In the last four decades, Frank Stagnitta has made a name for himself on the international jazz scene performing with players such as Chet Baker, Zoot Sims, Phil Woods, Woody Shaw, Charles McPherson, Mingus Dynasty, Barbara Morrison, Eddie Gomez, Guis Hendricks, and Tom Harrell.
From 1985 to 2000 he was living in Holland, teaching at Konenlijk Conservatory in The Hague and performing at jazz festivals throughout Europe with people like Sal Nistico/Rachel Gould Quintet, Domagoy Rolinsic, Gjis Hendriks, Douglas Sides, and Benny Bailey.
Recently, Frank came back to the United States, and for a short time, he returned to his home in Syracuse New York.
“As a jazz pianist, Frank Stagnitta is nothing short of exemplary...”
-JazzReview.com-
Mark Bialczak's Review of Frank Stagnitta's “Remembrance.”
“Back in 1979, Frank Stagnitta got some good musician friends together in New York City to record what he considered a demo tape.
The five songs the pianist performed with the band of Sal Nistico on tenor sax, Danny Hayes on trumpet, Bob Bodley on bass and John Betsch on drums sat on Stagnitta's reel-to-reel tape for six years, until he moved to Arkansas in 1985, when he put it out on cassette.
Great back story for the guy who grew up in Syracuse in the 1950s and 60s. You can read all about it on the liner notes of the Spider Records reissue of “Remembrance.”
More importantly, you can hear the magic.
Stagnitta wrote four of the five songs. In “Street Walk,” it's easy to imagine to hustle-bustle of a busy city, with the calm inner peace of the late and great Syracuse jazzman Nistico's sax at the core. “Desperado” is an 11-minute, 32-second jazz opus. Everybody has their big part, but Stagnitta's piano rules at the end. “Remembrance” is tender stuff, and “Shani” shows Stagnitta's grace and power.
He picked a mighty fine standard, too. On Cole Porter's “Just One of Those Things,” Stagnitta tackles a classic melody with relish and mustard but never becomes a hotdog.
Matt Vicanti made a wise choice to reissue this one on his Baldwinsville jazz label, Spider Records.”
-Syracuse.com-
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