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Jazz Articles about Joe Magnarelli
The Gotham Jazz Orchestra: Thought Trains
by Jack Bowers
One assumes instinctively that a big–band album named Thought Trains isn’t likely to include such time–worn staples as “Moten Swing” or “One O’Clock Jump.” That’s definitely true of this one, even though it does receive a “jump start” from Mike Holober’s rhythmically vibrant composition, “Jump Down, Spin Around.” All of the compositions / arrangements are Holober’s, and while they may not awaken memories of the Swing Era they surely do swing, which is among the most meaningful components in any ...
Continue ReadingJoe Magnarelli: Mr. Mags
by C. Andrew Hovan
At a time when many contemporary jazz trumpeters seem to be pushing to the extremes (i.e. Russell Gunn’s rap/world beat groove or Dave Douglas’ avant stance), a player like Joe Magnarelli might seem more like a throw back to the past. A great reader and reliable sideman, Magnarelli can run down the bebop or blow pretty, depending on what the situation calls. He also possesses a crisp and burnished tone that is immediately attractive. But it would be unfair to ...
Continue ReadingJoe Magnarelli Quintet: Mr. Mags
by David A. Orthmann
Over the course of several years, with little fanfare, Joe Magnarelli produced a pair of distinctive small band recordings, each of which exhibited craft and artistic license in equal measure.Why Not, andAlways There, both issued on the Criss Cross label, were not merely vehicles for the trumpeter’s full, burnished tone and patient, thoughtful way of developing a solo. These superb discs also reveal Magnarelli as a composer of genuine merit, an arranger who fashions the music in terms other than ...
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