piece, if you know what I mean. Also a fun and rhythmic ending to this one.

Track 7, “Melody for Henry” appears to take its name inspiration from the works of jazz legend John Coltrane (think “Theme For Ernie”). This piece sounds like it is live from a Latin jazz club. Henry is the trumpet player on many of these tracks, so of course there’s a lot of trumpet in this one. Also excellent piano work.

Track 8, “Reina Morales” is a joyful conclusion to this album. Call and response, spoken parts, very upbeat! This also features Nino singing, but how he can sing and play complicated chords/rhythms simultaneously is beyond me.

I have said it before and I will say it again: Nino Ciampa is the most talented musician I know! And his talent is only eclipsed by his kindness, as he prefers to let others in his bands take the spotlight. This unusual combination of skills will take him far in life.

In short, Nino is awesome, and I’m proud to be his stepdad! Oh yes, and you should buy this album!