Jazz From The Westchester Workshop - Vinnie Riccitelli

 

Bert Flight

Jazz From The Westchester Workshop

Vinnie Riccitell

Unique Records LP-103

A Division Of RKO Teleradio Pictures, Inc.

1957

Personnel: 

Trumpet - Joe Shepley

Alto - Vinnie Riccitelli

Tenor - Carmen Leggio

Trombone - Eddie Bert

Baritone Sax - Gene Allen

Piano - Dolph Castellano

Bass - Eddy Tone

Drums - Joe Venuto

From the back cover: To introduce its Jazz LP series, Unique Records spent several months in the careful screening of young composers, arrangers and musicians before a final decision could be made in the ultimate selection of just the right men and material... but it took only one "hearing" of the The Westchester Workshop group and Unique had its inaugural album.

The versatile composer-arranger heading The Workshop, Vinnie Riccitelli, learned his "tools of the trade" with studies at Julliard School Of Music, private studies on alto sax and clarinet... and this album represents a milestone in a fast-rising career in the progressive jazz field for Vinnie. After a hitch in the Navy where he played in service bands, Vinnie worked the usual circuit of club engagements, one-nighters, and gained some experience with Art Mooney. His early instrumental and arranging influences included Count Basie... later, the newer schools of jazz brought into prominence by Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Parker, Miles Davis and Gerry Mulligan... the 1949-50 recordings of the latter two being the inspiration Vinnie found for his compositions.

Having worked at the Paddock near Yonkers Racesway for over two and a half years, including Monday night jam sessions which have featured such jazz stars as Don Elliott, Eddie Safranski, Don Lamond and Al Cohn, Vinnie became friends with the musicians who have been selected for these recordings... frequenting the jam sessions, he decided to form a group using the same men and began writing for what he considers the "ideal instrumentation for small group arranging... he scored several things, started rehearsing, the group liked what they played and heard and thus, "The Westchester Workshop was born. The Workshop decided to try its luck in peddling its wares to a recording company... and thus Unique Jazz was born.

Giving this album a title was a simple task since the sound created here are a unique marriage between two styles of jazz... the East and West coasts' styles have been interwoven by Riccitelli's composing as well as arranging techniques.

All but one, Cole Porter's "Love For Sale," are Riccitelli originals... Vinnie's first thoughts being to experiment with different voicings on standard tunes... his desire to express himself musically found the perfect outlet in jazz, Vinnie being a firm believer in "a great future for jazz as an art form." 

Key Chain

Love For Sale

Bert Flight

Minor Incident

Fruity Tutti

The Beak

No Coast At All

Carmenooch