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The Business reviewed by John Heidt, Dec. 2011
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This follow-up to 2009’s Sparks
keeps the groove going as Apicella
continues to write and cover so...This follow-up to 2009’s Sparks
keeps the groove going as Apicella
continues to write and cover songs
with great Blue Note Record feels
that allow fine soloing by himself,
Dave Mattock on organ, and Stephen
Riley on tenor sax. It follows the same
direction, with veteran jazz guitarist
Dave Stryker again supplying the
production.
As a player, Apicella immediately
brings to mind Grant Green. He’s
funky, he’s bluesy, and he’s not afraid
to get dirty at times. He does cover
one Green tune here, “Donny Brook,”
which brings the same finger-poppin’,
danceable feel that Green did to his
music. There is a lot of that on the
record, with percolating funk on the
title cut showing the way. Apicella and
Riley usually state the melody, and
the solos follow. Apicella distills his
solos down to the essentials, although
that’s not to say he plays simply. He
knows what groove he wants, and
once his guitar settles there, it stays
and invites you in. He even manages
to make the old Elvis chestnut, “Can’t
Help Falling In Love,” feel like a song
you’d naturally hear in an after-hours
club, with a lovely solo that strays just
far enough from the familiar melody
to draw you in.
The band covers tunes by Sonny
Stitt, Stanley Turrentine, and Ben
Dixon perfectly, and Apicella’s orginals
give the band the same chance to
show off that the classic jazz tunes do.
The perfect illustration of how great
this band is together is Charlie’s “64
Cadillac.” It has a definite Latin-soul
pedigree, with Riley sounding like
a twisted Stan Getz and Apicella
building a solo that’s both subtle and
forceful.
Apicella and band have that perfect
jazz rapport that allows them to be
tight as hell and play off each other
beautifully. – JH
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Sparks reviewed by Mark Gardner
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Young guitarist Charlie Apicella and his trio companions Dave Mattock and Alan Korzin could not have...Young guitarist Charlie Apicella and his trio companions Dave Mattock and Alan Korzin could not have wished for a more sympathetic producer than ace guitarist Dave Stryker, who knows all about this instrumental combination and how it is best recorded. It may have been Dave who suggested the inclusion of that wonderful saxophonist Stephen Riley for five of eight tracks; Stephen and Dave had recorded in just such a set-up a few months earlier.
Riley has one of the most expressive, vocal tones and distinctive phrasing of all the younger tenor players, and his appearances here are a huge bonus. Similarly, the addition of an individual violinist to the opening and seventh selections proves that fiddle can provide useful colour even in such a hothouse context.
Apicella is a lithe, swinging guitarist with an affinity for the contrasting styles of both Grant Green and Wes Montgomery. He combines these influences cleverly while applying his own salt and pepper to the mix. Mattock is a straight-ahead organist, who supports rather than overwhelms his fellow soloists. He avoids the lure of showboating even in his solos.
Among disparate pieces by Grant Green, Lonnie Smith and Lou Donaldson (all master of this genre), there are several hip pieces by the leader and even a strand by Michael Jackson. Each tune fits the band’s needs, offering ample scope for the members’ creative endeavors. Performances are well paced and to the point. An all-around impressive debut by a guitarist of substance operating in ideal company.
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Sparks reviewed by John Heidt
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From the first song on this disc (“Sookie Sookie”), it’s apparent Charlie and the boys are all about...From the first song on this disc (“Sookie Sookie”), it’s apparent Charlie and the boys are all about the groove. On all eight cuts here, the organ trio and guests like Stephen Riley on tenor saxophone lay down a large track for Apicella and Riley to solo.
Music is written by the likes of Steve Cropper, Dr. Lonnie Smith, Grant Green, Michael Jackson (an extremely cool groove-oriented “Billy Jean”) fit perfectly with Apicella originals. And while the tunes have memorable melodies and grooves, the playing seals the deal; Apicella is a no-nonsense player of unquestioned chops and whose soul drips from each note.
“Blues in Maude’s Flat” epitomizes what a great player should have; Apicella mixes chords and octaves in the middle with a great sense of melody you don’t always get from guitarists when they’re playing a blues. Cuts like the melodic, funky “A Decade in the Making” find him skillfully and soulfully darting in and around the changes. The cut also shows the hand-and-glove feel shared by Apicella and Riley, where they both play the melody before one takes a solo.
Solos and backing throughout the disc show fine use of dynamics, exemplified on “Play it Back,” which lets Apicella deftly mix chords and single-line work on the head before his solo. Meanwhile, Jackson’s “Billie Jean” –an unusual choice for a jazz trio- conveys an obvious tension in its punches and the well-known melody, which shows a certain cleverness, as does the cool vamp by Apicella on the organ solo. This is “organic” music, and Apicella is an exciting young player.
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Glowing review of Sparks by Dick Mecalf
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Charlie Apicella & IRON CITY- SPARKS: There's nothing cooler on a laid-back rainy Sunday morning in...Charlie Apicella & IRON CITY- SPARKS: There's nothing cooler on a laid-back rainy Sunday morning in the Great Northwest than inspiring bluesy jazz like Charlie & his krew play on this CD... we reviewed these guys back in issue #88 , and loved what they did on that album. "Sparks" just smokes the competition... the official release date isn't until March, 2010, but you can find previews around the net, most notably at YOUTUBE ... Charlie's guitar work is excellent, as it was on the first outing, and the other players (Dave Mattock's Hammond organ, drums from Alan Korzin, tenor sax on several cuts from Stephen Riley & guests John Blake, Jr. (violin), and Amy Bateman (violin)) ensure that your energies will be brought to full-tilt! The CD features 3 originals, and my favorite among those was "Sweet and Sounded" (sorry, it appears there are no samples available yet), where Bateman's violin joins in the basics of downhome (yet somehow uptown) funk... it was the opener, "Sookie Sookie", that really caught my ear & captures my vote for favorite... it's a Cropper/Covey tune that highlights Apicella's guitar with sweet Hammond down under... one of the funkiest tracks I've heard (yet) this year! The most notable thing about this grouping is how tight they are together... real pleasure in the listening, from the opening to the closing note... ultimate groove with 21st Century flavor, it gets my MOST HIGHLY RECOMMENDED, especially for jazzers who can't go another minute without that funk-driven beat! Their "EQ" (energy quotient) rating is at the top of the scale - 4.99 out of 5.00. Get more information at Rotcod Zzaj
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Sparks reviewed by Chris Spector
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The funky organ trio, Iron City smear their tunes with handfuls of smooth-ruffling blues and grease-...The funky organ trio, Iron City smear their tunes with handfuls of smooth-ruffling blues and grease-sliding soul adorning the band‘s forthcoming album Sparks with an elysian tinting in their soft billowing fields. Fronted by guitarist Charlie Apicella and supported by Dave Mattock on Hammond organ and Alan Korzin on drums, Iron City play sophisticated blues in the vane of Grant Green and Muddy Waters. Their friezes of Americana blues and smooth soul have an urban feel, and bate the listener with easy-riding grooves and cozy homespun harmonies. Featuring special guests Stephen Riley on saxophone and Amy Bateman and John Blake, Jr. on violins, Sparks inspires a mischievous roaming with a spirit that my not know its destination but it enjoys the journey.
With a mix of original tunes and covers, Iron City let their imagination take over with a ribbon of corkscrew saxophone spirals embellishing the title track, and gales of buoyant guitar strings in “Sookie Sookie.” Each track moves to the human pulse radiating positive vibes and emotive surges. The organ acquiesces to the chord movements of the guitar as the horns halo “Caracas” in bouncing swirls. Interchanging movements between the sloshing gallops of “Sweet And Sounded” to the slow hip-swaying strut of “Blues In Maude‘s Flat,” Iron City’s tracks pervade a type of holiest sanctuary propped up by bluesy therapeutic waves gelled in soul-encrusted slicks. The band keeps their seams tight along the chord transitions as the instruments meld into each other and produce a meditative aesthetic.
Charlie Apicella & Iron City make music that keeps peoples feet tapping, their hips swaying and their heads bopping along to the grooves. Their album has an everyday feel combining Americana blues and smooth soul into a mix that is pure therapy for the senses. - Susan Frances JazzTimes.com
Youngsters riding the old skool tip, this guitarist led organ trio captures the funk of an era gone by but makes it readily acceptable to contemporary ears. Keepers of the groove, they know how to rough up smooth jazz and roil a quiet storm taking it to back in the day when a tight groove really meant something. Hot stuff that never fails to keep cooking. Delightful. - CHRIS SPECTOR MIDWEST RECORD
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Sparks reviewed by Susan Frances for JAZZ TIMES
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The funky organ trio, Iron City smear their tunes with handfuls of smooth-ruffling blues and grease-...The funky organ trio, Iron City smear their tunes with handfuls of smooth-ruffling blues and grease-sliding soul adorning the band‘s forthcoming album Sparks with an elysian tinting in their soft billowing fields. Fronted by guitarist Charlie Apicella and supported by Dave Mattock on Hammond organ and Alan Korzin on drums, Iron City play sophisticated blues in the vane of Grant Green and Muddy Waters. Their friezes of Americana blues and smooth soul have an urban feel, and bate the listener with easy-riding grooves and cozy homespun harmonies. Featuring special guests Stephen Riley on saxophone and Amy Bateman and John Blake, Jr. on violins, Sparks inspires a mischievous roaming with a spirit that my not know its destination but it enjoys the journey.
With a mix of original tunes and covers, Iron City let their imagination take over with a ribbon of corkscrew saxophone spirals embellishing the title track, and gales of buoyant guitar strings in “Sookie Sookie.” Each track moves to the human pulse radiating positive vibes and emotive surges. The organ acquiesces to the chord movements of the guitar as the horns halo “Caracas” in bouncing swirls. Interchanging movements between the sloshing gallops of “Sweet And Sounded” to the slow hip-swaying strut of “Blues In Maude‘s Flat,” Iron City’s tracks pervade a type of holiest sanctuary propped up by bluesy therapeutic waves gelled in soul-encrusted slicks. The band keeps their seams tight along the chord transitions as the instruments meld into each other and produce a meditative aesthetic.
Charlie Apicella & Iron City make music that keeps peoples feet tapping, their hips swaying and their heads bopping along to the grooves. Their album has an everyday feel combining Americana blues and smooth soul into a mix that is pure therapy for the senses.
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Sparks reviewed for Audiophile Voice
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On their sophomore release, Sparks, soul-jazzsters Charlie Apicella and Iron City continue to bring ...On their sophomore release, Sparks, soul-jazzsters Charlie Apicella and Iron City continue to bring alive the spirit of Apicella's hero, Grant Green. Green's influence is felt throughout Iron City's disposition. The band was named after a Green song and the trio - Apicella on guitar, new member Dave Mattock on Hammond organ and Alan Korzin on drums - mines material associated with Green.
The Northeast threesome has already garnered some fame up and down the East Coast, doing clubs in New York City and other locales and opening for artists such as Larry Coryell. Apicella calls Amherst, MA home but his inspirations are more southern or earthy in nature: Grant Green, Wes Montgomery, Lonnie Smith (whom Apicella studies with) and likeminded jazz aces.
On Sparks the group shuffles between originals and well-chosen covers while retaining their core mission of keeping people's feet tapping, heads bobbing and always maintaining a groove. Besides introducing a new keyboardist, Apicella also delivers other touches to the mix by adding tenor saxophonist Stephen Riley on four cuts and two guest violinists to other tracks.
Iron City gets right down to the grits and gravy groove on opener "Sookie Sookie," a Don Covay hit that Grant Green also interpreted. The infectious affair is highlighted by Apicella's carefree guitar work. His disport is busy and cooking. Mattock lies back through most of the song, providing vamps. Violinist John Blake, Jr. offers a solo reminiscent of early Jean-Luc Ponty before Ponty discovered electric violin. Riley lays out a flutey solo as well, his breathy stroll referencing Yusef Lateef's tone, which is appropriate given that Lateef performed with Green. During the six-minute piece Korzin keeps the proceedings moored with his deft drumming.
Green's presence is stronger on a mid-tempo version of "Blues in Maude's Flat," found on Green's second long-player, Grantstand. Apicella and crew preserve a loose, loping feel and churn round an expansive groove, although their arrangement is a much shorter translation, about half as long as Green's foray. Apicella layers a clear-toned solo that evokes Grant, while Riley furnishes a tenderized, bop-tinged sax sound. Mattock's straightforward and swinging organ undertaking is blissful and melodious and he slips in a humorous vamp at the end.
Another Apicella idol is Dr. Lonnie Smith, who recently became one of Apicella's teachers. Iron City tackles Smith's funky "Play It Back," fronted by a James Brown-ish riff. Apicella and Mattock lock into a rooted and relaxed amble. Apicella pulls from George Benson's predilections, who was a Smith alum, while Mattock and Korzin render a solid beat and sustain the rhythmic axis.
Apicella splits his duties between Iron City and the tango/Latin jazz gathering Cidade. That side of Apicella's personality is portrayed on a rollicking take of Lou Donaldson's "Caracas." Riley showcases his prominent technique with some fine phrasing, while Apicella impresses with his direct and well-enacted approach. Mattock also chips in a choice solo break.
Apicella supplies three originals to the eight-cut song list. The soulful title track is notable because it contains Riley's best performance, where he threads together a collection of coiled saxophone turns that are successively echoed by some of Apicella's finest six-string embellishments. The strutting, medium-cool "A Decade in the Making" is a spirited romp accented by Riley's warm tone, Mattock's nimble organ discursions and Korzin's firm backbeat. The up-tempo "Sweet and Sounded" is supported by Cidade violinist Amy Bateman, who contributes a lively solo akin to Stéphane Grappelli. Her extended excursion is an album standout and helps make this record well worth exploring. While none of Apicella's compositions match music written by Green, Donaldson and others, they reveal an ongoing development that will no doubt bear fruit on later Iron City projects.
Iron City concludes with a tribute to the deceased king of pop. While Michael Jackson's "Billie Jean" is no stranger to music listeners, it is not a usual part of the jazz spectrum. Apicella, Mattock and Korzin stress Jackson's contagious cadence, accelerating the time signature while avoiding the trap of treating the popular tune as simply an instrumental pop ditty. Mattock drafts a bluesy solo and Apicella emphasizes the melody while at the same time demonstrating his bustling fretwork.
Sparks has some stimulating moments - particularly when violin and sax are used - but overall Apicella and Iron City have not yet broken free of their musical icons to exhibit a unique and fresh soul-jazz vision. The ensemble presentation is well-crafted and tight but lacks the singular edge needed to propel Iron City to a higher level. However, it is evident that this next phase in the group's progression will happen and Iron City will become a noteworthy and memorable assemblage. - Doug Simpson Audiophile Voice
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Sparks reviewed by Edward Blanco
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Jazz guitarist Charlie Apicella and his Iron City combo follow up their recent debut “Put The Flavor...Jazz guitarist Charlie Apicella and his Iron City combo follow up their recent debut “Put The Flavor On It” with “Sparks,” an energetic collection of soulful, R&B and jazz music inspired by the many organ groups that pioneered the sound. Apicella—who studied with organ legend Dr. Lonnie Smith and guitarist Dave Stryker—a leader of his organ trio—revives the classic organ trio sound made famous by Jimmy Smith and promoted by saxophonist Lou Donaldson and Dr. Lonnie Smith among others. With his core trio comprised of organist Dave Mattock and drummer Alan Korzin, Iron City explores a new sound by adding Stephen Riely on tenor saxophone and violinists John Blake, Jr. and Amy Bateman to the mix.
The R&B/soulful influences emerge right from the opening two pieces, “Sookie Sookie” and the Apicella original title rack “Sparks.” The guitarist immediately puts on a show racing his fingers up and down the instrument producing crisp sparkling chords enhanced by Riley's able tenor phrasings. Apicella is especially bluesy on Grant Green's cover tune “Blues In Maude's Flat,” and after a Riley joust on tenor, it's Mattock's organ solo that produces the sparks here. In 1993 alto saxophonist Lou Donaldson led his organ quartet in the recording of “Caracas” (Milestone Records 1994) with Dr. Lonnie Smith on the organ and Peter Bernstein on the guitar—with this recording—the guitarist pays tribute to Donaldson with a stunning rendition of the title track reversing roles as Apicella performs the Donaldson lead while tenor man Riley plays the Bernstein solo. The influence of organist Lonnie Smith is also felt as the group plays out a rather funky version of the Smith original “Play It Back,” where of course Mattock is especially pronounced.
The other two Apicella originals that merit mention are “A Decade in the Making” and “Sweet and Sounded,” which features a duel of sorts between the guitarist and violinist Amy Bateman. Perhaps the most unexpected sound on the album comes from the finale, a Michael Jackson tribute of his signature tune “Billie Jean” which sticks true to the melody though spiced up with plenty of organ lines, nice splashy cymbal play and punctuated with dazzling guitar riffs from the leader. With their second outing “Sparks,” Charlie Apicella and Iron City offers an exciting session of varied organ-based jazz—with a fair share of musical sparks of their own—reminiscent of the funky organ trio combos of the past.
- Edward Blanco Ejazznews
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Put the Flavor On It reviewed in JAZZ TIMES
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The jazz trio of Charlie Apicella And Iron City show reflections of ‘60s guitar-organ combo based bl...The jazz trio of Charlie Apicella And Iron City show reflections of ‘60s guitar-organ combo based blues with snippets of modern intonations that let audiences know this trio’s voice is in the present. The group’s latest release, Put The Flavor On It, is produced by bandleader/guitarist Charlie Apicella, who also holds the responsibility of arranging all of the tracks. Apicella plays to the grooves, blending his movements with drummer Alan Korzin as organist Beau Sasser deepens the sizzle in their bluesy tones with dark underscoring and propulsive movements that tickle the senses. There is something about the trio’s music that is reminiscent of Hawaiian-based blues bands, California’s psychedelic jazz artists, and New York City’s Blue Note Club’s regulars, though Charlie Apicello And Iron City don’t come from Hawaii, California or New York, but rather from Amherst, Massachusetts.
The trio’s remake of Burt Bacharach’s classic pop tune, “Walk On By” puts an upbeat glint in the gloomy fires, and a salvo of jiggling vibrations and softly beaded nuances in Jerry Butler’s track, “Hey, Western Union Man,” which rinses the number in a trippy aura. The body language in the trio’s music flexes with an array of trippy blues swirls and acid jazz vibrations that draw from the psychedelic era of the ‘60s, but the band infuses it with a modern draft that keeps it fresh like in the trio’s rendition of Dave Stryker’s tune, “24 For Elvin.” The songs don’t sound outdated, though it is noticeable that they speak in a dialect that ’60s blues-jazz musicians communicated with and felt a connection to. The trio does perform several original tracks including Apicella’s piece, “G’s Blues” which features dynamic aerials performed by the guitar chords and Sasser’s organ, and Apicella’s smooth blues serenade, “Delia Soul” which could mollify an angry gorilla to swoon and moon over his lady love.
Charlie Apicella And Iron City are modern day stewards of trippy blues and psychedelic jazz. Their latest album, Put The Flavor On It isn’t just for fans of ’60s blues jazz which permeated through the walls of clubs in Hawaii, California and New York. No, this trio’s sound can be heard in the music halls of New Orleans, the trendy bars of Chicago, or the taprooms of Boston. The trio’s music is more widespread than their counterparts of the ’60s, and speak in a dialect that modern blues fans can relate to and find engaging.
