Just the Facts, Ma'am ...

 

A concise read for the reporter on a deadline

 

Zupe is a multi-faceted artist, currently residing in Windber, Pennsylvania.  Better known for his Las Vegas-style solo musical shows, Zupe also composes music for the film and television industry.  His music has been featured on worldwide radio markets, including Philadelphia,  Toronto, New York City,  as well as cities in Europe. 

Zupe grew up in Cairnbrook, a small mining town in central Pennsylvania. He began trumpet lessons at the age of eight, which were then followed by many additional band instruments, including piano, his instrument of choice today. Throughout his school years, Zupe played in various band, orchestra, and choir ensembles, culminating in the Pennsylvania State Chorus in 1984. 

Following high school, Zupe enlisted in the U.S. Air Force and performed with the Sheppard Air Force Base Drum & Bugle Corps, rising through the ranks and becoming the student commander/director.  During his two-year tour in Germany, Zupe studied and apprenticed under Juilliard master composer, Paul Amrod. As a decorated sergeant, Zupe was honorably discharged from the U.S. Air Force in 1988 and started a one-man-band show. He employed computer sequencing, MIDI keyboards, and drum machines to perform pop music in the club scene.  Even now, Zupe continues to perform a one-man show, but instead of pop and current hits, the set list is more of a mid-20th century compilation … from Sinatra to Santana! 

Zupe’s music represents a smorgasbord of influences. One of his earliest musical memories harkens lyrics from Buffalo Springfield's For What It's Worth. "There's a man with a gun over there tellin' me I got to beware..." resonated with the youngster. Pop music on the radio filled Zupe’s childhood home during the day, while classical music on the living room record player enchanted his evenings.  It was the 1970s, variety shows dominated television, and Zupe loved them all. 

His formal music education began in elementary school. Zupe's teachers were cats from the big-band era and they instilled the love of that genre in him. He began to expand his musical palette and sought recordings by Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Bennie Goodman, Frank Sinatra, and Dizzy Gillespie. As a young trumpet student, Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass made quite an impression. Even today, Zupe performs many of those Herb Alpert tunes. His teenage influences expanded with artists like Elton John, Billy Joel, and Peter Gabriel as well as progressive groups such as Yes, Kansas, Rush, Genesis, and Emerson, Lake, and Palmer. Pink Floyd's The Wall was an album that Zupe played so much, he wore it out – twice! Elton John's double album, Blue Moves, also fell into the heavy rotation. Yet, despite such a wide array of musical styles, Zupe skillfully blended these diverse elements into a sound and style that's all his own. 

Zupe’s recorded work spans several decades beginning with a 1986 single release with his band, "Off the Wall," in Germany. In 1995, the American Red Cross adopted Zupe’s single, The Light, for use in its nationwide Disaster Relief Awareness campaign. Zupe’s 1998 piano instrumental album, Christmas Piano, has sold thousands of copies. Also in 1998, Zupe’s EP, Zupe du Jour, was released, catching the attention of music publisher Warner-Chappell and receiving radio airplay throughout the region. 

2007‘s Speechless received the most recognition of any project for Zupe, including a Grindie Award from RadioIndy.com.  Individual tracks received notoriety as well. Rib Joint spent 29 weeks at #1 on Broadjam’s Chicago Blues Chart while Step On It was nominated as 2011‘s Best Instrumental Composition at the Hollywood Music in Media Awards

Zupe released two additional solo albums in 2010 and 2011 that showcased his talents beyond jazz and blues.  2010’s Dance was created to provide new music for ballroom enthusiasts and demonstrates Zupe’s wide array of composition skill. It became so popular, that Zupe has become a leading voice in the production of ballroom dance music and regularly hosts ballroom dance Caribbean cruises on Holland America Line. 

Meanwhile, 2011’s Yuletides, provides unique arrangements of holiday favorites to accompany Zupe’s vocal prowess.  It was inspired by Zupe’s audiences wanting another Christmas album - one that he actually sings on! 

In recent years, thanks in part to his father playing accordion, and then performing with polka artist and accordion master Alex Meixner, Zupe has released a CD of original polka music, entitled Na zdrowie! (Nostrovia!).  It contains 15 tracks of mostly Polish-style polkas with modern writing and production techniques, while still acknowledging his own Eastern European heritage. 

Compositions and additional information on the artist can be found at his website www.zupe.net. Zupe is on Facebook (www.facebook.com/ComposerZupe), Twitter (www.twitter.com/ComposerZupe), and his music is available on most digital platforms.