Tag: Jim Rotondi

Jim Rotondi – Blues for Brother Ray – Posi-Tone

A rather special addition to the Ray Charles tributes.

Jim Rotondi – Blues for Brother Ray – Posi-Tone PR8045, 52:01 ****1/2:

(Jim Rotondi, trumpet; Eric Alexander, tenor sax; Peter Bernstein, guitar; Mike LeDonne, organ; Joe Farnsworth, drums)

Jim Rotondi has always been one of my favorite young jazz trumpeters. His playing has added much to the super hard bop group, One For All, who are the closest thing to a classic Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers band for the new millennium. This reviewer eagerly awaits each One For All release as they bring a fresh approach to 50s-60s Blue Note quality hard bop.

When I heard that Rotondi had released a tribute CD to Ray Charles, I had hope that this would not be another rote addition to the numerous Ray Charles tributes that have inundated CD shelves at your local store. Charles was always loved and appreciated even when he rested on his laurels late in his career. With his passing, he has been re-appreciated for the genius that he was. Charles covered all the bases from R & B, soul, jazz, and even country. Few if any others can make claim to his fearlessness in bringing his soul touch to even the most mundane song. His numerous versions of “Georgia” will never be matched.

Rotondi’s paean to Brother Ray has all the elements of what is needed to pass the test. Of course, we have the Rotondi trumpet power, finesse with brashness. Who better to take on the requisite tenor sax post than Eric Alexander, who to me has taken on the leading role as young tenor becoming a fixture on the jazz scene, and likely to move into the future as “our” old school quality tenor for the newer generation of jazz fans. A smart choice was including Peter Bernstein to play guitar, as Peter is THE first choice jazz guitarist for a hard bop or soul jazz session. When Dr. Lonnie Smith comes calling for a guitarist, Peter is often his man, which is a compliment bar none. Mike LeDonne, who can equally shine on piano or organ, here gets to add the funk needed on organ.

Rotondi covers all Charles classics you’d expect from What’d I Say, Baby It’s Cold Outside, Cry Me a River, to, of course, Georgia. Each has a freshness, yet enough of a Charles read, that you can’t help cracking a knowing smile as you know that the inimitable Ray Charles would have given his head nodding approval.Posi-Tone is a relatively new label with less than ten releases. Jim Rotondi’s Blues for Brother Ray, will certainly have music lovers checking out their web site for other releases. A positive marketing move for Posi-Tone!

TrackList: What’d I Say, Baby It’s Cold Outside, Brother Ray, Cry Me a River, One Mint Julep, Makin Whoopee, Lonely Avenue, Georgia
-Jeff Krow

jazztimes.com

07/29/09 • Albums • By Susan Frances
Jim Rotondi
Blues For Brother Ray

Trumpeter Jim Rotondi pays homage to his mentor Ray Charles on his latest CD, Blues For Brother Ray out on Post-Tone Records. Joining him on the recording are Eric Alexander on tenor saxophone, Peter Bernstein on guitar, Mike LeDonne on organ, and Joe Farnsworth on drums. Rotondi’s recording is like the Bentley among blues jazz recordings, his lines are classy and finely polished with instrument parts adjusted to allot for just the right amount of wiggle room to make the ride nicely cushioned. The cruising tempo of the movements puts sleek curves in the tracks making for a listening experience that lets the audience savor every slow, sipping slurp of their drink, and enjoy the hydrating droplets caress their throat.

Rotondi’s trumpet has an upright posture that keeps these tracks feeling cheerful as LeDonne’s soft piano moans work as the base for Rotondi’s fanciful flights. The tracks meld into each other as if they are a visceral part of one another. Blues For Brother Ray is an album that requires the listener to consume it as a whole. Rotondi’s interpretation of some of Ray Charles’ best material including “Georgia,” “Cry Me A River” and “Baby It’s Cold Outside” display posh detailing as instrument parts are smoothly intertwined and sutured into lacy furls and vibrant knittings. The blues jazz gilding is welcoming on the ears using an application that creates a continental sound familiar to the global collective.

Making Ray Charles’ songs universally likeable seems easy since they are naturally catchy, but Rotondi also upgrades the tracks to sound modern using rhythmic patterns which infuse blues jazz aureoles with a refreshing glint. It helps that Rotondi has appeared on some seventy CD’s in the past, in addition to being a bandleader which has provided him with the sensibilities to not only remake Charles’ music but also to understand where Charles was coming from and where he wanted his songs to take audiences. Rotondi makes all of this possible on Blues For Brother Ray.

www.audad.com

A rather special addition to the Ray Charles tributes.

Published on June 16, 2009

Jim Rotondi – Blues for Brother Ray – Posi-Tone PR8045, 52:01 ****1/2:

(Jim Rotondi, trumpet; Eric Alexander, tenor sax; Peter Bernstein, guitar; Mike LeDonne, organ; Joe Farnsworth, drums)

Jim Rotondi has always been one of my favorite young jazz trumpeters. His playing has added much to the super hard bop group, One For All, who are the closest thing to a classic Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers band for the new millennium. This reviewer eagerly awaits each One For All release as they bring a fresh approach to 50s-60s Blue Note quality hard bop.

When I heard that Rotondi had released a tribute CD to Ray Charles, I had hope that this would not be another rote addition to the numerous Ray Charles tributes that have inundated CD shelves at your local store. Charles was always loved and appreciated even when he rested on his laurels late in his career. With his passing, he has been re-appreciated for the genius that he was. Charles covered all the bases from R & B, soul, jazz, and even country. Few if any others can make claim to his fearlessness in bringing his soul touch to even the most mundane song. His numerous versions of “Georgia” will never be matched.

Rotondi’s paean to Brother Ray has all the elements of what is needed to pass the test. Of course, we have the Rotondi trumpet power, finesse with brashness. Who better to take on the requisite tenor sax post than Eric Alexander, who to me has taken on the leading role as young tenor becoming a fixture on the jazz scene, and likely to move into the future as “our” old school quality tenor for the newer generation of jazz fans. A smart choice was including Peter Bernstein to play guitar, as Peter is THE first choice jazz guitarist for a hard bop or soul jazz session. When Dr. Lonnie Smith comes calling for a guitarist, Peter is often his man, which is a compliment bar none. Mike LeDonne, who can equally shine on piano or organ, here gets to add the funk needed on organ.

Rotondi covers all Charles classics you’d expect from What’d I Say, Baby It’s Cold Outside, Cry Me a River, to, of course, Georgia. Each has a freshness, yet enough of a Charles read, that you can’t help cracking a knowing smile as you know that the inimitable Ray Charles would have given his head nodding approval.Posi-Tone is a relatively new label with less than ten releases. Jim Rotondi’s Blues for Brother Ray, will certainly have music lovers checking out their web site for other releases. A positive marketing move for Posi-Tone!

TrackList: What’d I Say, Baby It’s Cold Outside, Brother Ray, Cry Me a River, One Mint Julep, Makin Whoopee, Lonely Avenue, Georgia
-Jeff Krow

www.jazzobserver.com

Jim Rotondi
Blues for Brother Ray (Posi-Tone)
www.jimrotondi.com

Rating:

This tribute to the late great Ray Charles brims with love and drips with soul. Rotondi’s rep as a post-bop trumpeter can obscure his rich credentials in the soul-jazz arena — he cut his teeth in Charles’ big band — and while he doesn’t try to imitate that iconic sound here, the spirit of Charles’s music easily merges with his own. Working with a cast of long-time familiars, Rotondi breezes through seven prime cuts from Charles’ repertoire and one catchy original by organist Mike LeDonne. But while the solos are lively and fetching — particularly in the leader’s swooping, firm-toned runs and guitarist Peter Bernstein’s cool bluesy glide, there’s a forced stiffness in some of the rhythms that undermines their charm, marching rather than swinging along. A couple more greasy jams like the on-target “Lonely Avenue” wouldn’t have hurt.

 

www.ejazznews.com

Trumpeter Jim Rotondi releases his second as album as leader on the Posi-Tone label adding to his credit of performing as a sideman on 70 recordings to date. This project takes on a special meaning for Rotondi as he pays humble tribute to his old boss and mentor, Ray Charles. Known in the jazz world as one of the better post-bop trumpeters around, Rotondi does not disappoint here producing one very fine session of jazz borrowing many standards and using a mighty quintet to pay due homage to “Mr. C.”
For a tribute album to Charles, Rotondi only uses one of the singer’s charts and that is the familiar “What’d I Say” which opens the music. Other standards making the mark here are Frank Loesser’s timeless “Baby, It’s Cold Out There,” Lou Donaldson’s Makin’ Whoopee, “One Mint Julep” and the classic “Cry Me A River.” Organist Mike Ledonne is prominent contributing one tune with the splashy “Brother Ray,” complete with heavy cymbal crashes from drummer Joe Farnsworth making this one memorable. Other members of the quintet not to be forgotten i s the incredible Eric Alexander providing the tenor work and Peter Bernstein completing the stellar rhythms on guitar.

Not a flashy or high-pitched trumpeter, Rotondi stays firmly grounded to the music venturing outside the normal range sparingly preferring to honor each piece with tasteful full-toned play.
An unselfish leader, the trumpeter provides ample space for his players to solo with gusto and so they do. Listen carefully and you can hear every player capturing their fair share of the lime light. Kudos to Jim Rotondi for he has fashioned one excellent tribute album with “Blues For Brother Ray,” engaging and quite sophisticated, this is one of the superior jazz projects out there.

Year:2009
Label: Posi-Tone Records
Artist Web: www.jimrotondi.com

jazz.about.com
Veteran trumpeter Jim Rotondi has been a fixture in the New York jazz scene for more than two decades. His clear, bold sound and polished soloing have been on display in such diverse groups as Lionel Hampton’s and Bob Mintzer’s big bands, as well as the powerhouse sextet, One For All, of which he is a co-founder. His most recent release, Blues for Brother Ray (Posi-Tone) celebrates the work of his early musical mentor and former boss, Ray Charles.

For jazz fans familiar with Rotondi’s playing, this album may surprise with its relaxed feel. The name of the game here is simplicity. Tracks such as “One Mont Julep” and “Lonely Avenue” deliver simple blues heads in unison, backed by sparse and repetitive accompaniment. Looking at the track listing, full of songs from Charles’ repertoire, this should not be surprising. Rather than viewing this album strictly as a jazz recording, it may best be seen as a jazz instrumental interpretation of soul and blues.

As such, this album is a success. Heads are delivered tastefully, and do not stray far from the feel of the originals with the exception of Rotondi’s fiery arrangement of “Georgia On My Mind,” taken at a tempo more akin to that of the fast-paced jazz standard “Sweet Georgia Brown.” The rhythm section offers disciplined accompaniment; Peter Bernstein’s guitar and Mike LeDonne’s organ never step on each other’s toes, and Joe Farnsworth’s drumming has an optimistic bounce.