Personnel:
Joe Shepley, Johnny Glasel, Louis Mucci (tp), Eddie Bert, Bill Elton (tb), Vinnie Riccitelli (as), Carmen Leggio (ts), Gene Allen (bs), Jim Buffington (Frh), Dick Cary (a-horn), Harvey Phillips (tuba), Dolph Castellano (p), Eddy Tone, John Drew (b), Joe Venuto, Ed Shaughnessy (d)
Reference: FSRCD 360
Bar code: 8427328603607
Rare studio recordings by two outstanding Jazz Ensembles
To introduce its Jazz LP series, Unique Records spent several months in the careful screening of young composers, arrangers and musicians before a final decision could be made in the ultimate selection of just the right men and material. It took only one "hearing" of THE WESTCHESTER WORKSHOP group and Unique had its inaugural album. Giving the album a title was a simple task since the sounds created here are a unique marriage between two styles of jazz.
The East and West coasts' styles have been interwoven by Riccitelli's composing as well as arranging techniques. Of the tracks, all but one, Cole Porter's "Love For Sale," are Riccitelli originals. Vinnie's first thoughts being to experiment with different voicings on standard tunes. His desire to express himself musically found the perfect outlet in jazz, Vinnie being a firm believer in "a great future for jazz as an art form." Here, you'll hear the "cool" sounds, the "swinging" sounds, and all through the skilful Vinnie Riccitelli arrangements, which merge several schools of musical thoughts in the Workshop to create unique jazz.
"Skilled trumpeter Johnny Glasel has a smattering of recordings under his own name, including the 1959 John Glasel Brasstet venture as well as Westchester Workshop, a polite-sounding title released some 45 years later. The development of this artist's style involved a mixture of classical and classic jazz approaches. Glasel graduated from the Yale School of Music in the early '50s, went to work for the New Haven Symphony Orchestra, and also played in several chamber music groups. He had already begun playing jazz as well, however, beginning with mid-'40s gigs with reedman and bandleader Bob Wilbur.
With venues such as Radio City Music Hall providing bread-and-butter jobs, Glasel was able to work into established combos such as an outfit known as the Six, which worked at Ryan's, and a Glenn Miller project fronted by drummer and singer Ray McKinley. During the late '50s the trumpeter worked in the orchestra of progressive jazz maestro Bill Russo, but was most likely heard by much larger audiences when holding forth in the pit band of shows such as The Bells are Ringing and the snoozy Once Upon a Mattress.
Inevitably, the combination of classical chops and New Orleans jazz sympathies led to a trumpet style combining the warmth of Louis Armstrong with the speed of Dizzy Gillespie. The most famous modern jazz record he plays on is probably Into the Hot by Gil Evans. Glasel also plays on pop and vocal music sessions, much of his work in this capacity going uncredited. What is known is that he is a factor in both John Denver and Astrud Gilberto sides. On par with the good vibes particularly credited to the former artist were Glasel's later activities as president of the New York City Musicians' Union Local 802. He was elected in the early '80s and is credited with swinging, an appropriate term indeed, the sympathies of the organization toward the working jazz musician. He kept this position until 1992."
Eugene Chadbourne -All Music Guide
