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Mike Melito: New York Connections
by C. Andrew Hovan
Every town has its homegrown talent worthy of wider recognition. This is definitely true when it comes to Rochester native Mike Melito. Since the age of 16, the drummer has held down the drum chair for countless combos and national acts in and around upstate New York. That he has the chops and know-how to make it in New York City is obvious, but Melito has opted to stay around his home environs and has no problem maintaining a thriving ...
Continue ReadingMike Melito: The Right Time
by Dan Bilawsky
When the word “predictable" shows up in music reviews, it's often wrongly viewed as the kiss of death. Somewhere along the way, “defying expectations" or “charting new territory" have become the quickest way to gain recognition, but the tried-and-true shouldn't be sold short. On The Right Time, veteran drummer Mike Melito and his band deliver a mixture of new numbers, rarely heard tunes and classic jazz gems, and, though many of them basically rely on a fairly predictable head-solos-head format ...
Continue ReadingMike Melito: In the Tradition
by Dr. Judith Schlesinger
The last time I reviewed something from gifted drummer Mike Melito was in 2007, when he co-released All Through the Night (Indies Records), with guitarist Bob Sneider and bassist Phil Flanigan. Aside from the high quality of the music these guys are making up in Rochester, New York, what impressed me the most was the audible and contagious fun that the band was having. “A great ride," I said.Well, he's done it again, since the same things can ...
Continue ReadingMike Melito: The Next Step
by David A. Orthmann
The Next Step is the third recording session led by Mike Melito, a Rochester, New York-based drummer who often draws on talent from the New York City jazz scene. To his credit, Melito doesn't hire players like trumpeter Joe Magnarelli, tenor saxophonist Grant Stewart, and bassist Neal Miner for the credibility their names bring to his projects. Rather, along with a fellow New York State mainstay, pianist Dino Losito, Melito finds exactly the right voices for his scheme: making affably ...
Continue ReadingMike Melito Quintet: The Next Step
by Michael P. Gladstone
Drummer and bandleader Mike Melito makes it clear in his liner notes that the music on this album is dedicated to the spirit of Blue Note Records during the 1950s. And he succeeds admirably. For his third album, Melito has assembled a fine quintet featuring trumpeter Joe Magnarelli and tenor saxophonist Grant Stewart, both of whom have multiple releases on Criss Cross Records, plus pianist Dino Losito and bassist Neal Miner.
In order to substantiate his intentions of ...
Continue ReadingMichael Melito Quartet: 'Bout Time!
by Dr. Judith Schlesinger
There's a ton of splendid music coming out of Rochester, New York, probably because the first-rate Eastman School of Music is located there. Although few Noo Yawkers would admit it, The Big Apple doesn't have the state monopoly on stellar jazz, and here's another northern star to prove it. Mike Melito is a strong, straight-ahead drummer who's produced a classy, swinging CD with some of his local colleagues, all with impeccable credentials. It's a melodic session of fresh material, full ...
Continue ReadingDino Losito: Dino Losito (Like That)
by AAJ Staff
The selection of tunes on this disc were the portent of very hip things to come. This fine trio has woven a tapestry of jazz that swings tastefully, like a porch glider on a summers day, (with a song like “Skylark") And then taking off into orbit on a tune like “Our Delight" the next. Dino Losito is a bop oriented musician that has a firm grasp on the roots of “modern jazz". As in all good Pianists, there is ...
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