Jazz Articles about Joe Magnarelli

About Joe Magnarelli

Radio & Podcasts

Joe Magnarelli on Hard Bop, Persistence, and his New York Journey

by David Bixler
October 23, 2025

For nearly forty years, trumpeter Joe Magnarelli has been a fixture on the New York City jazz scene, gracing the bandstands of icons like Brother Jack McDuff, Lionel Hampton, Toshiko Akiyoshi, and Harry Connick Jr. While playing with these legends, he continued to hone his skills in a variety of small groups, both as a sideman and a leader. His latest work, Concord, is a testament to that unyielding drive. The title, a word defined as “agreement or harmony between ...

Liner Notes

Joe Magnarelli: Hoop Dreams

by C. Andrew Hovan
January 8, 2024

As Duke Ellington would often remind us, music comes in two varieties, that which is good and that which is bad. This suggests that genre and category are really of little concern and that overall quality is really the defining factor in considering the validity of any musical expression. Taking this axiom one step further, let me suggest that good music comes in assorted varieties. On one end of the spectrum you have music brimming with complex structures and technical ...

Album Review

Robert Edwards: Up Swing

Read "Up Swing" reviewed by Edward Blanco

by Edward Blanco
November 8, 2023

Veteran trombonist, educator and bandleader Robert Edwards is a fixture of New York City jazz scene, performing in many of the jazz venues in the city and, as of this writing, becoming the newest member of the famed Vanguard Jazz Orchestra. Edwards fronts a marvelous quintet that has been performing regularly at Smalls Jazz Club for many years now. Up Swing celebrates the post-bop sounds the group is known for and covers many of the ensemble's “greatest hits from over ...

Album Review

Nick Green: Green On The Scene

Read "Green On The Scene" reviewed by Pierre Giroux

by Pierre Giroux
September 6, 2023

Nick Green's latest release, Green On The Scene, is a captivating musical journey which combines masterful instrumentation, intricate compositions and a profound sense of improvisational exploration. Accompanied by trumpeter Joe Magnarelli, pianist Jeb Patton, bassist Mike Karn and the inestimable drummer Kenny Washington, the band embarks on a set list of compositions which are at the intersection of tradition and modernity. The session opens with Charlie Parker's “Red Cross," a contrafact written over the lines of ...

Album Review

Mike Melito: To Swing Is The Thing

Read "To Swing Is The Thing" reviewed by David A. Orthmann

by David A. Orthmann
July 24, 2023

A sense of discovery, exhilaration, and depth are not qualities often induced by recent jazz recordings that showcase some of the once innovative, now commonplace styles from the mid-to-late twentieth century. There is no shortage of less-than-stellar releases that land squarely inside the bop/hard bop continuum. One notable exception to the abundance of mere competence is the body of work of drummer Mike Melito. Beginning in the late twentieth century, Melito has led several impressive recording dates ...

Album Review

Mike Melito: To Swing Is The Thing

Read "To Swing Is The Thing" reviewed by Jack Bowers

by Jack Bowers
June 8, 2023

The leader of any group whose credo is To Swing Is the Thing had best enlist some hired hands whose propensity to swing is sure and steady, regardless of mood or tempo. Veteran drummer Mike Melito's talented quintet runs that course without breaking a sweat, lending Melito all the help he needs to keep his eighth album as leader bright and swinging from start to finish. Trumpeter Joe Magnarelli and tenor saxophonist Grant Stewart, past masters to ...

Album Review

MIke Melito: To Swing Is The Thing

Read "To Swing Is The Thing" reviewed by Pierre Giroux

by Pierre Giroux
June 4, 2023

Rochester NY native Mike Melito is an fine drummer who has been active on the jazz scene for many years. His whose drumming style was inspired by Roy McCurdy, who was an integral part of the jazz groups fronted by both Nat Adderley and Julian Cannonball" Adderley. With a wide-ride cymbal beat and fluid phrasing, Melito's drumming style shows to full effect on To Swing Is The Thing. Joining him are several standout New York-based musicians including tenor saxophonist Grant ...