Tom 1960 Posted January 1, 2010 Report Posted January 1, 2010 I'm presently listening to his debut release "Introducing Jim Rotondi" on lala.com which was released on the Criss Cross Jazz label I guess back in the late 90's. Eric Alexander is also featured on the date. Seeing there has been no significant discussions here prior, I thought I would ask for your thoughts on his music. Sounds like a good player. Quote
BillF Posted January 1, 2010 Report Posted January 1, 2010 I associate him with a group of "neo-hard bop" musicians of the nineties and noughties which includes Eric Alexander, David Hazeltine and Joe Farnsworth. Otherwise, not well informed. Quote
paul secor Posted January 1, 2010 Report Posted January 1, 2010 I have only one recording he plays on - a Charles Earland on High Note. From that, he sounds like an ok player. There are probably 100-200 other trumpeters I'd rather listen to. That's not a knock on him. There just didn't seem to be much personality in his playing on the Earland recording. That one was recorded close to 13 years ago, so perhaps his playing has changed since then. Quote
Brad Posted January 1, 2010 Report Posted January 1, 2010 I have the Excursions recording and like it. I think he is a good player. However, I'm not sure he's blazing any new trails and I can't disagree with the other comments posted so far. Quote
Tom 1960 Posted January 1, 2010 Author Report Posted January 1, 2010 Thanks for the input fellas. The reason why I've asked for some thoughts, along with a few other trumpeters recently is because I'm sadly underweighted in contemporary trumpet players with the exclusion of say Roy Hargrove. I really enjoy guys like Miles, Lee Morgan, Freddie Hubbard, Woody Shaw, Carmell Jones, Charles Tolliver. All great players without question who bring an immmense of ammount of pleasure to my life. That said, I'd really like to get to know todays players as well. That's why I keep posing these questions. I'll keep trying though. Quote
CJ Shearn Posted January 1, 2010 Report Posted January 1, 2010 (edited) Jim's a nice guy. We had a great conversation a few years ago after a gig about Freddie Hubbard and Woody Shaw. Edited January 1, 2010 by CJ Shearn Quote
Uncle Skid Posted January 1, 2010 Report Posted January 1, 2010 He's a very good player, but his live performances have irritated me on multiple occasions. Lots of pyrotechnics that appeared to be more about showing off than making any particular musical statement. I also associate him with Hazeltine, but I think David is a much more interesting player. I have "The Pleasure Dome" (Sharp Nine), and it's a decent record. Quote
randyhersom Posted January 5, 2010 Report Posted January 5, 2010 I haven't heard Rotondi, but Jeremy Pelt is well worth checking out. Quote
Kevin Bresnahan Posted January 5, 2010 Report Posted January 5, 2010 Jim Rotondi is one of the founding members of One For All, otherwise known as Today's Jazz Messengers. Like nearly everyone else in this band, he gets dinged by the Jazz cognoscenti for playing hard bop. "No development". "Not moving forward". "If I want to hear this, I'll put on a Lee Morgan Blue Note record". Well, I got news for you, Lee Morgan's dead. There are not too many trumpeters today that play pure hard bop. For someone like me who loves to hear a hot band smokin' some hard bop, I am grateful for One For All and Jim Rotondi. I've seen him several times live and I've enjoyed every one. I go to hear hard bop and that's what he plays. If I went to a show and he suddenly started playing crazy outside stuff, I'd be bummed. That's not why I go to see him. Kevin Quote
John Tapscott Posted January 5, 2010 Report Posted January 5, 2010 (edited) Nice post Kevin. I agree with you. A couple more who play good hard bop trumpet are Brian Lynch (one of my favorites) and Joe Magnarelli. Actually there are lots more - Jeremy Pelt mentioned by Randy, and Terrell Stafford come to mind. Edited to add Greg Gisbert and Andy Gravish, both of whom play on one of the most smokin' hard bop CD's of the past 10 or 15 years - Danny D'Imperio's "The Outlaw" on Sackville. Edited January 5, 2010 by John Tapscott Quote
clifford_thornton Posted January 5, 2010 Report Posted January 5, 2010 Thanks for the input fellas. The reason why I've asked for some thoughts, along with a few other trumpeters recently is because I'm sadly underweighted in contemporary trumpet players with the exclusion of say Roy Hargrove. I really enjoy guys like Miles, Lee Morgan, Freddie Hubbard, Woody Shaw, Carmell Jones, Charles Tolliver. All great players without question who bring an immmense of ammount of pleasure to my life. That said, I'd really like to get to know todays players as well. That's why I keep posing these questions. I'll keep trying though. You'd do well to listen to Kelly Rossum. Fine inside/outside player from Minneapolis who has just relocated to NYC. Lots of excellent contemporary trumpeters, though some of the ones I'd immediately point out hew closer to the avant-garde end of things. You might dig cornetist Josh Berman - excellent player, and his Old Idea firmly updates the in-betweenness of mid-60s Blue Notes, albiet chunkier and more fractured. Quote
jlhoots Posted January 5, 2010 Report Posted January 5, 2010 Jim Rotondi is one of the founding members of One For All, otherwise known as Today's Jazz Messengers. Like nearly everyone else in this band, he gets dinged by the Jazz cognoscenti for playing hard bop. "No development". "Not moving forward". "If I want to hear this, I'll put on a Lee Morgan Blue Note record". Well, I got news for you, Lee Morgan's dead. There are not too many trumpeters today that play pure hard bop. For someone like me who loves to hear a hot band smokin' some hard bop, I am grateful for One For All and Jim Rotondi. I've seen him several times live and I've enjoyed every one. I go to hear hard bop and that's what he plays. If I went to a show and he suddenly started playing crazy outside stuff, I'd be bummed. That's not why I go to see him. Kevin I'm with you on this. Quote
trane123 Posted January 5, 2010 Report Posted January 5, 2010 Jim Rotondi is one of the founding members of One For All, otherwise known as Today's Jazz Messengers. Like nearly everyone else in this band, he gets dinged by the Jazz cognoscenti for playing hard bop. "No development". "Not moving forward". "If I want to hear this, I'll put on a Lee Morgan Blue Note record". Well, I got news for you, Lee Morgan's dead. There are not too many trumpeters today that play pure hard bop. For someone like me who loves to hear a hot band smokin' some hard bop, I am grateful for One For All and Jim Rotondi. I've seen him several times live and I've enjoyed every one. I go to hear hard bop and that's what he plays. If I went to a show and he suddenly started playing crazy outside stuff, I'd be bummed. That's not why I go to see him. Kevin Well said, Kevin. At the risk of being called a "moldy fig" I'm with you... Quote
Tom 1960 Posted January 6, 2010 Author Report Posted January 6, 2010 Thanks for the additional thoughts and recommendations fellas. To Kevin: I couldn't agree with you more. I'm glad I'm not alone out there. Quote
Peter Friedman Posted January 7, 2010 Report Posted January 7, 2010 I am in total agreement with Kevin too. Joe Magnarelli , Terell Stafford, Brian Lynch and Jeremy Pelt are also solid Hard Bop Trumpet players I like. One additional name not mentioned in this thread is John Swana from Philadelphia. John Tapscott was right in the bulls-eye when he said the Danny D'Imperio's CD titled "The Outlaw" on Sackville is a killer Hard Bop session. Quote
TMadness1013 Posted January 12, 2010 Report Posted January 12, 2010 I really dig Rotondi - great straight ahead playing. Nothing ground breaking, but like others have mentioned it's very refreshing to just hear some killer post-bop playing. Magnarelli & John Swana are two of my other favorite trumpet guys out there right now. Quote
jazzkrow Posted January 12, 2010 Report Posted January 12, 2010 I agree wholeheartedly on all these guys-Rotondi, Swana, Magnarelli, Stafford,Lynch, and Pelt etc.-all keeping up the hard bop tradition. (Pelt's new issue-Men of Honor is great!) So happy to have them on the scene to keep us hard boppers happy Quote
Larry Kart Posted January 12, 2010 Report Posted January 12, 2010 I agree wholeheartedly on all these guys-Rotondi, Swana, Magnarelli, Stafford,Lynch, and Pelt etc.-all keeping up the hard bop tradition. (Pelt's new issue-Men of Honor is great!) So happy to have them on the scene to keep us hard boppers happy Scott Wendholt Quote
Kevin Bresnahan Posted January 12, 2010 Report Posted January 12, 2010 I agree wholeheartedly on all these guys-Rotondi, Swana, Magnarelli, Stafford,Lynch, and Pelt etc.-all keeping up the hard bop tradition. (Pelt's new issue-Men of Honor is great!) So happy to have them on the scene to keep us hard boppers happy Scott Wendholt Yeah, Scott's a good one too. Definitely worth checking out if you're into post bop trumpet. Quote
John Tapscott Posted January 12, 2010 Report Posted January 12, 2010 Ryan Kisor, too, don't know whether he's been mentioned yet. Quote
jazzkrow Posted January 12, 2010 Report Posted January 12, 2010 STRONG vote for Wendholt as well. the list keeps growing. Love my hard bop trumpeters.... Swana and Wendholt seem never to tour... Quote
Dan Gould Posted February 9, 2010 Report Posted February 9, 2010 Count me in with Mr. Bresnahan as a Rotondi fan. Many years ago my wife and I saw him at Smoke with the re-formed George Coleman Octet. Great playing, and nothing like what Uncle Skid complains about. I recently stumbled across this 2009 release which turned out to be quite good: I hadn't even known that Rotondi started out with Brother Ray. Nice playing all around but LeDonne takes honors for his burning up the B3. There's a new Criss Cross record on the way too. Quote
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