In
many ways, guitarist Charlie Apicella has devoted himself to a kind of
historical reenactment. On all of his previous albums, which have
included tributes to Jack McDuff and B.B. King, Apicella faithfully has
sought to channel an era of American music when hard-bop and r&b
reigned and existed as a sort of lingua franca.
His latest album,
Groove Machine (OA2), is no exception. There are a number of instances
when Apicella nods to the past as he dutifully covers funky, down-home
tracks like Lou Donaldson’s “Hot Dog” and Willis Jackson’s “Brother
Elijah.” But the guitarist still manages to keep things fresh. The
album, his sixth as a leader, is made up primarily of his own
compositions, including the cool, swinging “Three Sided” and “Along The
Southern Coast”—with a soulful cameo from violinist Amy Bateman.
“They all sound like something you would have heard in 1954,” Apicella recently said over the phone from his New York apartment.
The
record showcases Apicella’s Iron City band, which includes drummer Alan
Korzin, tenor saxophonist Gene Ghee, trumpeter Freddie Hendrix,
conguero Mayra Casales and organist Radam Schwartz, who contributed one
composition, “Calypso Blue.” “All the music grooves,” Apicella said.
“There are no intros to the tunes that are washy—we get right to the
point, just like Jack McDuff.”
If Apicella seems like a
throwback, it’s because he is. He is in his mid-30s, but doesn’t listen
to much contemporary jazz, most of which bores him—there is, he said,
“an obnoxious level of improvisational hysterics.”
Instead, he
prefers to take inspiration from earlier jazz guitarists like Herb
Ellis, Wes Montgomery and Kenny Burrell. And on his records, he tries to
align himself with musicians who have performed with mid-century titans
of jazz. Schwartz, for instance, played with Eddie “Lockjaw” Davis and
David “Fathead” Newman.
“He doesn’t have super-duper chops, but
he plays tastefully, and you can tell that he’s studied the tradition of
the guitar,” said Hendrix, who’s frequently collaborated with Apicella
and further describes him as a deeply melodic guitarist along the lines
of Grant Green.
Apicella picked up the guitar relatively late,
buying his first instrument during his senior year of high school. He
studied jazz on the side while a student at the University of
Massachusetts Amherst, where Yusef Lateef was his teacher. And since
coming to New York, Apicella has done his best to seek out elders, even
though, as he puts it, “The way that guys used to learn isn’t really
around anymore.” Still, he’s managed to study under guitarists Pat
Martino and Dave Stryker, who produced two of Apicella’s records.
According
to Hendrix, Apicella has “really come into his own within these past
few years.” The guitarist also has established himself as an educator
with his TrueFire video lessons and as an instructor at the New York
Jazz Workshop.
But Apicella still seems to view himself primarily
as a student of the past. Regarding future albums, he said that he’s
like to record a tribute to Jimi Hendrix, as well as another paean to
B.B. King—this time with a vocalist. DB
https://downbeat.com/news/detail/charlie-apicella-channeling-the-past
/////////////
En
muchos sentidos, el guitarrista Charlie Apicella se ha dedicado a una
especie de recreación histórica. En todos sus álbumes anteriores, que
incluyen homenajes a Jack McDuff y B.B. King, Apicella ha tratado
fielmente de canalizar una época de la música estadounidense en la que
reinaban el hard-bop y el r&b y existían como una especie de lingua
franca.
Su último álbum, Groove Machine (OA2), no es una
excepción. Hay varios casos en los que Apicella hace un guiño al pasado,
ya que versiona fielmente temas funky y caseros como "Hot Dog" de Lou
Donaldson y "Brother Elijah" de Willis Jackson. Pero el guitarrista se
las arregla para mantener las cosas frescas. El álbum, su sexto como
líder, se compone principalmente de sus propias composiciones, entre las
que se incluyen las frescas y oscilantes "Three Sided" y "Along The
Southern Coast", con un conmovedor cameo de la violinista Amy Bateman.
"Todas
suenan como algo que se hubiera escuchado en 1954", dijo recientemente
Apicella por teléfono desde su apartamento de Nueva York.
El
disco presenta a la banda Iron City de Apicella, que incluye al
baterista Alan Korzin, al saxofonista tenor Gene Ghee, al trompetista
Freddie Hendrix, a la conguero Mayra Casales y al organista Radam
Schwartz, quien contribuyó con una composición, "Calypso Blue". "Toda la
música tiene ritmo", dijo Apicella. "No hay intros de las melodías que
sean sensibleras; vamos directamente al grano, como Jack McDuff".
Si
Apicella parece un retroceso, es porque lo es. Tiene unos 30 años, pero
no escucha mucho jazz contemporáneo, la mayoría del cual le aburre;
hay, dice, "un nivel odioso de histeria improvisada".
En su
lugar, prefiere inspirarse en guitarristas de jazz anteriores como Herb
Ellis, Wes Montgomery y Kenny Burrell. Y en sus discos, intenta
alinearse con músicos que han tocado con titanes del jazz de mediados de
siglo. Schwartz, por ejemplo, tocó con Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis y David
"Fathead" Newman.
"No tiene unas habilidades extraordinarias,
pero toca con gusto y se nota que ha estudiado la tradición de la
guitarra", dice Hendrix, que ha colaborado a menudo con Apicella y lo
describe como un guitarrista profundamente melódico en la línea de Grant
Green.
Apicella empezó a tocar la guitarra relativamente tarde,
comprando su primer instrumento en el último año de instituto. Estudió
jazz mientras estudiaba en la Universidad de Massachusetts Amherst,
donde Yusef Lateef fue su profesor. Y desde que llegó a Nueva York,
Apicella ha hecho todo lo posible por buscar a los mayores, aunque, como
él dice, "la forma en que los chicos solían aprender ya no existe". Aun
así, ha conseguido estudiar con los guitarristas Pat Martino y Dave
Stryker, que ha producido dos de los discos de Apicella.
Según
Hendrix, Apicella "se ha convertido realmente en alguien importante en
estos últimos años". El guitarrista también se ha establecido como
educador con sus lecciones de vídeo TrueFire y como instructor en el New
York Jazz Workshop.
Pero Apicella parece seguir viéndose
principalmente como un estudiante del pasado. En cuanto a futuros
álbumes, dijo que le gustaría grabar un homenaje a Jimi Hendrix, así
como otro canto a B.B. King, esta vez con un vocalista. DB
https://downbeat.com/news/detail/charlie-apicella-channeling-the-past
Colaborador / Contributor: Michel
1 - You Upset Me Baby
2 - I'm King
3 - Rock Me Baby
4 - Mosaics
5 - Delia Soul
6 - Outer Space
7 - Farid
8 - Over In The Gloryland
Credits:
Charlie Apicella - Guitar
Stephen Riley - Tenor, Alto Saxophones
Freddie Hendrix - Trumpet
Dave Braham - Organ
Mayra Casales - Congas
Alan Korzin - Drums
2016
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