Tag: Mike DiRubbo

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Audiophile Edition review of Repercussion

by Jeff Krow

Mike DiRubbo – Repercussion – Positone Records PR8051, 55:10 ****:
(Mike DiRubbo, alto sax; Steve Nelson, vibes; Dwayne Burno, bass; Tony Reedus, drums)

Positone Records, a new jazz label out of Los Angeles, has certainly hit the ground running. They are signing some of the best young jazz talent, mostly in the bop and hard bop vein. We’ve previously reviewed Positone releases from trumpeter Jim Rotondi and saxophonist, Ralph Bowen. Positone just recently signed B-3 organist, Sam Yahel, as well. You can add alto saxist, Mike DiRubbo, to their roster and it’s an excellent move. DiRubbo, whose playing brings to mind Jackie McLean, previously recorded for Criss Cross and Sharp Nine.

His new CD, Repercussion, is made up of a quartet featuring the great vibist, Steve Nelson, a regular member of Dave Holland’s group, and bassist Dwayne Burno. This 2008 recording also featured drummer, Tony Reedus, who sadly passed away last year from an embolism at the young age of 49. It was a terrible loss for the jazz community as Reedus was a first call New York drummer, who had several CDs as a leader for Criss Cross. It’s hard enough to lose our jazz favorites at older ages, but to lose one such as Reedus, in the prime of his life, is especially devastating.

The sympathetic pairing of vibist Nelson with DiRubbo makes for a great interaction. On the title cut, DiRubbo brings to mind Coltrane, and Nelson’s vibes provide an intriguing foil to Mike as they brighten up the mix. Engineer, Nick O’Toole, has done a great job bringing out the full flavor of ring of the vibe tones.

DiRubbo wrote seven out of the nine tracks on this CD. Brubeck’s The Duke is one of the two tracks Mike adds to his own compositions. It shows off Mike’s lyrical abilities, and Nelson again comps nicely. Lunar follows and you can feel the drive that Reedus brings to the quartet, with Mike bringing some great bop lines. Highbridge Lullaby, is very special and at only 3:38, one wants a bit more of this lullaby.

Nightfall and Déjà Vu continue in this warm vein, as DiRubbo combines both warmth with a keening searching edge that was a specialty of Jackie McLean. Both invite close listening. Nelson is always right there to provide fills and sparkling solos. Too Late Now is a ballad in which the simpatico of Mike and Steve is shared. It would make great late night listening. Nelsonian, written by DiRubbo for Nelson, lets Steve have free rein and he brings to mind Milt Jackson, with his command of his instrument.
I’m hopeful that DiRubbo will keep the vibraphone in his future recordings – (an invitation to Joe Locke?) – as Repercussion has such a great alto/vibes communication. This CD keeps the winning Positone streak alive.

TrackList: Repercussion, The Duke, Lunar, Highbridge Lullaby, Nightfall, Déjà vu, Too Late Now, Nelsonian, Pisces Rising

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another jazzreview.com review for Mike DiRubbo “Repercussion”….

www.jazzreview.com

Year: 2009

Record Label: Posi-Tone Records

Style: Straight-Ahead / Classic

Musicians: Mike DiRubbo (alto saxophone), Steve Nelson (vibraphone), Tony Reedus (drums), Dwayne Burno (bass)

Review:

Not only does everybody have to be someplace, everything comes from someplace. Getting specific, NYC alto saxophonist Mike DiRubbo is an acolyte of the late great alto icon Jackie McLean—but he’s no imitator/knockoff, or one of these 1980s-type “jazz suits” that’s intent on reliving an idealized past (i.e., Blue Note and Prestige circa 1954-1966). DiRubbo has a wide, hearty sound and a tart, acidic tone similar to/inspired by that of McLean, but his style of spinning-out elegance, yet pointed improvisations, is closer to that of Art Pepper (Ah, imagine if McLean and Pepper had recorded together…but I digress). Also, DiRubbo has a touch of “the romantic”—McLean was a lot of (great) things, but I don’t think he’ll go down in history as one of thegGreat romantics of the sax—just listen to the way he caresses the melody (occasionally adding just a touch of joyful swagger) on the too-short “Highbridge Lullaby.” (Why’d it fade-out so soon?) DiR can get edgy with ease (without going all histrionic), such as on the controlled burn of “Nightfall.”

Another thing making Repercussion stand out from hundreds of other assorted hard/post bop releases is the absence of piano. Instead, Steve Nelson plays vibes with a slightly brittle, more-dense, less-buoyant tone, with faint echoes of Milt Jackson and Blue Note–era Bobby Hutcherson. The rhythm team of Dwayne Burno and the late Tony Reedus is tight, forceful (without being overbearing) and on-the-money throughout. Further, DiRubbo & company doesn’t trot out the same old overdone standards they could’ve played in their sleep—this set of nine tunes contains seven memorable DiR originals. While not a masterpiece, Repercussion is one darkly dazzling gem of an album.

Record Label Website: https://www.posi-tone.com

Artist’s Website: http://www.mikedirubbo.com

 

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honesttune.com review of Mike DiRubbo “Repercussion”…

www.honesttune.com

Mike DiRubbo : Repercussion PDF Print E-mail
Written by Fred Adams
08/09/2009
On his latest release, Repercussion, Mike DiRubbo steps out from his frequent roll as sideman and unleashes a flurry of ambitious original material, serving notice that the time for the world to recognize his vast talent is now at hand.  From the opening title track through the last note of the set closing “Pisces Rising,” DiRubbo’s rich alto sax sound is reminiscent of two of the instruments’ most famous purveyors, Charlie Parker and Jackie McLean.

A straight-forward jazz player, DiRubbo is joined on Repercussion by his long time rhythm section of Tony Reedus (drums) and Dwayne Burno (bass), as well as Steve Nelson on vibraphone. In addition to DiRubbo’s original tracks, the quartet also offers a delightful take on Duke Brubeck’s classic jazz standard “The Duke.”

 

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jazzreview.com write-up for Mike DiRubbo “Repercussion”….

www.jazzreview.com

CD Title: Repercussion

Year: 2009

Record Label: Posi-Tone Records

Style: Straight-Ahead / Classic

Musicians: Mike DiRubbo (alto saxophone), Steve Nelson (vibraphone), Tony Reedus (drums), Dwayne Burno (bass)

Review:New York City-based alto saxophonist Mike DiRubbo is a busy session artist, recording for the Criss Cross and Fresh Sounds record labels. He’s also performed and recorded with trombonist Steve Davis and many others of note. Here, on his second solo effort, DiRubbo transmits an authoritative presence and enjoys a fruitful relationship with fellow frontline soloist and vibist Steve Nelson.

From the opening moments of the first piece “Repercussion,” it becomes evident that DiRubbo possesses a get-up-and-go demeanor via his buoyant line of attack, spiced with verve and a robust tone. Coupled with fluent lines and a few technical nods to John Coltrane, the artist snags your attention, and sails through these largely, original pieces with equal doses of fire and grace.

Nelson often bobs and weaves around the saxophonist’s fluent lines. They trade hearty fours and venture into bop territory as well. No doubt, the twosome generates an abundance of expressive and at times, yearning choruses as the leader frequently executes tension and release statements. However, the quartet softens the flow with the standard “Too Late Now,” sparked by DiRubbo’s drifting and smoothly crafted notes.

DiRubbo is very impressive on this sprightly 2009 studio date, featuring bassist Dwayne Burno and the late drummer Tony Reedus. You won’t find any filler material or wanton soloing jaunts. It’s more about music with a purpose, due to the band’s tightly focused gait amid DiRubbo’s lyrically resplendent theme-building applications.

Record Label Website: https://www.posi-tone.com

Artist’s Website: http://www.mikedirubbo.com

Reviewed by: Glenn Astarita

 

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Posi-Tone Records: More Home Runs with Mike DiRubbo, Ralph Bowen, Sean Nowell

www.allaboutjazz.com

If Posi-Tone Records was a major league baseball team, it would be at the top of its division. So far in 2009, the label has had big wins with Sam Yahel‘s piano trio debut Hometown and guitarist Yotam Silberstein‘s overall debut Next Page, not to mention former Ray Charles sideman, trumpeter Jim Rotondi‘s heartfelt tribute to his former leader, Blues for Brother Ray.

Now Posi-Tone sends three sax players—two tenors, one alto—to the plate, and the result is back-to-back-to-back home runs.
Mike DiRubbo
Repercussion
Posi-Tone Records
2009

Choosing vibraphonist Steve Nelson for a primary foil may not be exactly traditional, but Mike DiRubbo (the aforementioned alto player) most certainly is. That’s not surprising, given that his mentor and instructor was Jackie McLean. There’s never a sense of struggle or angst in DiRubbo’s approach, even though lively originals like “Lunar” and the title track offer opportunities for such expressions. Instead, DiRubbo projects a marvelous sense of self-assurance as he happily shares space with Nelson. In turn, Nelson practically glows with lyricism on Dave Brubeck‘s “The Duke” and takes a well-deserved spotlight on the soaring “Nelsonian.”

Repercussion was the last session Tony Reedus worked before his untimely death in 2008, and the drummer couldn’t have left a better impression. His foundation work and interplay with bassist Dwayne Burno is flawless, and Reedus’ out-solo on the title track rolls and thunders over Nelson and Burno’s relentless vamp. DiRubbo’s been playing and recording for over 15 years, so he’s no rookie. That said, there’s a youthful exuberance underlying DiRubbo’s classic approach, and that’s the kind of spark jazz needs to keep moving in the 21st century. Repercussion has no frills—that is, there is no wasted motion or unnecessary histrionics. It’s just good clean jazz, and the 21st century needs that, too.

Ralph Bowen
Dedicated
Posi-Tone Records
2009

Ralph Bowen‘s best quality as a tenor player is said to be his “casual perfectionism.” Maybe that’s true, but there’s nothing casual about Dedicated, a collection of musical shout-outs to the mentors that helped shape Bowen’s sound and career—a roster that includes Eugene Rousseau (one of Bowen’s instructors at the University of Indiana) and legendary saxman (and fellow Canadian) Pat LaBarbera. Rousseau’s tribute, “E.R.,” features Bowen in the clear, playing mournfully longing saxophone guaranteed to break hearts, while “Pat” has bassist John Patitucci flying acrobatics as drummer Antonio Sanchez serves up a juicy counter to Bowen’s cascading solo. That this music is about people that matter to Bowen can’t be disputed; “casual” doesn’t enter into the equation.

Bowen’s foil—guitarist Adam Rogers—evokes Charles Lloyd‘s partnership with John Abercrombie in the late 1990s. Rogers eschews laser-guided effects in favor of a traditional approach that buoys the session. His passion on “Canary Drums” accentuates Bowen’s estimable presence; and Rogers jumps and shouts on “Qaiyam” while Patitucci thoroughly crushes the hard-bop bass line. Bowen teams with trumpeter Sean Jones on the appropriately titled “Mr. Bebop” to bring sparkling colors to the best track on the disc. Unfortunately, while all the music on Dedicated is terrific, Jones’ cameo on “Bebop” begs the question whether he could have made the other tracks sound even better.

Sean Nowell
The Seeker
Posi-Tone Records
2009

Instead of The Seeker, Sean Nowell could have used “New York Vibe” as the title for his second Posi-Tone disc. The blistering opening track oozes Big Apple attitude, though not from the current century. The feeling is closer to a mid-20th century Apple, with Checker cabs flying across the Brooklyn Bridge and candle-lit supper clubs thick with cigarette smoke. Nowell’s bold, snarling tenor could have easily come from that era, and Art Hirahara’s percussive piano is just as muscular. Together they bring an uncompromising East Coast mindset to flame-throwing Nowell originals and timeless standards.

It’s not all strolls down the sidewalks of Noo Yawk. Cellist Dave Eggar sends the East Coast vibe into a Middle Eastern direction with a mystical version of the Yiddish traditional “Oy Matze Matze.” Eggar also brings out the loss in a melancholy opening section of Lennon & McCartney’s “I Will,” and contributes exquisite harmony to to Nowell’s own “Jamie’s Decision.” (Nowell takes the harmony a step further by double-tracking himself on flute.)The Seeker is like a Mariano Rivera fastball: it flies right down Broadway, daring anyone to try and lay a bat on it. That won’t happen, because there’s nothing to do but nod in admiration as the ball flies by, straight and true.

Tracks and Personnel

Repercussion

Tracks: Repercussion; The Duke; Lunar; Highbridge Lullaby; Nightfall; Deja Vu; Too Late Now; Nelsonian; Pisces Rising.

Personnel: Mike DiRubbo: alto sax; Steve Nelson: vibes; Dwayne Burno: bass; Tony Reedus: drums.

Dedicated

Tracks: Canary Drums; Pat; Qaiyam; Mr. Bebop; Prof; E.R.

Personnel: Ralph Bowen: tenor sax; Adam Rogers: guitar; John Patitucci: bass; Antonio Sanchez: drums; Sean Jones: trumpet (4).

The Seeker

Tracks: New York Vibe; You Don’t Know What Love Is; Oy Matze Matze; Dunavski Park; Jamie’s Decision; For All Intensive Purposes; I Will; I Remember You.

Personnel: Sean Nowell: tenor sax, clarinet, flute; Art Hirahara: piano; Thomas Kneeland: bass; Joe Abbantantuono: drums; Dave Eggar: cello (3, 5, 7); Nir Felder: guitar (6).

 

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Saxophonist Mike DiRubbo’s ‘Repercussion’

http://www.newsobserver.com/2009/07/26/53165/saxophonist-mike-dirubbos-repercussion.html

BY OWEN CORDLE – CORRESPONDENT
Tags: Life | AL

New York City alto saxophonist Mike DiRubbo studied with Jackie McLean at the University of Hartford. For fans familiar with the late McLean’s big, diamond-hard alto sound and angular lines, this should provide a reference point for hearing DiRubbo. But that’s not the entire story, for DiRubbo plays with more joy and lyricism in his sound and also incorporates some of John Coltrane’s inchworm-like multi-noted runs in his solos.

These attributes appear throughout DiRubbo’s “Repercussion” (Posi-Tone), a quartet session that veers pleasingly from the mainstream favored by his age group. (DiRubbo was born in 1970.) The use of vibes, played by Steve Nelson, helps to set this album apart. Vibes accompaniment isn’t as heavy or dense as piano or guitar accompaniment can be, and this frees not only DiRubbo but also bassist Dwayne Bruno and the late drummer Tony Reedus. Nelson, who plays chorded as well as single-line solos, contributes much to the success of these performances.

The title tune, a minor-key DiRubbo original that opens the album, and Dave Brubeck’s “The Duke,” which follows, establish hot and cool poles for things to come. Except for Burton Lane’s “Too Late Now,” the remainder of the tunes are DiRubbo originals. Alto, vibes, bass and drums — a different ensemble sound that hasn’t been done to death. Yeah.

 

 

Read more: http://www.newsobserver.com/2009/07/26/53165/saxophonist-mike-dirubbos-repercussion.html#ixzz1HBUEL1KF

 

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Saxophonist Mike DiRubbo’s ‘Repercussion’

www.newsobserver.com

BY OWEN CORDLE – CORRESPONDENT
New York City alto saxophonist Mike DiRubbo studied with Jackie McLean at the University of Hartford. For fans familiar with the late McLean’s big, diamond-hard alto sound and angular lines, this should provide a reference point for hearing DiRubbo. But that’s not the entire story, for DiRubbo plays with more joy and lyricism in his sound and also incorporates some of John Coltrane’s inchworm-like multi-noted runs in his solos. These attributes appear throughout DiRubbo’s “Repercussion” (Posi-Tone), a quartet session that veers pleasingly from the mainstream favored by his age group. (DiRubbo was born in 1970.) The use of vibes, played by Steve Nelson, helps to set this album apart. Vibes accompaniment isn’t as heavy or dense as piano or guitar accompaniment can be, and this frees not only DiRubbo but also bassist Dwayne Bruno and the late drummer Tony Reedus. Nelson, who plays chorded as well as single-line solos, contributes much to the success of these performances. The title tune, a minor-key DiRubbo original that opens the album, and Dave Brubeck’s “The Duke,” which follows, establish hot and cool poles for things to come. Except for Burton Lane’s “Too Late Now,” the remainder of the tunes are DiRubbo originals. Alto, vibes, bass and drums — a different ensemble sound that hasn’t been done to death. Yeah.
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AAJ Review of Repercussion


by C. Michael Bailey

The immediate appeal of alto saxophonist Mike DiRubbo’s Repercussion is the replacement of the piano by the vibraphone as the rhythm section’s harmony instrument. Guitar-based and piano-less rhythm sections have made their way into the mainstream, leaving the vibraphone-based rhythm section still a novelty.

DiRubbo is certainly not the first to employ such a format. Trombonist Grachan Moncur III’s Evolution (Blue Note, 1963) had Bobby Hutcherson on vibes with no piano and saxophonist Wayne Escoffery’s Veneration: Live at Smoke (Savant Records, 2007) used Joe Locke to splendid effect. Drummer Ralph Peterson’s Fo’Tet Augmented (Criss Cross, 2004) pits clarinetist Don Byron against vibraphonist Bryan Carrott.

The vibraphone provides more wide open space when used in place of a piano, charging the remaining instruments the responsibility of carrying additional creative water. In this way it is perfect as a harmony instrument or for soloing.

But enough about vibes, they are not leading the date. DiRubbo is an alto saxophonist and a darn good one at that. A student of the late Jackie McLean, his tone is full-choked like Dexter Gordon and King Curtis’s tenor saxophones.

DiRubbo illustrates these characteristics on the opening original minor blues, “Repercussion.” Nelson lays down a skeleton riff that this picked up by bassist Dwayne Burno and drummer Tony Reedus (who passed away shortly after this recording). Nelson’s tone is sharp and close, like that of a marimba, and DiRubbo soars in an understated way through his serpentine head and solo.

Dave Brubeck’s “The Duke” is one of the two standards on the disc. It is presented coolly, not veering far from the song that enchanted Miles Davis’ Miles Ahead (Columbia, 1957) sessions. DiRubbo keeps his groove going through the remainder of the disc, providing a fully satisfying jazz offering.

Track listing: Repercussion; The Duke; Lunar; Highbridge Lullaby; Nightfall; Deja Vu; Too Late Now; Nelsonian; Pisces Rising.

Personnel: Mike DiRubbo: alto saxophone; Steve Nelson: vibraphone; Dwayne Burno: bass; Tony Reedus: drums.

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Another review for Steve Davis “Outlook”….

100greatestjazzalbums.blogspot.com

Outlook cover

Steve Davis has been making great ensemble jazz in live performance, with the sextet ‘One For All’ and with a sequence of albums as leader with the seemingly obscurantist Criss Cross label. So, it is good to see that Posi-tone have released “Outlook” and that this album will hopefully reach a wider audience.

The inspiration that Jackie McLean brought to The Jazz Institute that he founded at Hartt School at Hartford University has been bearing fruit – alumni include Jimmy Greene, Tony Leone, Wayne Escoffery, Mike DiRubbo, Dezron Douglas as well as Steve Davis and Eric McPherson, who both also serve as Faculty members there.

The band on “Outlook” – Steve Davis (trombone), Mike DiRubbo (alto sax), David Bryant (piano), Dezron Douglas (bass) and Eric McPherson (drums) – draws on much of this talent as it presents five original compositions and three covers.

It is not surprising to hear that Mike DiRubbo studied alto sax with Jackie McLean. His playing is exemplary throughout with more than a hint of the acid sharpness of his great mentor, particulary on his own composition “Line Of Flight” and on the closing track, a fine reading of Cecil Payne’s “Bosco”.

The three Steve Davis Compositions – the opening title track, “Smooth” and “Mission” – make full use of the potential of the quintet to deliver interesting harmonization and involving soloing. The take on Duke Ellington’s “I Got It Bad (And That Ain’t Good)”, featuring the leader’s trombone playing extensively, is a master class in silky, after hours jazz.

Douglas Dezron contributes the oddly titled “Lord Davis” which again features fine alto sax work from Mike DiRubbo.

The only track that could have been dispensed with is the version of Bill Withers’ pop platitude “Lovely Day”. Perhaps there are some tunes that no amount of chord substitution could ever revive.

That should not distract from what is a fine album with strong performances all round.

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AAJ review of Steve Davis “Outlook”…

www.allaboutjazz.com

Trombonist Steve Davis has spent much of his two-decade jazz career in larger ensembles—big bands but most notably sextets, from Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers, Chick Corea’s Origin and the co-op band One for All to Benny Golson’s New Jazztet. But when Davis leads his own bands or puts out his own records he thinks smaller. Outlook is six quintet, two quartet tracks, with Davis joined by pianist David Bryant, bassist Dezron Douglas, drummer Eric McPherson and alto saxophonist Mike DiRubbo (in the quintets).

There’s an old jazz term in disuse today that perfectly describes Davis’ trombone playing: cool. His very tone—rich and velvety, as if the brass of his horn was burnished by suede—combined with his penchant for the middle and lower registers is the essence of cool. And his eloquent, understated lyricism is hard to find in many players of his generation (born in the late ’60s). The two quartet ballad tracks here, Bill Withers’ “Lovely Day” and Ellington’s “I’ve Got It Bad and That Ain’t Good,” are as good as cool gets.

But cool doesn’t necessarily mean lacking verve or swing. There’s plenty of that here too from Davis’ own buoyant originals—the bright title tune, Blakey-ish “Mission” and especially “Smooth,” an akimbo take-off on smooth jazz with a spicy kick. McPherson is the indispensable fulcrum that leverages the excitement of the quintet numbers, from his “Take Five” take on the waltz “Line of Flight” to his rim shot Latin rhythms on “Bosco.” But both Bryant and DiRubbo bring a tart angularity to the proceedings that contrast nicely with the leader’s emphatic chill.