Joe Magnarelli: Hoop Dreams

As Duke Ellington would often remind us, music comes in two varieties, that which is good and that which is bad. This suggests that genre and category are really of little concern and that overall quality is really the defining factor in considering the validity of any musical expression. Taking this axiom one step further, let me suggest that good music comes in assorted varieties. On one end of the spectrum you have music brimming with complex structures and technical virtuosity, while at the other end you have music of the mood-setting variety. As for the latter, one should not associate the deceptive ease that the best improvisers apply to ballads and the like with a lack of skill or maturity. Indeed, it's often more difficult to perform music in what drummer Kenny Washington calls "the adult tempo" while forging a distinctive voice.

Confident in his skills as one of New York City's finest jazz trumpeters, Hoop Dreams may be Joe Magnarelli's most uncharacteristic album to date as he avoids clichés and any form of showboating for an album that speaks with settled poise and lyrical depth. But it's a risky proposition for a trumpeter to step out front as the lead voice without a supporting horn, a fact made all the more obvious when one considers how few trumpet quartet records have obtained an iconic reputation among the jazz cognoscenti. "Any recording is a challenge, striving to play in the studio the same way you play in a club or concert hall," Magnarelli explains. "But this one was even more challenging because without the other horn, I had to be strong throughout, not relying on someone else if I got tired."

In the final analysis, Magnarelli updates the tradition established by such classics asKenny Dorham's Quiet Kenny and Lee Morgan's Candy with an album that rewards on many levels, serving well as a mood setter but also as a substantial piece of improvisational fluency. This becomes even more remarkable when you consider the conditions under which many of today's jazz albums are made. "It's more like a sporting event for a trumpet player," states Magnarelli. "These are one day sessions with the goal being to record sixty minutes of music. On the old Blue Note sessions, they recorded thirty some minutes of music usually in two days."

Since his maiden voyage for Criss Cross back in 1995, Why Not (Criss 1104), Magnarelli has built a sound catalog for the label that now numbers a half dozen albums, including the two critically acclaimed discs that pair him with fellow trumpeter John Swana. Each one manages to show another side of Joe's personality, all the while documenting his growth as an improviser and musician. "I do try to make each album better, but it's tricky, and a lot of it has to do with the vibe in the studio, " says Magnarelli. "My first recording was really good, even though I was young and not as strong as I am now. Renee Rosnes, Kenny Washington, Peter Washington and Eric Alexander all came to play and the vibes in the studio were great. That CD sounds good, more because of them than me. Hopefully this one has that same quality, [but] only time will tell."

Although they have worked together before, this particular ensemble has not previously been heard on disc with Magnarelli, the exception being drummer Anthony Reedus, a New York regular who is featured on the trumpeter's Mr. Mags (Criss 1200). Better known as an organist these days, Gary Versace has rarely been heard to better advantage as a pianist than on this particular recital. A multi-faceted musician who has worked with the band Project O and such leaders as Maria Schneider, John Abercrombie, and Lee Konitz, Versace has appeared on over 30 sessions as a sidemen over the course of the past five years and has released two discs of his own as a leader, including the recent Time and Again. Versace can also be heard on guitarist Jonathan Kreisberg's New For Now (Criss 1266).

Completing the quartet is Paul Gill, a bassist favored for his rock solid time and fluid solo lines. Preferred by vocalists such as Jon Hendricks and Diana Krall, the Baltimore native has also worked with Gary Bartz, Benny Golson, Tom Harrell, and Michael Weiss. "Tony, Paul, Gary and I have made a couple of tours in Italy and we have a good personal vibe together," Magnarelli says. "All three are great musicians and leaders in their own right, their appeal to me being that they are unselfish and are into sounding like a band. Plus, I love the way they play." A veteran of many Criss Cross dates including five of his own, guitarist Peter Bernstein is added to the ensemble on a few tracks and is valued by Joe for his "unmatched sense of melody and harmony."

Magnarelli's smart originals contribute much to the variety that is part and parcel of this well paced set, with a certain degree of inspiration coming from the late Ray Barretto. "I had been working with Barretto since 2003," says Joe. "This record was influenced by him, since I did it three days after coming off a long tour with his sextet." The first of four tunes from Joe's pen, "Genet" was composed on the spur of the moment one morning and as such has been called by the trumpeter "a gift from the universe." Its medium tempo gait gets things off to a perky start with first-rate solos from Magnarelli, Versace, and Reedus.

"Division Street" is your basic bossa nova, but with a twist. Utilizing the standard AABA form of eight bars each section, save for four on the bridge, an extra bar is added at the end of the bridge and a three-bar tag follows the last A statement. "That's a tune I wrote in 2002 and dedicated to my mom, who passed away that year," says Magnarelli, who contributes a marvelous solo marked by fine pacing and a sage choice of notes.

Seldom heard, but worthy of rediscovery, "Paris in the Spring" is a standard that dates back to the late '40s and is the first of five cuts to add Peter Bernstein to the mix. "This was a tune I played in earlier days, and having spent the spring in Paris previous to this date, I thought it would be a good choice," Joe says. "It's not an overplayed standard and a good tune for me and Pete to play [the lead] together."

A trio of Thelonious Monk tunes are interspersed between the other selections that constitute the remainder of the program. "Monk's music is a constant study for me," says Joe. "These tunes speak for themselves, written by the master and high priest of jazz music." Both "Ask Me Now" and "Monk's Mood" are duet performances by Joe and Peter that confidently speak in pastel hues, while "I Mean You" is an upbeat quartet number for muted horn, with a nimble bowed solo from Gill that is an informed throwback to such icons as Paul Chambers and Sam Jones.

"Hoop Dreams" was influenced by my love of McCoy Tyner's music and the 6/8 grooves we were playing with Ray Barretto in Europe just previous to the recording." That "Latin tinge" brings out some particularly strong soloing from our leading man, who recalls the late Kenny Dorham and such trinkets as "Una Mas" and "Trompeta Toccata." There's plenty of space on this one for statements by Joe, Peter, Gary, and Paul.

A standard that never seems to go out of style, "Old Folks" is the other extended track on the disc and it puts the spotlight squarely on Magnarelli, who delivers as mature a ballad performance as one would expect from an artist whose varied experiences have played an affirmative role in the shaping of his musical personality.

Versace gently introduces us to "Dance Only With Me" before the tune's waltz tempo kicks in. Magnarelli picked up on this one after a spin of the 1959 Verve date Blossom Dearie Sings Comden and Green. "I fell in love with the song the first time I heard it," he says. Both Joe and Gary spin jovial yarns that make this one a highlight of the date.

"Barretto's Beat" fittingly closes the session on a positive note, while paying homage to the recently deceased Latin jazz master. "It's a tune I wrote for Ray, [but] it didn't really work for his band." "In fact," adds Joe, "I don't think Ray really dug it, so I made a swinger out of it and named it after him anyway."

Pleased with the results of this latest installment. Magnarelli is already looking towards his next musical project. "I have something new in mind that I'm working on at the moment," he says. "Other than that, I'm just working on being a better person and musician. Hopefully, in the coming years I'll still be doing what I'm doing now, only better."

Liner Notes copyright © 2024 C. Andrew Hovan.

Hoop Dreams can be purchased here.

Contact C. Andrew Hovan at All About Jazz.
An avid audiophile and music collector, Chris Hovan is a Cleveland-based writer / photographer / musician.

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