Vinnie Riccitelli Octet: For The Record

94 year old alto saxist and composer Vinnie Riccitelli, while not a  household name, finally gets a documentation of his arranging and pen skills with an octet richly interpreting his material. The alto sax work is provided by either Leo Ursini or Nathan Childers, with swinging support by Joe Stelluti/ts, Chris Stelluti/bs, Glenn Drewes/tp, Bruce Bonsissuto/tb, Eddie Monteiro/p, Lou Stelluti/b and the legendary Tony Tedesco/dr, and Eddie Monteiro adds some festive accordion to a sauntering take of Benny Golson’s “Along Came Betty”. The reeds are rich, emphasizing Stelluti on’Maids of “Cadi” and the rich “Star Eyes” and a snappy “Serenata”. As far as Riccitelli’s own tunes, the team swings like a V8 engine on “Minor Seventh Heaven” and saunters with Bonvissuto and Drewes on “Blues Dominant”, with the team closing out on an upbeat note on the hefty “Little Boy Blew”. Where’s this guy been hiding?

www.vinniericcitelli.com

Leave a Reply