Tony Miceli and Chuck Redd At Chris’ Jazz Cafe

Chuck Redd and Tony Miceli
Steve Weiss Mallet Festival
Chris' Jazz Cafe
August 1. 2026

For several years, vibraphonist Tony Miceli has arranged with vibraphone makers and music schools and venues in the area to hold a yearly Vibraphone Festival, with performances, workshops, and interviews designed to improve performance, networking, and exposure of the public to vibraphone playing and composing. The festival took on the name "Steven Weiss Vibraphone Festival" to honor the late store owner who was so generous in providing instruments and other hardware to vibraphone players on a pay-when-you-can basis. This show was one of many that Miceli has arranged at Chris' Jazz Café to showcase his work and that of the Festival.

This time, Miceli brought on a well-known colleague, Chuck Redd, three local musicians: Tom Lawton on piano, Nimrod Speaks, bass, and Dan Monaghan, drums; and two special guest vibraphonists: 15-year-old Julian Lee; and Washington, DC-based player Chris Barrick to provide an energetic feel of the interactive components of the Festival.

The show honored the memory of the late, great vibraphone pioneer, Lionel Hampton, who almost single-handedly brought the vibraphone into the Swing Era via his collaboration with Benny Goodman and other creators of swing music. Redd was heavily influenced by Hampton and met and spoke with him at a White House event and once after one of Hampton's sold-out concerts. All vibes players owe a debt to Hampton for bringing their instrument into the jazz mainstream.

The two sets thus featured swing tunes from the '30s and '40s with their particular rhythm and style, and with admixtures of modern jazz. The first show began with a standard that still is frequently played: "Stompin' at the Savoy." Redd, like Hampton, used only two mallets throughout and sustained the swing style, while Miceli wielded four mallets, his highly touted "Miceli Stoned Grip." The show maintained a Goodman feel most of the night. Solos by Lawton, Miceli (more like Hampton's signature complex swing), and a laid-back bass solo by Speaks brought the improvising back to the two vibraphonists trading fours or eights with Monaghan's lithe drumming.

The playing relaxed into a double-time lively swing with the '20s standard, "Avalon." Hampton used bebop in at least one recording of this song, and hence there were suggestions of Milt Jackson's move away from swing to bop and cool in Miceli's solo. Redd's solo, however, stayed with the Goodman swing influence. Lawton's solo evoked a more lively swing. Another solo by Speaks led up to a duet by Redd and Miceli. The song reached its climax with a solo by Monaghan with a nod to Gene Krupa's power punches.

"Moonglow" harked back to Goodman again, coming in at a slower tempo with a mellow solo by Miceli. Then Redd played in the linear manner of a simple strut. Lawton's solo conveyed the Teddy Wilson style and contained a taste, here and there, of Jelly Roll Morton. Lawton also inserted a phrase or two from "Georgia on My Mind," and the helm went back to Redd to take it out with a flair.

The festival idea was further elaborated when, after Redd and Miceli's solos on "Sunny Side of the Street," 15-year-old, Julian Lee, came on the stand, and played skillful and lively choruses on vibes, piano, and upright bass, respectively. It turned out that Lee, who is a rising tenth-grade student at the Shipley School, is already starting to make it as a pro on the Philly scene. Lee is a genuine talent and someone to watch as a possible future star. He is already winning awards and gaining recognition wherever he goes.

The set closed with "Airmail Special." Miceli's and Redd's solos were each strikingly a capella. Then the whole ensemble built this favorite of Hampton's into a veritable swing frenzy,

The second set could have been a postscript, but Redd and Miceli continued to bring a highly charged feeling into the music, despite the anachronistic emphasis on '30s and '40s swing,

"Ðon't Be That Way" from Goodman's famous 1938 Carnegie Hall Jazz Concert began with a very Goodman-esque harmony and rhythm by Redd, while Miceli's solo evinced a more complex and advanced rhythmic and chord structure, Lawton's solo echoed Wilson as he appeared in the Goodman trios and quartets. After a solo by Speaks, Redd on vibes and Monaghan took it out, trading fours and eights.

"I Got Rhythm" and what appeared to be a series of contrafacts formed a medley of tunes with the same recurrent harmonic structure. There were some swing tunes and at least one Charlie Parker number. Redd and Miceli took it out with a very apt duet.

For "I Remember You," the young Julian Lee came on again, just on vibes. Redd magically appeared on drums, delivering a solid solo, then solos by Lawton, Speaks, Redd again, and Lawton again provided some good extensions and helped close out the tune.

In another manifestation of the festival concept, Chris Barrick from Washington, DC, took over Redd's vibraphone and evinced a well-honed cool jazz style in contrast to the rest of the program. Lawton met Barrick where he was by invoking some more complex, even dissonant, chord structures, and Monaghan contributed a feathery solo in his notable way of doing cool versions of American Songbook tunes.

For "Stardust" with a nod to Hampton, Lawton and Monaghan humbly left the stage on this tune, allowing Miceli to provide a free-flow introduction, and Redd came in on vibes to state the timeless Hoagy Carmichael melody. Redd then soloed at his level best, showing a virtuosity that he held in reserve previously.

Monaghan and Lawton rejoined the group to end the set with Hampton's own signature theme song "Flyin' Home." Monaghan and Speaks sustained a four-note riff and then Miceli took on the melody with his own gymnastics. Julian came on stage briefly on vibes, then Barrick returned, so everyone had a chance to participate in this rip-roaring acknowledgement of Lionel Hampton's way of generating huge amounts of energy when he came on stage and played,

Personnel

Tony Miceli, vibraphone, leader; Chuck Redd, vibraphone, drums; Tom Lawton, piano; Nimrod Speaks, upright bass; Dan Monaghan, drums. Guest artists: Julian Lee vibraphone; Chris Barrick, vibraphone.

Set Lists

7:30 Set: Stompin' At the Savoy; Avalon; Moonglow; Sunny Side of the Street; Airmail Special. 9:30 Set: Don't Be That Way; Medley featuring "I Got Rhythm" Changes; I Remember You; Chris Barrick improvisations; Stardust; Flyin' Home.

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Note: This was the first time this long-time writer for All About Jazz, who had reviewed shows at Chris' many times in person, did the review from home via Chris' YouTube Channel. He was delighted to find that, even though it lacked the excitement of attending a show in person, Chris' video system gave the reviewer excellent listening and concentration. From that standpoint, the writer felt that this initial foray was a journalistic success that merits further use.]