First Impressions Marcello Carelli

• 1 Ahead of the Curve 05:11
• 2 Navigating the Maze 05:07
• 3 Parting Ways 05:54
• 4 Recorda Me 05:19
• 5 Wanna Bounce 05:40
• 6 Play it Cool 07:37
• 7 I Can See the Glimmer 06:09
• 8 Noodles and Potatoes 05:03
• 9 You're Not Alone 05:23
• 10 First Impressions 04:26
• Total Runtime 55:49

Info zu First Impressions

Although it is my second album, it feels like this is the first time that my true development as a player, composer, and bandleader will be on display. I wrote and arranged all of this music while living in my new home city of Los Angeles.

First Impressions is my calling card, and it encapsulates the variety of genres that I’ve explored over the years. I came up with many of the tunes while getting my Master’s Degree at the University of Southern California’s Thornton School of Music. Some were written from the piano and others were from the drums. “Noodles and Potatoes” was originally a big band chart that I wrote for Bob Mintzer’s graduate composition class. “You’re Not Alone” was written in one of the Rehearsal rooms at USC. “Navigating the Maze” and “I Can See the Glimmer” were written for my final Master’s Recital as I was getting ready to graduate and finally take a breather from school. “First Impressions” and “Wanna Bounce” were written at home after listening to some of my favorite modern jazz composers. “Parting Ways,” “Play it Cool,” and “Ahead of the Curve” were all written a few months before the recording of this album and during a very difficult time in my life. I was out of school for the first time and was pretty frightened about the future, knowing that being a freelance musician is full of uncertainties. “Recorda Me” was a tune that I had been playing for years at jam sessions and gigs, and it was never my favorite. So, I said to myself, “I wonder if I can arrange this tune in a way that would not step on Joe Henderson’s iconic melody and also make me enjoy playing it again. I think it was a success, as it is one of my favorite tracks on the album.

When people listen to First Impressions, I want them to feel like they are hearing something new, and yet more mature than most recordings they would hear from someone in their twenties.

Bob Mintzer, tenor saxophone
Russell Ferrante, piano
Mike Gurrola, bass
Marcello Carelli, drums, compositions

Recorded at Tritone Studios in Glendale, California on February 2nd and 3rd, 2024
Mixed and Engineered by Talley Sherwood
Mastered by Dave Darlington
Produced by Marcello Carelli

Marcello Carelli
Drummer, composer, and arranger Marcello Carelli has played with Grammy award-winning musicians such as John Daversa and Brian Lynch in both small group and big band settings. He has also played with Russell Ferrante, Eric Reed, Dave Liebman, Ira Sullivan, Martin Bejerano, John Beasley, Walt Weiskopf, Andy Fusco, Wycliffe Gordon, Shelly Berg, and Troy Roberts. Marcello has also performed to sold-out crowds in Italy, Suriname, and the Netherlands in addition to giving masterclasses in those countries. He has performed at the Caramoor and Crescent City Jazz Festivals with his trio and quintet.

Carelli recently earned his master’s in jazz studies at the University of Southern California's Thornton School of Music. He was the teaching assistant for 2-time Grammy award-winning drummer and composer, Peter Erskine, and he played in the award-winning Thornton Jazz Orchestra directed by Bob Mintzer for two years. Marcello received his undergraduate degree in Studio Music and Jazz at the University of Miami's Frost School of Music. Marcello was a Stamps Distinguished Ensemble Scholar there, having been chosen out of many applicants to play in a jazz quintet for four years with some of the finest young musicians in the country. At Frost, Carelli also played in the award-winning Frost Concert Jazz Band directed by John Daversa.

Marcello is a product of many great teachers including Peter Erskine, Dafnis Prieto, Roy McCurdy, and Will Kennedy. “His music is profound, it’s present, and it’s real,” said John Daversa, who worked closely with Carelli during his time at the Frost School of Music. Marcello is also an award-winning composer and arranger, as he released his very first album in February of this year entitled The Era which is comprised of almost all his original music. Two songs from the record received Downbeat Student Music awards for best composition and arrangement. Peter Erskine wrote that “this album is a compass…wait better yet, it is a sextant by which we can see and hear this young star’s ascent.”

When Carelli isn’t making music, he is broadcasting. Marcello was the host of the Frost School of Music’s weekly radio show The Frost Jazz Hour on WDNA 88.9FM. He also co-hosted a sports debating segment called “Head 2 Head” on the University of Miami’s Emmy award-winning TV show UMTV SportsDesk. He has interviewed Peter Erskine and Bob Mintzer at the University of Southern California’s Annenberg Studios for his artist spotlight series.

Dieses Album enthält kein Booklet