Tag: Steve Davis

kios.org

Joe Magnarelli, who grew up in Syracuse, New York and has resided in
New York City for over 25 years.He has played with some of the best in
the business including Jimmy Cobb, Lionel Hampton and Brother Jack
McDuff. He has led his own bands for twenty years and has released
nine recordings of his own as a leader.

His latest is “Lookin’ Up!” on the Posi-Tone label. It’s a straight ahead affair
featuring stellar playing by Magnarelli on trumpet and flugelhorn and a top notch
roster of players including Steve Davis on trombone, Anthony Wonsey on piano,
Mike Karn on bass and Jason Brown on drums. The playing throughout this new
session is outstanding.

Some of the highlights include the lead track “44” , a straight ahead bopper that
gets the set rolling. “Inner Beauty” is a lovely ballad that features Magnarelli’s lyrical
and romantic side of his playing. Wonsey adds a lovely solo on piano. The John
Coltrane piece, “Miles’ Mode” has Magnarelli on muted trumpet and Karn steps into
the spotlight soloing on bass. Magnarelli and Davis make a great team on the front
line. Davis’ solo on “You Go To My Head” in particular is a real delight.

All in all it’s a winning combination of talent backing Magnarelli on this new release
with fine performances throughout the entire ten tracks offered here. This record
should be getting major airplay at jazz radio around the country by the time you read
this. It’s a delightful summertime treat for sure. For more info, you may visit
www.posi-tone.com

dusted.com

Publish or perish. It’s an old maxim that applies equally well to academic and musical circles. Trumpeter Joe Magnarelli is well-versed in both realms of endeavor, starting his professional career three decades ago and eventually accepting adjunct teaching posts at both Julliard and Rutgers. He also routinely teaches master classes and clinics on the side. That kind of diversification is requisite when it comes to making ends meet as a jazz musician. Performance alone just doesn’t cut it anymore. Productivity these days involves getting one’s name and work out however possible.

Magnarelli’s been keeping decent pace with the pressure to record. Lookin’ Up! is his ninth date as a leader and follows a framework similar to his past works. Artful postbop is the order of the day with trombonist Steve Davis (another Positone regular) balancing the frontline on six cuts. Pianist Anthony Wonsey fronts the rhythm section with bassist Mike Karn and drummer Jason Brown also on board. The program is an even split between originals and standards with five of each. The first in the former category, “44” gets the date of to a less than auspicious start with a smooth unison horn statement over a fairly generic, Latin-lite rhythm. The later “Blue Key” suffers under a similar rhythmic yoke, but Magnarelli’s muted leads bring it up a notch.

Things pick up considerably with “Third Set,” a brisk bop blower that makes the most of the brass rapport between the leader and Davis. Wonsey’s steady, sharp angled comping also earns points, particularly as backdrop for Magnarelli’s lithe solo. “Inner Beauty,” another original, gives Davis a breather and compels Brown to break out brushes as the band brings on a convincing balladic mood. Magnarelli’s goes lush and pliable on flugelhorn, rolling out soft trills and legato slurs as Karn plucks a plump contrapuntal line that aligns with first trumpet and then piano. “Easy Transition” echoes the sort of writing Freddie Hubbard popularized during his Sixties tenure at Blue Note, with an agreeably dissonant piano prelude segueing into straightforward swing for the tune proper.

“Suddenly It’s Spring” and “Miles’ Mode” aren’t exactly left field choices, but Magnarelli puts his stamp on both. The first bursts with effervescence thanks to a bustling rhythm, a nimble trumpet barrage, a knuckle-cracking statement by Wonsey, and fast-walking line by Karn that fold into a string of rapid chases. For the second, Magnarelli predictably affixes mute and puts the modal Milesean theme through a series of strong paces sans Wonsey’s support. Karn makes the most of the pianist’s absence, turning in his strongest improvisation of the date. The compensation for Wonsey comes with “Darn That Dream”, a feature for just him and the leader again on flugelhorn in its opening minutes. This is music that invites straightforward appreciation and while Magnarelli stays well within his comfort zone throughout the results are agreeably on par with what’s come prior under his name.

Derek Taylor

steptempest.blogspot.com

It’s been 20 years since trumpeter Joe Magnarelli released his debut on the Criss Cross label. In 1994, “Mags” was already an established voice on the music scene having worked with the Glenn Miller Orchestra, Brother Jack McDuff and Lionel Hampton.  Since then, he has worked with a plethora of groups and artists, from the Vanguard Orchestra to Harry Connick Jr. to Jane Monheit to the Lincoln Center Orchestra.

His 10th CD as a leader, “Lookin’ Up“, is his debut for Posi-Tone Records and is a highly attractive session from beginning to end. With the rhythm section of bassist Mike Karn (Vanguard Jazz Orchestra, Harold Mabern) and drummer Jason Brown (Wayne Escoffery, David Hazeltine) plus the articulate pianist Anthony Wonsey, Magnarelli (who plays his mellow flugelhorn on several cuts) weaves his way through a 10-song program evenly split between originals and standards.

Trombonist Steve Davis joins the group on 6 cuts, serving as both a harmony voice and counterpoint to the leader’s trumpet.  Their interaction on the original “Third Set” includes both call-and-response as well as harmony.  The tune is infused with the feel of Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers, from Wonsey’s “bouncing” chordal accompaniment to the drive of Karn and Brown.  The blend of Davis’s rich and burnished tones with Mags’ muted trumpet give “Blue Key” (a Magnarelli original) a pleasing sound.  Wonsey’s pleasing solo exploration sets up the handsome trumpet solo. Karn’s splendid walking bass leads in the rest of the band on “In Walked Lila” (composed by saxophonist John Handy – there’s a voice one needs to her more often); everybody gets to “strut his stuff” and does so without going on too long (Brown’s joy-filled bass kick and snare rolls jump out of the speakers.) The pianist gives a lively “Satin Doll”-flavored opening to Magnarelli’s “Easy Transition“, a medium-tempo bluesy romp.  Davis displays his formidable yet amiable “blues” chops while the trumpeter lets fly several lively phrases

The flugelhorn makes an appearance on the lovely original ballad, “Inner Beauty.” Magnarelli weaves the melody and solo around the delicate piano chords and Karn’s intelligent counterpoint while Brown’s brushes sweep the piece along.  Wonsey’s introduction to Jimmy Van Heusen’s “Darn That Dream” opens with a slight flourish before he states the melody and sets the stage for the leader to come in on flugelhorn and repeats the melody. The rhythm section tiptoes in at the close of the second verse while Magnarelli repeats the melody once more before taking a well-fashioned solo.

“Lookin’ Up” breaks no new ground, all the while showing the listener how 5 musicians can have fun in the studio while making meaningful music. Each player contributes to the overall excellence of the performances with a special tip of the hat to the active and engaged rhythm section (including Anthony Wonsey.)  Joe Magnarelli’s move to Posi-Tone Records makes great sense – this is a label keeping the spirit of hard-bop alive and well into the 21s Century (while not ignoring newer developments).  To learn more about the leader, go towww.joemagnarelli.com.  To find out more about this and other Posi-Tone releases, go to www.posi-tone.com.

audaud.com

Joe Magnarelli has long been a trumpeter that I have dug. We previously reviewed his sublime “with strings” CD in 2011 and last year’s Live at Smalls issue  teamed Joe with Mulgrew Miller just prior to Miller’s untimely passing.

It is welcome news that Joe is now with Posi-Tone Records as label guru and producer, Marc Free, knows how to find session mates to bring out the best for his roster artists. On Lookin’ Up , we find Joe’s front line trombone mate, the superb Steve Davis (ofOne For All fame) helping Joe flesh out the arrangements of both standards and five original Magnarelli tunes. With Anthony Wonsey leading the rhythm section, I found myself in eager anticipation of both a lyrical yet hot, near one hour swinging session. Once again Joe Mags has come through with flying colors.

I am most always pleased with the acoustics of Posi-Tone issues as both Marc, and engineer, Nick O’Toole, have an innate sense of instrument placement in the final mix, where the horns can have center stage, yet the rhythm section is upfront enough that you can sense their spurring on the horns to greater heights.

Right away on the opener, “44,” there is an immediate polish and sheen with Joe’s burnished tone, the snap of Jason Brown’s cymbals, Wonsey’s tasty comping, and Davis’ robust trombone blend with Magnarelli. The Joe/Steve simpatico is even more on display on their unaccompanied intro to “Third Set.” It’s enough to tempt you to catch a flight to New York with hopes of catching them at Smoke or Smalls.

Magnarelli can get your trumpet-loving heart pumping away happily on the up-tempo burners, yet can ease you back with cool comfort on ballads like “Inner Beauty” and “Darn That Dream.”

It’s easy to see why Joe is a professor of music at both the Juilliard School of Music and Rutgers University. Some aspiring trumpet students certainly have their tuition or scholarship funds in good hands. But we all know already that jazz is always “lookin up” in the Big Apple….

TrackList: 44, Third Set, Inner Beauty, You Go to My Head, Blue Key, Easy Transition, Suddenly It’s Spring, Miles’ Mode, Darn That Dream, In Walked Lila

—Jeff Krow

www.criticaljazz.com