Musillami 4tet at the Vermont Jazz Center 1/24/03

The Vermont Jazz Center will present a concert on Friday, January 24th with a heavy hitting group under the direction of jazz guitarist, Mike Musillami. This concert will feature renowned pianist, Ted Rosenthal, winner of the prestigious Thelonius Monk International Jazz Piano Competition, plus first-call bassist Dave Shapiro and New York drummer, George Schuller. This is a group that after playing together a few times realized that they have the right chemistry to make a musical statement. They are all serious players who can lay down a deep groove; their prodigious technique is never displayed at the expense of good taste. The day after playing at the Vermont Jazz Center, they will record for Playscape Recordings at Gary Henry's Northern Tracks Studio in Wilmington.

Guitarist, Mike Musillami, who has recorded with Randy Brecker, Ray Drummond, Claudio Roditi, Ralph Moore, Thomas Chapin and others, has been called “a guitarist of serious proportion in Musician Magazine and a “gifted soloist" in Jazz Journal International. In JazzTimes, it was written: “Musillami's approach and technique reign supreme as he carries most of the melodies and solos with astonishing ingenuity and precision". Musillami performed at the jazz center in December of 2000 to high acclaim. Mike now doubles as a record producer, his label, Playscape recordings has quickly emerged and flourished due to Musillami's care in choosing high caliber musicians creating interesting, new music.

The Pianist of the quartet, Ted Rosenthal, entered the international spotlight by winning first prize in the 2nd annual Thelonious Monk International Jazz Piano Competition. He has since released 7 CDs as a leader. Rosenthal's CDs feature some of the top names in jazz including Ron Carter, Billy Higgins, Tom Harrell, Dick Oatts, Brian Lynch, Marvin “Smitty" Smith, Michael Formanek and Billy Drummond. Rosenthal toured and recorded with the Gerry Mulligan Quartet. After Mulligan's death, he was pianist/musical director of the Grammy nominated Gerry Mulligan All-Star Tribute Band, featuring Bob Brookmeyer, Lee Konitz, Randy Brecker and Nick Brignola. Rosenthal was a member of the Art Farmer Quintet, has performed with the Jon Faddis, Benny Golson and James Moody Quartets, and with the Phil Woods and Joe Chambers Quintets. He has also performed with Wynton Marsalis and the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, The Carnegie Hall Jazz Band and the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra. Rosenthal is also the pianist of choice for many top jazz vocalists including Helen Merrill and Mark Murphy. He has appeared on Marian McPartland's Piano Jazz on National Public Radio and performed with David Sanborn on NBC's Night Music. Rosenthal is adept at both classical and jazz styles and has performed with The Boston Pops, The Greater Palm Beach Symphony, The Tulsa Philharmonic, The Kansas City Symphony, and The North Carolina Symphony; he has also performed in chamber and new music concerts at Carnegie's Weill Recital Hall, Alice Tully Hall and Merkin Concert Hall

Rosenthal has been hailed by many critics including Leonard Feather, one of jazz's most noted historians who states: “Rosenthal is a pianist of rarest skill, weaving rapid single note lines that span out into rich chordal patterns, parallel octaves and hints of the blues." John S. Wilson, of the New York Times has called him “ a new jazz leader."

Drummer George Schuller is a founding member of Orange Then Blue, and has recorded and produced all five of Orange Then Blue's releases over the last 16 years including the latest on GM Recordings entitled Hold The Elevator: Live in Europe and Other Haunts. Schuller appears on Joe Lovano's Rush Hour (Blue Note) which was voted “Album of the Year" by Downbeat Critics ('95) and was nominated for a Grammy the same year. Schuller has also recorded and/or produced dozens of CDs. Since graduating from the New England Conservatory of Music in 1982, he has performed with Dee Dee Bridgewater, Lee Konitz, Nnenna Freelon, Jaki Byard, Toots Thielemans, Danilo Perez, Dave Douglas, Kenny Werner, George Adams, Fred Hersch, Mose Allison, The Smithsonian Jazz MasterWorks Orchestra, among many others.

Bassist Dave Shapiro rounds out the group. He is familiar name to jazz aficionados in the area - but this shouldn't overshadow the fact that he has performed and recorded with some of jazz's true luminaries including Lee Konitz, Chet Baker, Anita O'day, Harold Danko, Attila Zoller, Chris Connor and Woody Herman. Shapiro, originally from New York, is one of the most under-appreciated yet finest bassists in jazz. He now makes his home in Townsend, VT.

Come hear the Mike Musillami Quartet with Ted Rosenthal at the Vermont Jazz Center on January 24th at 8:00 PM. Tickets are $12 for adults, $8 for students and seniors. Add $2 on the day of the show. This show will probably sell out. Reserve tickets now by calling the Vermont Jazz Center at (802) 254 9088, or by purchasing them at Maple Leaf Music or Mainly Music in Brattleboro. Tickets may also be reserved on line at www.vtjazz.org.