Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Ed Vezinho / Jim Ward: Live From the Jersey Pines

Ed Vezinho / Jim Ward: Live From the Jersey Pines

By Richard J Salvucci
June 19, 2023
View read count

Ed Vezinho / Jim Ward: Live From the Jersey Pines

The Pineys. The Jersey Devil. The flyover country between Southeastern Pennsylvania and the Jersey Shore. None of these are entirely flattering descriptions or features of the great wooded expanse that extends over much of South Jersey, but, as they say, it is what it is. Of course, the residents of the big cities that surround the Jersey Pines also know there are plenty of good musicians and places to play as well. That is nothing new, but sometimes proximity to New York City tends to diminish the Philadelphia-Atlantic City corridor in the eyes of aspiring musicians. One went, as

Dizzy Gillespie

trumpet
1917 - 1993

" data-original-title="" title="">Dizzy Gillespie put it, to conquer New York. Who went to New Jersey to conquer anything other than a bad habit? A most unfortunate reputation, and, musically, a bad rap as well. The Ed Vezinho / Jim Ward Big Band may not exactly be a household name, but it is, as its founders put it, tight and smoking. Whatever you choose to call this recording, it is not afterglow.

If a big band does not have a first rate rhythm section and a pretty capable lead trumpet, all bets are off. While

Mike Nigro

drums

" data-original-title="" title="">Mike Nigro does not get any big solos, he has technique, time and taste. He, pianist

Demetrios Pappas

piano

" data-original-title="" title="">Demetrios Pappas and bassist

Joe Jacobs

trombone, bass

" data-original-title="" title="">Joe Jacobs really make this thing go, and on the closing tune, "The Blues Up and Down," Nigro and Jacobs give a clinic. Same for (presumably) lead trumpet Jim Ward, who handles a demanding book more or less flawlessly. Jacobs is just omnipresent, the way some of the best big band players, like

Chuck Andrus

bass
1928 - 1997

" data-original-title="" title="">Chuck Andrus were. Or listen to "When Sunny Gets Blue" where sax players

Skip Spratt

saxophone, tenor

" data-original-title="" title="">Skip Spratt and

Denis DeBlasio

" data-original-title="" title="">Denis DeBlasio really get all the support any instrumentalist could want.

"Ruby Baby" feels a lot like one of

Woody Herman

band / ensemble / orchestra
1913 - 1987

" data-original-title="" title="">Woody Herman's late 1960s bands, and gives Pappas a chance to solo. The trumpets and trombones put a listener in mind of the classic interaction that Herman's bands often got, well defined, sharp. Speaking of trumpets, there is an abundance of fine players, whether playing as a section or soloing.

Joe Scannella

trumpet

" data-original-title="" title="">Joe Scannella on "Impossible" really plays pretty, and frames the swing section beautifully, such a lovely tone and a singing upper register.

Tony DeSantis

trumpet

" data-original-title="" title="">Tony DeSantis gets a crack at "Body and Soul" and acquits himself well. Ward and Scannella both get in on "People" and it hard not to wish that

Ed Vezinho

arranger

" data-original-title="" title="">Ed Vezinho would not simply let them cut loose for a couple of choruses. The harmonized duo here is all well and good, but let these guys blow. "Deni's Lament" is DiBlasio's feature, and puts to bed a lingering image of a younger Denis from years ago playing some wild stuff like "Jack Usage" with Maynard Ferguson. He has aged nicely. "It Could Happen to You" gives the trombones some space, features a great sax soli, and another DeSantis solo.

There was a time, many years ago, when some radio personalities in Philadelphia used to wish for a big band comeback. One of those people was the indefatigable Jack Pyle, who had been lucky enough to see all the great outfits of the Swing Era live. Occasionally, an aging listener wonders what Pyle would have made of some contemporary big bands, where the musicians seem capable of playing anything as long as nothing as vulgar as excitement got in the way. Pyle would have dug this band once he wrapped his head around its more modern harmonies. It may be tight and well mannered, but boring, certainly not. The smart aleck doit ending to "Skylark" is an appropriate punctuation mark (!). All things considered, some of us might rather be in the Jersey Pines tonight if the Vezinho / Ward outfit were in the house.

Learn more about our star rating system

Track Listing

My Man Rob; When Sunny Gets Blue; Ruby Baby; Impossible; Body and Soul; People; Den's Lament; It Could Happen to You; Till There Was You; Skylark; Del Sasser; The Blues Up and Down.

Personnel

Ed Vezinho

arranger

Howard Isaacson

saxophone, alto

Joe Vettori

saxophone, alto

Skip Spratt

saxophone, tenor

Bob Quaile

saxophone, tenor

Denis DiBlasio

saxophone, baritone

Jim Ward

trumpet

Joe Scannella

trumpet

Tony DeSantis

trumpet

Jon Barnes

trumpet

Clint Sharman

trombone

Rich Goldstein

guitar

Bob Suttmann

trombone

Joe Jacobs

trombone, bass

Demetrios Pappas

piano

Douglas Mapp

bass

Mike Nigro

drums

Album information

Title: Live From the Jersey Pines | Year Released: 2023 | Record Label: Self Produced

PREVIOUS / NEXT

Introspection
< Previous

Gnosis: The Inner Light
Next >

Support All About Jazz

All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who make it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

Go Ad Free!

To maintain our platform while developing new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity, we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for as little as $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination vastly improves your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.