Jazz Articles about Vinnie Sperrazza

About Vinnie Sperrazza

Live Review

One Night Only: Vinnie Sperrazza with Alex Laurenzi and Solomon Gottfried

by David A. Orthmann
May 20, 2026

Alex Laurenzi Trio Wayne Public Library Wayne, NJ March 12, 2026 I have long admired drummer Vinnie Sperrazza's musicianship on recordings to the exclusion of experiencing him in live performance. It was a pleasure to review Juxtaposition (2017), his Posi-Tone Records release as a leader, as well as Swing & Soul (2024) and Force & Grace (2025), by the band Blue Moods. Directions & Expressions, perhaps the most eclectic of Blue Moods's discs on Posi-Tone, ...

Album Review

Ye Olde 2: Ye Olde 2: At the End of Time

Read "Ye Olde 2: At the End of Time" reviewed by Glenn Astarita

by Glenn Astarita
December 9, 2025

Ten years after the first Ye Olde (Yestereve Records, 2015) was framed around a fantasy quest into a riotous Brooklyn guitar summit, trombonist extraordinaire Jacob Garchik returns with Ye Olde 2: At the End of Time, a 48-minute sci-fi prog jazz odyssey stretching from the heat death of the universe to the resurrection of consciousness itself. The original crew--Mary Halvorson, Brandon Seabrook, and Jonathan Goldberger on guitars, Vinnie Sperrazza on drums--anchors six of the eight tracks plus the ...

Album Review

Blue Moods: Force & Grace

Read "Force & Grace" reviewed by David A. Orthmann

by David A. Orthmann
February 21, 2025

Blue Moods' Force & Grace is the third in a series of Posi-Tone releases in which music of under-recognized jazz composers is given a fair shake by bands comprised of some of the label's leading lights. This time around, the group features 12 compositions by Freddie Hubbard, a figure revered for his prowess as a trumpeter, to the neglect of his talent as a writer. The material receives straightforward no-frills treatments, making it easier to savor Hubbard's penchant for writing ...

Album Review

Stephen Gauci / Santiago Leibson / Ken Filiano / Vinnie Sperrazza: Live At Scholes Street Studio

Read "Live At Scholes Street Studio" reviewed by John Sharpe

by John Sharpe
November 3, 2024

On another missive from the bleeding edge, tenor saxophonist Stephen Gauci further documents his fertile alliances in Brooklyn. In a quartet alongside the reedman are Argentinean pianist Santiago Leibson, veteran bassist Ken Filiano and drummer Vinnie Sperrazza. Gauci's signature blend from the further reaches of the saxophone--stretching from caustic upper register to burly bottom end--remains a central feature. But on the two off-the-wall pieces, one broaching the half hour mark, the other just over 20 minutes, he promotes an ensemble ...

Radio & Podcasts

A Few of My Favorite 2024 Jazz Things (so far), Part 3

by Ludovico Granvassu
July 20, 2024

Welcome to the third part of our retrospective on some of the tunes we have loved the most in the first half of the year. We hope you do too! Happy listening! Playlist Ben Allison “Mondo Jazz Theme (feat. Ted Nash & Pyeng Threadgill)" 0:00 Jukka Eskola, Timo Lassy “The Duke of Bayou" Nordic Stew (Dox) 0:16 Host talks 4:02 Ben Allison, Steve Cardenas, Ted Nash “That Moanin' Blues" Tell the Birds I Said Hello: The ...

Album Review

Mike McGinnis + 9: Outing

Read "Outing" reviewed by Angelo Leonardi

by Angelo Leonardi
April 29, 2024

Il nuovo album di Mike McGinnis si riallaccia a un'incisione del 2013 (Roadtrip, RKM) realizzata con un tentet d'identica strumentazione e un solo mutamento d'organico: Caroline Davis al sax contralto prende il posto di Matt Blostein. Dopo il successo del suo trio del 2017/18 con Steve Swallow e Paul Bley (ricordiamo i due album Sunnyside Recurring Dream e Singular Awakening) il clarinettista torna a evidenziare le sue doti di autore e arrangiatore in un medio organico che ...

Album Review

The Choir Invisible with Charlotte Greve, Vinnie Sperrazza and Chris Tordini: Town of Two Faces

Read "Town of Two Faces" reviewed by Glenn Astarita

by Glenn Astarita
March 4, 2024

Infused with an inventive and organic zest, Town of Two Faces swings into the spotlight under the deft ensemble of Charlotte Greve on alto saxophone or voice, Vinnie Sperrazza on drums, Chris Tordini on acoustic bass. It is graced by a cameo from Fay Victor, a voice which paints jazz in bold uncharted colors, with her knack for reimagining the vocal weave in the jazz tapestry with her deep dive into a memorably melodic blues-and gospel-shaded piece, entitled “In Heaven." ...