Paul Wertico Trio: The Underground

by Mike Jacobs
August 23, 2024

Wertico / Haque / Gray at the Bop Stop in Cleveland

by C. Andrew Hovan
April 26, 2022

Blowing in from the Windy City, drummer extraordinaire Paul Wertico recently visited the Bop Stop in Cleveland for a performance on April 15, 2022. He brought with him the exemplary talents of guitarist Fareed Haque and bassist Larry Gray. Prior to the concert, Wertico led a masterclass for all musicians discussing ways to approach the art of improvisation. When the trio hit the stage later, it was truly a case of the whole being greater than the sum of its ...

John Moulder: Metamorphosis

by Jack Bowers
October 30, 2021

As approximately fifty of the sixty-eight minutes on Chicago-based guitarist John Moulder's new CD, Metamorphosis, are devoted to the seven-part “Metamorphosis Suite," that seems an appropriate point at which to start any appraisal of its contents and purpose. First and foremost, it is clear that considerable thought was given to mapping the structure of the suite, and that Moulder's quartet came well-prepared to accept and conform to his frame of mind. Whether the end result is worthy of approval is ...

Paul Wertico: Impressions Of A City

by Hrayr Attarian
April 25, 2010

Almost 40 years after its inception and despite many detractors among master musicians and critics, jazz-rock fusion continues to have a tenacious hold on both creators and consumers of instrumental music. Percussionist Paul Wertico's Impressions of a City puts a modern spin on the genre by creating a work that brings together jazz like improvisation and the sound of rock jam bands. The concept behind the CD is interesting; it is supposed to be free musical impressions ...

Paul Wertico's Mid East/Mid West Alliance: Impressions of a City

by John Kelman
December 14, 2009

For those only familiar with his work in Pat Metheny Group, drummer Paul Wertico's extracurricular career will be something of a shock. He may have been all light cymbal work and gentle pulses with PMG, but on albums like The Sign of Four (Knitting Factory, 1997)--a freewheeling session with Metheny in a “beyond"-Song X (Nonesuch, 1985) mood, ��ber-free guitarist Derek Bailey and intrepid percussionist Gregg Bendian--Wertico proved that PMG's accessible grooves were but only one of his many diverse interests.

Paul Wertico: All In A Day's Work

by Cicily Janus
December 14, 2009

Seven-time Grammy winner Paul Wertico, a name long-synonymous with innovation and Herculean energy/talent in the world of drums, has stepped out of the box once again to present an album that defies genre boundaries. In addition to the usual suspects of his trio including guitarist John Moulder and bassist Brian Peters, Wertico has combined forces with Israeli guitarist Dani Rabin and saxophonist Danny Markovitch to form the Mid East/Mid West Alliance. The product of this marriage of talent recently came ...

John Moulder: Trinity

by John Kelman
October 17, 2006

While it's possible to overstate the importance of parallel careers, it's difficult to avoid touching on the subject when it comes to John Moulder. The ordained priest has also managed an active musical career in Chicago as a guitarist, most notably as a member of ex-Pat Metheny Group drummer Paul Wertico's trio for the past 12 years. It's easy to forget Moulder's spiritual leanings on albums like Spirit Talk (Naim, 2003), a standards-based duo record with vibraphonist Ken Hall. But ...