Category Archives: Glenn Zottola “Golden Age Of Jazz”

Review of Glenn Zottola and Chick Corea “The Legend and I” by Scott Yanow author of 10 books on Jazz.

Chick Corea, Glenn Zottola "Golden Age Of Jazz"

Glenn Zottola & Chick Corea

The Legend & I

(Audio Verse Music)

            Glenn Zottola, one of the few jazz artists to be equally skilled on trumpet and saxophones (tenor and alto), gained fame in the jazz world during the late 1970s and ‘80s, mostly as a hot swing-based trumpeter. He worked with Bob Wilbur’s Bechet Legacy, led a string of rewarding solo recordings, and along the way played and/or recorded with Benny Goodman, Butch Miles, Peanuts Hucko, Steve Allen, Maxine Sullivan, Gerry Mulligan, Zoot Sims and Joe Williams among others. After working as the musical director for Suzanne Somers (including for her television variety show), he went into semi-retirement but fortunately never stopped playing.

            Zottola became very good friends with Chick Corea around 2000 and during the next two decades they frequently jammed together. There was talk of Zottola touring with Corea, but although that never happened, tapes were made of some of their jams. The Legend & I consists of a few of their better collaborations. While some of the performances date back to the early 2000s (the exact dates are not given on the CD), these versions of ‘Skylark,” “Crystal Silence,” “Z-Mother Test Project,” and “Moog 1 Arp Project” are among the very last (possibly the final) recordings made by Corea, who passed away on Feb. 9, 2021.

            The set begins with “But Not For Me” as played by the co-leaders plus bassist Avishai Cohen and drummer Adam Cruz. Zottola takes fine solos on both muted trumpet and alto-sax. The duo of Zottola on tenor and Corea perform a rare version of the keyboardist’s classic ballad “Crystal Silence.” “Autumn Leaves” may at first seem conventional with Zottola contributing some fine trumpet, but it also features Corea (via overdubbing) on marimba, bass and drums (each of which he plays quite credibly) rather than piano. “Z-Mother Test Project” finds the co-leaders improvising quite freely and with plenty of energy, clearly having fun in each other’s musical company.

            “Skylark” is given a beautiful statement by Zottola on tenor (sounding a bit like Stan Getz) and Corea on acoustic piano. “Mood 1 Arp Project” is another mostly free improv, “You Go To My Head” is a feature for Zottola on tenor while “Gliden Not Haydn” is a high-powered outing for the quartet with Cohen and Cruz. Corea and the rhythm section really push and challenge Zottola who responds with competitive fire on alto and trumpet.

            As a bonus track, there is a second version of “Crystal Silence” that was recorded after Corea’s passing. Zottola plays warmly on tenor, guitarist Romero Lubambo provides tasteful accompaniment along with a solo, and Pamela Driggs sings Corea’s rarely-heard lyrics.

            It is very good to hear Glenn Zottola back on record again, and to have this final chapter in the remarkable Chick Corea story. The Legend & I is available from www.audioversemusic.com.

Ron Aprea

About, Glenn Zottola "Golden Age Of Jazz", Musicians and Fans

Ron is a great player and arranger he was with Lionel Hampton for many years.

I truly believe that you are a musical genius. How anyone can play alto, tenor, and trumpet on that level is mind boggling. You have no equals! A lot of great players, including my first teacher Bobby Tricarico, made a good living doing studio work. Bobby used to say “You wanna play jazz? Grow a beard and get an apartment in the Village.” Many of those cats were monster jazz players and nobody (other than a handful of musicians) knew who they were. I’m guessing you were in that elite group. And you made the right choice, but the jazz world suffered.

Comment fron Ron Aprea on my Chick Corea Tribute album :

I just listened to a couple of tracks and you sound fucking great! You should be on tour making $50K a week. I will be happy to post this link for you. Man, if this don’t get a GRAMMY they should level that building. Congratulations on this classic.

Best,
Ron

This is a friend and fan who unfortunately passed. She was around some of the great legends in jazz. It is this kind of heartwarming response that makes it all worth it.

Glenn Zottola "Golden Age Of Jazz", Musicians and Fans

Glenn- I’ve got some things that I think you should know. First of all I’ve had the pleasure of knowing and living with some greats of Jazz. Trane was so intense & could play so pretty with his ballads. Dexter was such a groover and played beautiful ballads. I knew him well. I could go on & on–but my point is you are as great a musician as any of them. You play with such passion & sweetness too on your ballads & then you really swing too. You were born with these talents & I’m sure you’ve worked your ass off practicing over the years. Lots of your passion comes from your Italian blood– I’m so serious about that. Plus I don’t know of anyone that plays 3 differant horns – all equally masterful. You are one of a kind.
I hope to God you win the Grammys. With all the talent that’s out now- you stand out as one of the greats. The young musicians try and play LIKE the greats of Jazz. You ARE one of the greats. I’ve never said these words to anyone before. I just wanted you to know how special you are.
You remind me of Philly Joe Jones– he grooved his ass off- but there was a prettiness in his playing. He is my favorite drummer. He use to stay at my house in LA when he was in town for a couple of years. George morrow too.
Anyway Glenn of course you should be on the Grammy Jazz committee, you know and play the real music called Jazz!
I’m so proud to know you.
Your Friend. Century

Another friend and Fan Century who unfortunately passed. She was around some of the great jazz legends. These kind of things warm my heart and make it all worth it.

Glenn Zottola "Golden Age Of Jazz"

Glenn- I’ve got some things that I think you should know. First of all I’ve had the pleasure of knowing and living with some greats of Jazz. Trane was so intense & could play so pretty with his ballads. Dexter was such a groover and played beautiful ballads. I knew him well. I could go on & on–but my point is you are as great a musician as any of them. You play with such passion & sweetness too on your ballads & then you really swing too. You were born with these talents & I’m sure you’ve worked your ass off practicing over the years. Lots of your passion comes from your Italian blood– I’m so serious about that. Plus I don’t know of anyone that plays 3 differant horns – all equally masterful. You are one of a kind.
I hope to God you win the Grammys. With all the talent that’s out now- you stand out as one of the greats. The young musicians try and play LIKE the greats of Jazz. You ARE one of the greats. I’ve never said these words to anyone before. I just wanted you to know how special you are.
You remind me of Philly Joe Jones– he grooved his ass off- but there was a prettiness in his playing. He is my favorite drummer. He use to stay at my house in LA when he was in town for a couple of years. George morrow too.
Anyway Glenn of course you should be on the Grammy Jazz committee, you know and play the real music called Jazz!
I’m so proud to know you.
Your Friend. Century

Glenn Zottola and Zoot Sims with Teddy Wilson , Milt Hinton and Gus Johnson.

Gigs & Sessions, Glenn Zottola "Golden Age Of Jazz"

Zoot Sims , Glenn Zottola , Teddy Wilson , Milt Hinton and Gus Johnson. I was very young and all the guys were 45 years my elders but you would never know it from the intensity of the band.This was recorded by someone in the audience so the sound quality is not great but you can certainly hear the energy. I felt Like I was at “Jazz At The Philharmonic”. Zoot was one of the great swingers of all time or as Milt Hinton called him “the salt of the earth” !

Glenn Zottola Signature Trumpet Mouthpiece

Glenn Zottola "Golden Age Of Jazz", GZ Mouthpiece

I am very proud that RS Berkeley has released a copy of my trumpet mouthpiece, the “Glenn Zottola Trumpet Mouthpiece” as part of their their “Legend Series” now available at select retailers around the world. By the way I was with my dad as a young boy in those New England Woods that day as this story tells. You can hear the quality of the sound of this mouthpiece with this track from my Clifford Brown tribute album.

Memories of You

The story behind the mouthpiece
In 1952, while walking through a quiet New England woods Frank Zottola came upon a smoothly flowing stream. Subconsciously, his musician’s ear noticed that it was producing a dark and diffused tonal quality. As he wandered along a little further where periodic rock obstructions on the stream’s bed interrupted the water’s flow creating turbulence, he became aware of the increase in brilliance and a compactness of sound. When the stream finally broke into a waterfall, crashing on the descending steps, the pitch, intensity and volume reached its maximum. At that moment, he had a realization that this natural phenomenon could be extended to a practical application in mouthpiece design. He believed that a stepped back-bore design might very well be what contemporary brass players have been searching for to solve their problem of ever increasing range and endurance demands.

I used my dad’s mouthpiece my entire career. I loved the way his patented “step back bore” assisted the upper register.  In 1979 I went to him and asked for some slight modifications. I wanted the same ease in the upper register that the step back bore gave me but with no resistance and a very free blow for a very fat sound.  He worked on this and came up with a modification to the tunnel leading into the back bore. The result was spectacular and exactly what I wanted.  He stamped it January 1979.  This became my signature sound for the rest of my career and was not available in his standard line.  My dad  was a beautiful man and master mouthpiece maker and was loved by all.   I would like to thank Les Silver and RS Berkeley for helping me to pay tribute to my dad Frank Zottola with the release of this mouthpiece.

You can buy it online at Amazon or at RS Berkeley dealers around the world or call 1-800-974-3909

newzottolalabel
Scan 3

Glenn Zottola Syos Signature Tenor Mouthpiece.

Glenn Zottola "Golden Age Of Jazz", GZ Mouthpiece

I worked Closely with Pauline Eveno as I needed something unique in a tenor mouthpiece for a album I was doing with my Grammy friend Ricky Kej in India. It had to blend with a Indian singer and have a clarity and intonation to match. Pauline and her team achieved that beautifully. Listen to this track from the album.

Angelic Tears

Glenn Zottola plays Syos

Syos mouthpieces with their ease of playing , intonation and response allow a player to take attention off the equipment which is the goal and create with freedom. Many thanks to Pauline Eveno and the whole team for their incredible cutting edge work in the field of mouthpieces design.

Glenn Zottola is a multi-instrumentalist and musical savant, and has been heralded as the greatest brass and reed doubler in jazz history, playing both trumpet and saxophone at an equal level.

His stylistic spectrum stretches across a wide range, having played with Lionel Hampton , Benny Goodman, Zoot Sims ,Phil Woods, Gerry Mulligan all the way to Chick Corea and his career over the last 5 decades reads like a Who’s Who of jazz. He has recorded over 60 albums and was the bandleader on the Suzanne Somers Television Show at Universal Studios with his own jazz quartet.

Glenn has also performed with luminaries such as Michael Jackson, Frank Sinatra , Mel Torme, Peggy Lee, Tony Bennett, Ella Fitzgerald and Joe Williams. Glenn also has been nominated for the National Endowment Of The Arts Award in Washington D.C, one of the top honors in the arts.

Zoot Sims

Glenn Zottola "Golden Age Of Jazz", Jazz Education

These posts are coming from my website now. Zoot was not a man of many words he let his playing do the talking which I think is refreshing especially in this day and age. He was doing a clinic and doing everything right playing with the band etc. At the end of the session the music director in desperation because Zoot had not said anything just played and he says “Zoot we are coming to the end of the session there must be something you would like to tell the kids”. Zoot turns around and say’s “come on guys just play better ”. The guys I came up with didn’t talk that much about music but they certainly played and that is where I got it all. The bandstand was my college !

Glenn Zottola “Cottontail”

Glenn Zottola "Golden Age Of Jazz"

It is so heartwarming having great players like Terry Gibbs , Lew Tabackin and Ron Aprea compliment me. Most of the great players I admired and made me who I am musically and kept me going are gone now. This is my first pro session in Manhattan. I just moved there as a very young lad and was kind of the new kid in town and playing at a jazz club on 54th street Eddie Condon’s. A record producer Harry Lim who used to work for Keynote records and did some very famous sessions came in and said I like your playing would like to do a session for me. I said sure he didn’t tell what it was just when and where to show up. He started his own record label Famous Door and I ended up doing a dozen albums or more for him. I walk in the session and my jaw drops who is there John Bunch , George Mraz , Mousey Alexander , Phil Wilson and Al Klink ! No rehearsal NY energy at it’s best sink or swim !!

Glenn Zottola “My Life In Jazz” Charlie Parker with Strings Re-Visited – Final Episode 26

Glenn Zottola "Golden Age Of Jazz", My Life In Jazz

Glenn Zottola Charlie Parker with Strings Revisited Review by Nick Mondello

Musical genius has little regard for boundaries, whether those limits are stylistic, tempo, ensemble format, or, in this example, historical precedent. Expanding on that hypothesis, when an artist such as Glenn Zottola steps into the impossible-to-wear musical Florsheims of Charlie Parker, as he does so effortlessly here, he risks everything in a zero-sum game of musical Russian roulette. The emulation is a Herculean task, a pas de deux with the Devil fraught with musical and possible critical peril. Here, Zottola, a multi-instrumentalist and musical savant if there ever was one, places himself in a musical Lion’s Den and performs his personal stylistic renderings of Parker’s classic string sessions of 1949 and 1950. The result is a portrait of both Parker’s enormous abilities and impact on jazz to this day and also Zottola’s incredible ability to perform brilliantly at such a level of precision and artistry. The recording features Zottola playing nine cuts from Bird’s epic Mercury Records sessions along with impeccable orchestral transcriptions of the original Jimmy Carroll and Joe Lipman arrangements. If that weren’t enough of a feat, Zottola plays here entirely by ear and sans sheet music. Shrewdly, Zottola does not “cop” Parker’s original improvisations. He doesn’t have to. His interpretations are musically rich, inventive and, while they shade Parker’s style and technique, they are obviously not an attempt to play Bird’s licks. One gets the immediate impression that Zottola could do that if he foolishly so desired. He’s that good getting around the horn. There’s a very famous photograph, a close-up of Bird’s fingers gingerly grasping his alto in an almost amorous manner as his musical magic poured out. I’d bet the house that Glenn Zottola probably holds his axe in a similar way since the result here is the same.

Glenn Zottola “My Life In Jazz” Classic Standards with Strings Inspired by Ben Webster – Episode 21

Glenn Zottola "Golden Age Of Jazz", My Life In Jazz

Glenn Zottola Classic Standards with Strings Inspired by Ben Webster Review by Jazz Writer Nick Mondello

Jazz Legends Coleman Hawkins, Lester Young and Ben Webster are rightfully considered the Swing Era’s Pantheon of the tenor saxophone. It is from that glorious rock-solid foundation of the jazz tree that yet-to-come tenor greats such as Stan Getz, John Coltrane and others blossomed. The influence of the tenor triumvirate on those who followed them was enormous – Hawkins improvisational genius exemplified in the still-examined “Body and Soul,” Young’s suave and silky-smooth cool melodic and improvisational approach and Webster’s sensually breathy balladic and hard-swinging up-tempo interpretations. With “Classic Standards with Strings – Inspired by Ben Webster,” multi-instrumentalist Glenn Zottola, yet again musically validates his worldwide reputation as both an insightful and highly expressive musical artist. Here he grabs his tenor and brilliantly delivers a dozen of the Great American Songbook’s most melodic and romantic jewels. The result is an aural masterpiece of tone, melodic passion, and lyric sensitivity. Webster was a large man who was nicknamed “Brute.” However, his breathy entrances and tonal sensitivities belied the moniker. Zottola, who shrewdly doesn’t mime Webster’s sound or articulation here and who certainly isn’t brutish in any way – musically or otherwise – renders all of the smoothness and sensitivity that both the esteemed material and his mentor deserve. Working exclusively with the greatest of balladic material (“Can’t Help Lovin’ Dat Man,” “Laura,” “Embraceable You”) and backed by a lush string orchestra and superior arrangements, the recording is reminiscent of the great Jackie Gleason sides – you know, when music was about elegance, romance and class. Zottola, first and foremost a melody man, takes this classic material and literally breathes interpretive life into it. His reserved dynamic feel and vocal-tinged vibrato are a case study in lyricism and stellar ballad playing (“Where or When?” “Yesterdays,” and “Stardust”). When he covers the melody, Zottola gives the marvelous illusion of singing via his horn. And, his well-thought out improvisations all gravitate from a melodic core. The entire effort is a rapturous dream. Ben Webster is still revered worldwide and especially in Denmark where there is a street named after him (as well as a foundation that awards scholarships to young jazzers). However, I’m dead-certain that when the Danes get a hold of this effort from Glenn Zottola, they might consider getting a second street sign ready for another superb tenor man.

Grammy Entry – Glenn Zottola “Just Friends”

Glenn Zottola "Golden Age Of Jazz"

My record label just informed me they submitted my most recent album to the Grammy’s in 2 categories best jazz album and best improvised solo for “Just Friends”. I don’t have high hopes regarding the Grammy’s as the music i love is not in Vogue and that is totally o.k. as that is not why i did this album. My statement in the liner notes below is why i did this album and it was truly a labor of love:)
About this album :
Charlie Parker has been referred to as the Mozart of Jazz. He had a tremendous love for Classical Music and In 1949 jazz history was made when Charlie Parker went into the studio and recorded an album with strings the first time any jazz player had recorded with strings. There were 2 sessions released on 10 inch LPs one in 1949 with 6 songs and another session in 1950 with 8 songs. These 9 songs are culled from both sessions. Much like my earlier Clifford Brown album this album is truly from my heart and what a joy to be able to re-visit this historic recording. These are all my own solos with Charlie Parkers “spirit” in mind using transcriptions of the original arrangements from those sessions. I simply just wanted to see what it would of felt like had I walked in the studio that eventful day. Of course having Charlie Parker open the door and point the way is priceless. Another thing I loved about this album was how it displayed the romantic side of Charlie Parker and his aesthetic and melodic beauty and I wanted to attempt to get that across in my playing. I want to thank Irv Kratka the president of Classic Jazz records for giving me the opportunity to do this project and I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed doing it.
Glenn Zottola
Available on iTunes, Amazon , CD Baby , Target , Barnes and Noble and MVDShop.com

Glenn Zottola’s Career and Albums

Glenn Zottola "Golden Age Of Jazz"

I have been so fortunate to record these 15 albums (my bucket list) these last 4 years since coming out of retirement on all 3 instruments in all the styles of music i truly love which makes a career total of 55 albums. I just found out every album and every track of these recent albums has been distributed to you tube. My work is done and i feel very fulfilled and I sincerely thank all the jazz legends , fans , friends and listeners who made this journey all worth it.

Glenn Zottola “Summertime”

Glenn Zottola "Golden Age Of Jazz"

Published on Oct 5, 2015

Classic Jazz Records – Glenn Zottola “Charlie Parker with Strings Revisited” by Jazz Writer Nick Mondello

Musical genius has little regard for boundaries, whether those limits are stylistic, tempo, ensemble format, or, in this example, historical precedent. Expanding on that hypothesis, when an artist such as Glenn Zottola steps into the impossible-to-wear musical Florsheims of Charlie Parker, as he does so effortlessly here, he risks everything in a zero-sum game of musical Russian roulette. The emulation is a Herculean task, a pas de deux with the Devil fraught with musical and possible critical peril.
Here, Zottola, a multi-instrumentalist and musical savant if there ever was one, places himself in a musical Lion’s Den and performs his personal stylistic renderings of Parker’s classic string sessions of 1949 and 1950. The result is a portrait of both Parker’s enormous abilities and impact on jazz to this day and also Zottola’s incredible ability to perform brilliantly at such a level of precision and artistry.
The recording features Zottola playing nine cuts from Bird’s epic Mercury Records sessions along with impeccable orchestral transcriptions of the original Jimmy Carroll and Joe Lipman arrangements. If that weren’t enough of a feat, Zottola plays here entirely by ear and sans sheet music. Shrewdly, Zottola does not “cop” Parker’s original improvisations. He doesn’t have to. His interpretations are musically rich, inventive and, while they shade Parker’s style and technique, they are obviously not an attempt to play Bird’s licks. One gets the immediate impression that Zottola could do that if he foolishly so desired. He’s that good getting around the horn.
There’s a very famous photograph, a close-up of Bird’s fingers gingerly grasping his alto in an almost amorous manner as his musical magic poured out. I’d bet the house that Glenn Zottola probably holds his axe in a similar way since the result here is the same.

Available on iTunes, CD Baby , Target , Barnes and Noble and innercityjazz.com

Glenn Zottola “This Heart Of Mine”

Glenn Zottola "Golden Age Of Jazz"

I met Miles Davis when I was 13 years old at Birdland in NYC. He was there with his historic sextet with John Coltrane and Cannonball Adderley. This album is half with all star small group and half orchestra ala Gil Evans concentrating on Miles work in the 50s that changed jazz and my life. My good friend Chick Corea was a great sounding board while recording this album which is heartwarming as he worked so much with Miles. I opened the album with this Harry Warren song “This Heart Of Mine”.

Available on iTunes, Target, Amazon, CD Baby , Barnes and Noble and innercityjazz.com

New Release – Glenn Zottola “Prisoner Of Love

Glenn Zottola "Golden Age Of Jazz"

Classic Jazz Records – Glenn Zottola “Come Fly With Me” by Jazz Writer Nick Mondello.

As portrayed in Chuck Granata’s fascinating “fly-in-the-studio” book, “Sessions with Sinatra – Frank Sinatra and the Art of Recording” (A Cappella Books/Chicago Review Press, 2004) the Master would always enter the studio ready to record with a fervent desire to nail first takes. The orchestra, whether under the baton of Nelson Riddle, Gordon Jenkins, “Q,” et al, would have been rehearsed and collectively primed for the business at hand.
With “Come Fly with Me,” trumpeter Glenn Zottola takes a rather unique turnaround of the Sinatra session routine. He has brilliantly prepped and recorded over magnificent session material which was culled from the enormous vault of Irv Kratka’s Classic Jazz Records. The result is an exquisite display of musicianship, preparation and trumpeting chops of which OBE, who certainly knew his trumpet men (i.e., Conrad Gozzo, Charlie Turner, Harry James, and Count Basie’s Guys) would be proud.
The 10 well-known GASser selections (“Come Fly with Me,” “How High the Moon,” “Come Back to Me”) – most of them recorded at one time by Sinatra (but not Frank’s arrangements, in case you might ask) – feature Zottola’s lush horn blowing and swinging over terrific charts performed by top-tier New York studio types. Their skill, combined with Zottola’s marvelous lyrical playing (“People,” “Come Back to Me”) is enthralling and vividly reminiscent of a time when art emanated from soundstages. This effort certainly falls into that designation. One would not be off-base if a memory is jogged of those wonderful Jackie Gleason sides that featured Bobby Hackett spinning melodies from his Angelic-speaking cornet. Zottola is that good.
To prepare one’s self to record in any environment is a daunting task. However, a pre-recorded environment of this caliber? That takes chutzpah. Yet, Zottola, obviously savant-like – blends so seamlessly into the material that if I weren’t aware of the methodology, I would not have discerned it. You won’t, either.
Enjoy “Come Fly with Me.” This jet is under Glenn Zottola’s able command and Frank is seated in First Class. That’s him with headphones on. Gee, why is he smiling?
Avaiilable on iTunes , CD Baby , Amazon , Target , Barnes and Noble and innercityjazz.com.