Charlie Apicella & IRON CITY Plays Trumpet's 6/3

Charlie Apicella & IRON CITY
"Sparks Tour"

Charlie Apicella - guitar
Stephen Riley - tenor sax
David Mattock - organ
Alan Korzin - drums

Thurs., June 3, Trumpet's, $10, 7:30pm. 6 Depot Square, Montclair, NJ. (973) 744-2600
www.MySpace.com/IronCityFunk

Charlie Apicella is an Eastman Guitars Featured Artist.

"Apicella is a no-nonsense player of unquestioned chops and whose soul drips from each note... This is "organic" music, and Apicella is an exciting young player." JOHN HEIDT, Vintage Guitar Magazine

"Apicella is a lithe, swinging guitarist with an affinity for the contrasting styles of both Grant Green and Wes Montgomery...An all-around impressive debut by a guitarist of substance." MARK GARDNER, Jazz Journal

New CD "Sparks" debuted at #27 on the CMJ jazz charts, and is licensed by Starbucks for performance in their 10,000+ worldwide locations.

Charlie Apicella & IRON CITY ‘Sparks' (Carlo Music Records CAR232)
Street Date March 9, 2010
DAVE MATTOCK, Hammond Organ, ALAN KORZIN, Drums, STEPHEN RILEY, Tenor Sax (1, 2, 3, 5, 6)
JOHN BLAKE, Jr., Violin (1), AMY BATEMAN, Violin (7)
http://www.MySpace.com/IronCityFunk

Face Book Fan Page at http://www.facebook.com/pages/IRON-CITY/50328618278

What The Press Is Saying About "Sparks"

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

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

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

In Jazz guitar-land, there is the mainstream the breathes new life into itself and there is a Mainstream (capital em) that essentially conserves a particular set of stylistic tendencies. Charlie Apicella & Iron City's forthcoming album "Sparks" (CArlo Music) belongs to the second camp. It's Funky organ trio music, well done, but completely in the pocket of the pocket of the style. Apicella has fully internalized the schtick, as has his teammates, Hammond man Dave Mattock and drummer Alan Korzin. Principal guest, tenor Stephen Riley shows himself into the groove in a kind of Turrentinesque fashion.

There are quite workable, soulful Apicella originals and some chestnuts from the repertoire. Apicella's guitar wholly gives out with what is expected without distinguishing himself as somebody innovative and Mattock does the same.

Sometimes all this can be true and the music still sounds good. That's what happens here. It's bound to find its audience. And it doesn't displease. An organ trio version of "Billie Jean" though? I suppose.
Grego Applegate Edwards

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