Word: frankieã
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Dates: during 2001-2001
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...every sense of the word. Physically, personally and emotionally, the trumpet and flugelhorn player exudes an air larger than life. He brought that personality to Ryles Jazz Club in Cambridge on Nov. 3, assembling a six-piece band including percussionist Eguie Castrillo and guitarist Bruce Bartlett, in one of Frankie??s three stops in town this year...
While he’s only here infrequently, in a sense, Frankie??s (the “V” stands for Vardaros) return to Cambridge represents a homecoming of sorts. The Long Island native cut his teeth at the Berklee School of Music across the river in Boston, and Ryles has long been a proving and training ground for many Berklee students. Undoubtedly, Frankie has visited before, playing under the lithograph of the venerable Lester Young. This night, Frankie seemed especially welcome, hamming it up with the capacity crowd and coaxing from his sidemen a uniquely smooth...
...don’t confuse “approachable” for “bland.” Frankie??s playing does border on the conservative side, but in his compositions, the depth of his musical knowledge emerges. The amorphous, ethereal introduction to “Mi Amiga Mi Amore” paid obvious homage to Miles Davis’ landmark album Sketches of Spain, and another self-composed number, “Smooth Ride,” has a lovely and palpably soothing warmth. Frankie always seemed more at home on his own compositions, extracting more...
...Frankie??s guitarist on this particular night, Bruce Bartlett, is a well known commodity in Boston circles. He holds court regularly at Ryles, and in doing so has been elevated to mythic musical status. Whether seamlessly integrating Frankie V’s spontaneous melodies into his own supple chord-building or cheekily paying homage to arena rock in the club’s small confines, Bartlett was the rhythm section rock on which Frankie was able to build great flights of fancy. Pianist Israel Tannenbaum played an almost ironic performance, leaping up and down the keyboard in vertical...