Lou Volpe may be the Bronx's best-kept secret, but for over two decades, Country Club's own Lou Volpe has been playing guitar for some of the finest musicians in the annals of music. Entertaining dedicated fans at the landmark Gino's Café in The Bronx, the restaurant that played a role in the film A Bronx Tale, Volpe has also returned to the recording world with a CD worth boasting about entitled, simply, Can You Hear That?

     Volpe has played for such entertainers as Judy Collins, Harry Chapin, Richard Harris, Peggy Lee, Bo Diddley, Liza Minelli, Bette Midler, Herbie Hancock and Roberta Flack. He even released his own CD, Morning Madness, which received a lot of airtime on European radio stations. Born in The Bronx and a product of St. Benedict and St. Raymond schools, Volpe always wanted to be a musician, learning the keyboard and the guitar at a young age.

     "As a kid, I wanted to play the banjo," said Volpe. "The instrument fascinated me. I went to Vinny Roberts on Castle Hill and Westchester avenues, the main place to go to play music in the Bronx at that time. They did not have a banjo so the teacher told me to just learn guitar and work my way up to banjo. The guitar was a perfect instrument because it was a lead instrument and was very versatile, so in retrospect, it may have been beneficial to me to have not been able to take banjo lessons. Who knows, I could have been the premiere banjo player and started a whole new thing."

     Volpe stuck with the guitar, playing performances at high school dances and onto college where he studied at Juliard School of the Performing Arts. He then began traveling with performer Peggy Lee in the '70s and has been professionally involved with music ever since. "I did a lot of session work in the '70s and '80s for various musicians," he said. "Most of my work came from word of mouth. Word got around that I was the person who could handle any situation and different musical requirements. This work was a great learning experience. A musician should study and become well versed in different styles of music to help them find their own musical personality."

     Volpe found his voice with a mix of jazz and soul performances with some rock, R&B and Latin influences thrown into the mix. Can You Hear That? prominently features contemporary jazz music, the kind Volpe feels could lead to some success on local radio stations. "I am hoping for a type of station like (New York's) CD 101.9 to pick up this music," he said. "I think it would do well there. I have already gotten a good response from people who have heard the CD and now I want the music to reach a wider audience. I still really enjoy listening to the CD. It is something that is both relaxing and exciting at the same time. My two favorite songs are the title track and a cover of Sam Cooke's You Send Me, but I am really proud of the whole CD. I think audiences will like all the tracks and I hope to be on the radio for them to hear me throughout the year."

     Volpe also hopes his latest work will land him a spot writing soundtracks for films. The Country Club performer even has a studio where he can perform these songs, built in the basement of his apartment where he recorded his latest CD. Volpe hopes to use this studio more and more to create future recordings and to train other musicians from the borough. "I want to open an institute for advanced guitar studies in the studio at my house," he said. "I want to give back to other musicians and the Bronx has some great talent. There are a couple of great people from Schuylerville Music Center right in our own backyard. I find that it is a learning process for me as well to show them what I do. It is like giving myself a class. Music is a constant learning experience that you can share with others."

     Volpe is sharing that talent in various concerts and a possible future cable television project, but would also like to produce other bands. He has most recently worked with Angel Rose, who sang with Bruce Springsteen and produced a few tracks in his studio for the talent. Volpe also plans to tour throughout the United States and beyond, but in the end, it all comes back to the Bronx.

     "I do a lot of work in other places, but I am always very inspired by playing in the Bronx," he said. "The Bronx is my home, where I feel really comfortable. I hope to become successful enough to have a hacienda in Hawaii, but I will always have a home in the Bronx."

     Volpe's latest CD is a great CD to listen to while working, reading, studying or just relaxing. Volpe is an excellent guitarist whose versatility are really showcased on this CD. While not really my cup of tea (I need vocals in my music), but for those in search of a new wave of jazz music should do themselves a favor and snatch this CD up.

     Send your comments and or questions about this article to JMinners@ybfree.com.

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