By Jeff Krow
Jim Rotondi – 1000 Rainbows – Posi-Tone PR8062, 52:34 ****½:

(Jim Rotondi, trumpet; Joe Locke, vibes; Danny Grissett, piano; Barak Mori, bass; Bill Stewart, drums)

Jim Rotondi is one bad cat. He can purr on his trumpet or growl like a tiger on a hunt, whether with the collective hard bop super band, One for All, or in a quintet setting as a leader, like on his latest issue for Posi-Tone, 1000 Rainbows, where he is the sole horn. In his abilities, he so much brings to mind either Lee Morgan or Freddie Hubbard, as a take no prisoners trumpeter.

In a savvy move, Posi-Tone has paired Rotondi with vibes star, Joe Locke, on 1000 Rainbows, and the two make a great combination. Locke brings a sparkling sheen to the mix both comping behind Jim, playing his own glistening solos or teaming with pianist Danny Grissett, bassist, Barak Mori, and veteran drummer, Bill Stewart, to add percussion to balance Rotondi’s strut. Locke adds so much to a session lighting a fuse behind the other musicians and his effect is especially pronounced on both Grissett and Rotondi.

“Bizarro World” comes charging out as a strong opener. Stewart’s pulse bristles and Locke and Rotondi seem to be lit with energy. The Beatles’ “We Can Work It Out” features Locke, after the band plays several choruses of the familiar theme. Producer Marc Free and engineer Nick O’Toole again have the acoustics rock solid where Rotondi’s warm, burnished mid range talents are paired with well mixed drums, and crystal clear piano and vibe tones. Mixed and mastered at Studio 507 in Los Angeles, the acoustics are as good as you’ll find on conventional CD.

“One for Felix” initially has Rotondi’s presence felt center stage, but when Locke steps up. you immediately know he and Danny Grissett could have held the listener’s interest if Rotondi had sat out. The same could be said for most any track as the rhythm section is that tight.

Locke’s “Crescent Street” gave me a NOLA feel in its theme, and Joe really digs in mid track as the mallets fly. “Born to Be Blue” is a lovely ballad, and shows Jim’s tender side. You can imagine this tune being played late night on a third set, while looking out the window on a New York skyline. Bill Mobley’s “49th Street” benefits from Rotondi’s muted trumpet and Bill Stewart’s funky pulse. Bassist Barak Mori, gets some space to share the limelight with Grissett before Rotondi reasserts himself with Mori matching him with a steady bottom beat that he keeps up through Locke’s solo.

1000 Rainbows closes with “Not Like This” with a heavy-reverbed vibraphone from Joe teamed with Jim’s neoclassical horn lines. Just 2:49 in length it is a soft fade-out to the brightness of 1000 Rainbows. If only this light show could make its way across the country and not let the Big Apple get all the treats.

TrackList: Bizarro World, We Can Work It Out, One for Felix, 1000 Rainbows, Crescent Street, Born to Be Blue, Gravitude, 49th Street, Not Like This

By Dan Bilawsky

Trumpeter Jim Rotondi’s steady stream of solo albums and work with the collective supergroup One For All—along with his role as a jazz educator and Selmer clinician—have put him at the epicenter of the jazz world. For this, his third album on Posi-Tone Records, Rotondi rounded up some fellow Big Apple-based heavy hitters to join him, including vibraphonist Joe Locke and drummer Bill Stewart.

Rotondi tackles everything from The Beatles to Buddy Montgomery on 1000 Rainbows and, just like a rainbow covers a whole spectrum of colors, Rotondi spans a broad range of styles. “Bizzaro World” moves from a Latin groove to a double-time swing feel, introducing the trumpet and vibraphone frontline that is featured prominently throughout. “We Can Work It Out” touches on the popular Lennon/McCartney melody before moving on to serve as a platform for some impressive soloing. Locke has some rapid runs across the vibes, while Rotondi throws in a few tornado-tongued licks and pianist Danny Grissett reaches into his blues bag, during their respective solos.

Rotondi makes sure to throw a jazz waltz into the mix with his engaging “One For Felix,” while the title track—underscored by a hip, slow-strutting groove from Stewart and a bass line from Barak Mori that manages to be both nonchalant and full of attitude—proves to be an album highlight. Locke’s “Crescent Street” is full of tricky unison hits, and everybody, save Mori, gets some room to let loose. Rotondi and Locke have some terrific solo exchanges on “Gravitude,” while both Grissett and Stewart are superb in their solo spots. Rotondi provides some muted magic on “49th Street,” and Mori gets his only solo spot on the album.

While the trumpeter clearly excels on the livelier material, ballads also have their place. “Born To Be Blue” features some sensitive work from Rotondi and Grissett, but the all-too-brief take on “Not Like This”—with a gorgeous blend of vibraphone and trumpet that comes off as musical reverie—carries more impact.

In the end, this album is a story of numbers. Five superb musicians came together as one to create the nine tracks that make up the singularly superb 1000 Rainbows.

Track listing: Bizzaro World; We Can Work It Out; One For Felix; 1000 Rainbows; Crescent Street; Born To Be Blue; Gravitude; 49th Street; Not Like This.

Personnel: Jim Rotondi: trumpet; Joe Locke: vibraphone; Danny Grissett: piano; Barak Mori: bass; Bill Stewart: drums.
Read more reviews of 1000 Rainbows.

Jim Rotondi – 1000 Rainbows (2010)

by Pico

It must have been quite a journey for a life that started out in the wide open ranges of Montana and ended up in the hustle and bustle of the New York jazz scene, but trumpet player Jim Rotondi got there with an assist from the late, great trumpet player Clifford Brown. Playing at first the piano at age eight and then the trumpet at age twelve, when Rotondi got his first taste of the sweet sounds of Clifford a couple of years later, his life’s calling was cast. Having attended the highly regarded music program at the University of North Texas, Rotondi went on to win competitions and play in the bands of Ray Charles, Bob Mintzer, Lionel Hampton, Lou Donaldson, Charles Earland, Joe Chambers and Curtis Fuller. Nowadays, Rotondi leads his own group. Actually, two groups: an acoustic quintet featuring vibes player Joe Locke and an electric group. Rotondi also help to create the supergroup sextet One For All, where he shares a front line with Steve Davis and Eric Alexander.

Rotondi has been recording as a leader starting in 1997 and has released around a dozen albums. Next week comes his third for Posi-Tone Records, 1000 Rainbows. Rotondi goes with the quintet getup for this date, with Locke on vibes, Danny Grissett on piano, Barak Mori on bass and one of John Scofield’s favorite drummers, Bill Stewart, manning the kit. The mission for this record is not complicated: they are playing undiluted mainstream jazz in a tasteful, virtuosic fashion, using both Rotondi originals and some standards from a wide cross section of sources.

“Bizarro World” gets the proceedings off to a brisk start, where Rotondi’s polished and distinctive trumpet playing style is evident in both the theme and solo breaks. The 1965 Beatles hit “We Can Work It Out” is completely overhauled into a nice, mid-tempo groover, so much so that it’s not recognizable. Stewart’s drum work is exemplary throughout, and his shuffling, subtle multi-rhythms on this song exemplify why. The Buddy Montgomery tune “1000 Rainbows” is worth listening to for Rotondi’s warm, inviting tone alone.

On the quicker “Crescent Street,” Rotondi shows of some fleckless chops without pouring on too much flash, and for the evergreen Mel Tormé ballad “Born To Be Blue,” he plays with a cool sensibility that dances around the lyric lines in a fanciful way. In “Gravitude,” Rotondi engages in some lively call-and response with Locke, one of the rare instances I’ve heard one between a trumpeter and and vibraphonist. For “49th Street,” Rotondi, Grissett and Locke play the long, snaky bop line in unison, a startling display of unity. For the duo performance of “Not Like This,” Locke’s impressionistic vibes pulses are used as a backdrop for Rotondi’s inviting intonations.

With the introduction of 1000 Rainbows next Tuesday, Jim Rotondi gives us another reason to follow the career of this accomplished performer, composer and educator. This is a solid effort worthy of several spins.

cweeds.wordpress.com

Well we finally arrived after a much longer drive than necessary.  We went through Kamloops to get to Kaslo which our good friends at Google.com suggested was the quickest route.  I guess if everything goes as planned then it is the best way but a 2 hour ferry wait, terrible signage and by terrible I mean NO signage and many stop to find out where the hell we were going makes for a long journey. A 9 hour jaunt took about 12 hours.  We finally made it and everything is good!

The highlight listening wise for the trip was JIM ROTONDI’S 1000 RAINBOWS on Positone.  It took me a minute to get to it. The first attempt was foiled because despite listening on my iPod, the band leader insisted on having CHRIS POTTER’s ULTRA HANG cranked so I had to succumb to the volume and wait for a quieter moment to put on Rotondi’s new date.  It was well worth the wait.  Jimbo has the rhythm section all switched up for this date and although I can listen to Webber/Hazeltine/Farnsworth forever it was nice to hear some different cats behind Rotondi.  On drums BILL STEWART, bass BARAK MORI and piano DANNY GRISSETT and some very tasty work by vibraphonist JOE LOCKE.  I think I may have mentioned this in a previous post but Jim is always writing and is always making adjustments to his tunes.  During our tour in 2009 he was pulling out all kinds of tunes that he was thinking of playing on record dates to haer how they sounded and then the next time we would play the tune it would be  a little bit different.  He puts a lot of care and attention into his writing and it shows.  Finely crafted gems are featured throughout this record.  One For Felixis fantastic!  I really love the duo rendition of Not Like This.  It’s just Rotondi and Locke and they just play the melody.  In Jim’s words, “there isn’t really much else you need to do on this tune, playing the melody is a complete statement.” The lush sound of the vibraphone is behind Jim’s beautiful trumpet sound is phenomenal.  Danny Grissett (who will be at The Cellar in December with Jeremy Pelt) also shines throughout this date!

Okay, off the festival!