Articles

Mike Melito: New York Connections

By David A. Orthmann

It's somewhat misleading to summarize Mike Melito's New York Connections by dropping a few names of past masters for credibility's sake, applauding him for preserving the essence of hard bop designs from the 50s and 60s, and emphasizing just how effective he is at forging ties to these avenues of the music. Though all of these factors are germane, they're only a small part of the whole tale. The Rochester, NY area drummer and a band of excellent New York ...

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 ...

Mike 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 ...

Mike 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 ...

Mike 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 ...

Mike 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 ...

Michael 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 ...