News & Updates

May 16th 2021 - Imran Mirza, of Blue-In-Green radio invited me to have a chat with him as part of the Blue-In-Green podcast series. We could have spoken for hours, and we almost did! Click to listen!
Blue-in-Green:PODCAST #87: Rico Garofalo of Lasperanza - Blue-in-Green:RADIO (blueingreenradio.com)


April 23rd 2021 - The official highlights of ‘Seeds Live’, recorded at The Hideaway, Streatham, London on July 4th 2019 are now available to watch here. Go to the top of the main page! It was a wonderful evening, made ever more special by the wonderful crowd - a huge thanks to all that came down back then!

April 18th 2021 - The wonderful Soulsista Andrea Robertson has invited me to join her on her Pure Soul show, this coming Tuesday evening, 20th April on Solar Radio, between 7 and 8pm. We’ll be discussing the new remix single of “It Should Have Been You” as well as other things Lasperanza!


April 16th 2021 - Silence on the website here, since last year but good news…

I was approached to do a remix of the first single from the album ‘Seeds’; It Should Have Been You. At first I wasn’t keen on the idea as the entire concept (as you’re likely to know if you’ve read this site and know the background to Lasperanza and Seeds) was based on the arrangements and live band feel. To do a remix would only make sense if it was to be vastly different again. Which I think you’ll agree it is.

It Should Have Been You - The Sunrise Mix - is released today. A dowmtempo vibe and feel…

Available at all the usual outlets and streaming site. Please go take a listen!

July 5th 2020 - On July 4th last year, Seeds was performed live to a wonderfully receptive and musical audience at The Hideaway in Streatham, London. If you were there, THANK YOU for coming to see ‘Seeds’ live.
One year later, we’re living in a world none of us expected, but one where musicians are having to connect virtually, recording and playing via online via Zoom and other similar technology. The collaborations have been great, but nothing replaces that human/musical interaction between people. It was partly this that made me dig out the mixing desk sound files (stems - as they’re called in the industry, a recording of each instrument and vocal fed through the mixing to desk so that the audience could hear the music) that were recorded, along with the official video of the evening taken by The Hideaway, and get mixing again. and working on a video to share with you all, of the one off event. It’s coming soon!


July 4th 2020 - Firstly, apologies for the silence on this site for the last 12 months. After the successful launch of the album and also post launch gig on July 4th, I took time out to travel with my family, and soak in everything
that had happened over the previous months. What took 5 years to make, ended in an emotional rollercoaster in many ways.

I’ve learned much about the industry over this period, and also the change in how music is received, appreciated (or not!), but more so how it is ‘consumed’. Life, itself, is a journey, not a destination. Part of these last 12 months have been spent deciding where the Lasperanza journey continues, and even if it was to…
I’ve decided it is, but ironically at a time where the world has changed, and where music and musicians (at least in the UK), are often taken for granted - fortunately, not by all. My own journey has helped me realise that music, in all its forms, is far more important than any of us may realise. I may expand on this in the future!

If you’re reading this, I’d like to think Seeds as an album has brought you here, or perhaps one of the singles? If so, I thank you for even taken the time to listen, and visit this site. If you’ve bought the album already, a heartfelt thanks. If you have included it on your playlists for streaming, again I thank you. It’s not a lie when independent artists say every little helps. It is your support that has helped me decide to pursue a second album…

June 3rd 2019 - ‘Seeds’ still at no.1 on the Solar Sweet Rhythms Chart after 4 weeks!

May 24th 2019 - ‘Seeds’ reaches no.3 on the UK Soul Chart

May 21st 2019 - After two great interviews/chats with both Gary Spence on Solar Radio and Tony Jay on Delite Radio last week (podcast links coming shortly), I’m delighted to hear that ‘Seeds’ is No.1 on the Sweet Rhythms Chart for a 2nd week!!! Thanks to all at Solar Radio who are supporting the album!

May 14th 2019

- “Seeds” is no.1 on the Solar Sweet Rhythms Chart!

May 13th 2019

- Soulandjazz.com makes ‘Seeds’ their SOUL album of the week.

May 12th 2019

- The infamous Jeff Young makes ‘Seeds’ album of the week on ‘The Journey’ - his unmissable Sunday morning/lunchtime show, on JAZZ FM.

MAY 11th 2019

- Tune in to David Lewis’ ‘The Saturday Selection’ show on Solar Radio - I’ll be discussing yesterday’s release of ‘Seeds’… The song choices, making of…. www.solarradio.com Listen via their website, their app or on TuneIn Radio.


MAY 10TH 2019

- Following the recent success of both singles ‘It Should Have Been You’ and ‘Working Day & Night’,
’Seeds’ the debut album by Lasperanza is released officially on Dome Records!

MUCH MORE INFO TO COME OVER THE NEXT SEVERAL DAYS - wonderful reviews of the album and also news on Lasperanza appearing LIVE at The Hideaway, Streatham on July 4th!

Lasperanza….?

It all started when…

The idea for “Seeds” was born many years ago, way before it ever started. Working as a musician since his late teens/early twenties, Rico hoped to one day record an album dedicated to his first true love in music; that of soul/jazz/funk.

Being a teenager in the south east of the UK during the 80s, having taken up saxophone, he turned the dial on the tuner to discover shows from now legendary DJs/presenters such as Tony Monson, Jeff Young, Robbie Vincent, Greg Edwards, John Leech and later Mike Chadwick... as well as discovering the early ‘pirate’ stations and the beginning of JazzFM. These guys, and others, started his education in the wonderful world of soul, jazz and funk - and continue to do so today. They literally sowed the ‘Seeds’.

Fast forward to 2014/15, having enjoyed many a year working with amazing musicians up and down the UK and internationally, he set up the Downlight Studio in Hitchin, and thought to himself, “Hey, I think it’s about time to start on that album I always wanted to record.”

Deciding which songs he wanted to record wasn’t easy, for there were many that he had a soft spot for from that 80s era, or that he first heard IN that era. The list started at about forty songs(!) but with careful consideration (and in some cases fate) he whittled it down to ten. However, he did not want to record straight covers of the songs. Instead, the aim was to arrange them differently, give them a twist, so to speak, but remaining in the same idiom and feel within the wide genre. In the end, the ones that did not make the list, still managed to influence the songs that did. For example, being a Tower Of Power fan, one song on Seeds was arranged with a huge slice of ToP ballad style influence.

Having worked with so many wonderful vocalists/musicians over the years, the aim was to invite as many as he could to help this album come to fruition. Thankfully, everyone approached (bar one vocalist who was not available at the time due to other commitments!) said yes to being involved. There are many others too that he hopes to take up on their kind offers, on a second album...

Via the path of social media, Rico became friends with Keni Stevens, the UK soul singer whose song ‘Cannot Live Without Your Love’ Rico recorded first for the album. Though never released, it received a wonderful response from DJs/presenters on their shows up and down the country. This in turn lead him to think that perhaps he should look at releasing this album generally to the public, for it was only meant to be a personal endeavour. Keni liked what Rico had done so much, thankfully, that he asked to be involved. It was a true honour having him involved, and singing the last song on the album.

Cutting an already long story short and moving to 2018, Rico met Peter Robinson from the famous independent label Dome Records in the Spring/Summer. Peter liked what he heard at that stage already....

And here we are in 2019. The first single, his version of the classic dance floor filler, “It Should Have Been You” by Gwen Guthrie, was released officially on March 1st, reaching no.2 and no.3 on the UK Soul and Sweet Rhythms chart, and no.1 on the Grenada Soul chart. The second single ‘Working Day & Night’ soon followed in its success (no.2). Now time to see how the full album does.