Jazz Articles about Paul Mutzabaugh

About Paul Mutzabaugh

Album Review

Rich Willey: Laid Back Vol. 1, featuring John Swana

Read "Laid Back Vol. 1, featuring John Swana" reviewed by Jack Bowers

by Jack Bowers
June 20, 2026

Chicago-based trumpeter and composer Rich Willey oversees an impressive 11-piece ensemble on Laid Back, Vol. 1, which embodies seven of his melodically enticing and rhythmically strong compositions, all neatly arranged by Wally Minko. The one drawback in this otherwise pleasing session is a disconcerting funk/Latin beat, which lends an aura of sameness to every number that serves to weaken its purpose and impede efforts to separate it from the herd. That is countered to some extent by the ...

Album Review

Rich Willey: Laid Back Vol. 1, featuring John Swana

by Jack Bowers
June 13, 2026

Chicago-based trumpeter and composer Rich Willey oversees an impressive eleven-piece ensemble on Best Laid Plans, which embodies seven of his melodically enticing and rhythmically strong compositions, all neatly arranged by Wally Minko. The one clear drawback in this otherwise pleasing session, however, is an incessant rock beat, which lends an aura of sameness to every number that serves to weaken its purpose and impede even the most valiant efforts to separate it from the herd. That is countered ...

Album Review

Andrew Vogt: Awakening

Read "Awakening" reviewed by Glenn Astarita

by Glenn Astarita
August 5, 2024

Chicago-based Andrew Vogt's Awakening is a profound exploration of the bass guitar's potential as a melodic and rhythmic force. The album highlights Vogt's exceptional musicianship and compositional skill as he delves into a rich sonic palette. It is a jazz album that feels like a musical journey through a dreamscape, where each track is a different chapter in an unfolding story. The album opens with the melodic title track, “Awakening," which sets a serene yet powerful tone with ...

Album Review

Rich Willey: Puttin' On the Ritz

Read "Puttin' On the Ritz" reviewed by Nicholas F. Mondello

by Nicholas F. Mondello
August 28, 2023

When Irving Berlin wrote “Puttin' On the Ritz" in 1927 on a unique “transposing piano" tuned to his preferred key of F#, little could he ever know that one day, among the myriad numbers of covers of the tune, that it would title an album that features, among other attractions, Electronic Voice Instrument “wah-wah" solos. Putting that on hold, Rich Willey's effort apes the concept of that tune as an elegant effort. “Puttin' On the Ritz" offers ...