Articles by Dustin Mallory
John Petrucelli: Presence
by Dustin Mallory
The sophomore effort from saxophonist John Petrucelli is a fresh and timely release of original compositions that were recorded in 2017 at the New Hazlett Theatre in Pittsburgh. The forthcoming album, titled Presence, pairs a jazz quintet with a string quartet as they perform John's majestic ten-movement suite. The album also features a guest appearance from Melvin Butler of Brian Blade's Fellowship Band. From the outset, John poses the question “Where are we going, what are we doing? The easiest ...
Continue ReadingWynton Marsalis and Confederate Monuments: How a Jazz Musician Started a Political Movement
by Dustin Mallory
In the wake of the events that took place in Charlottesville, VA on August 11-12, the nation has been gripped by horrific violence and tragedy. Our screens have been filled with images of white nationalists, neo-Nazis, and the counter-protestors who clashed with them. The Unite the Right rally may have ended in chaos, but it began as a protest to oppose the removal of the Robert E. Lee statue. This removal was not the first, but part of a series ...
Continue ReadingRolling in Rhythm: Philly Joe Jones and Charles Wilcoxon
by Dustin Mallory
Drummer “Philly" Joe Jones is known as one of the most recorded drummers in jazz history, appearing on more than 200 albums. His legacy as a studio drummer appears on seminal classics like John Coltrane's Blue Train, Thelonious Monk's Blues at the Five Spot, Miles Davis's Milestones, and Bud Powell's Time Waits. Beside these recordings, Jones regularly toured as a member of the Miles Davis Quintet and a later incarnation of the Bill Evans Trio. Jones also learned or received ...
Continue ReadingThe Early Years of Sonny Stitt in Saginaw, Michigan
by Dustin Mallory
As one of most recorded saxophonists of his generation, Sonny Stitt made more than 100 albums under his own name. He also performed as a sideman with the likes of Miles Davis, Dizzy Gillespie, and Art Blakey. Despite the breadth of recorded work he left behind, Sonny Stitt's upbringing in Saginaw, Michigan is less well-documented. The basic facts of his birth have been widely circulated: Edward “Sonny" Stitt was born Edward Boatner Jr., the son of a Massachusetts concert singer/composer ...
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