Chieli Minucci Sweet On You CD

Just as Ed Hamilton played it cool and safe when he signed on with Shanachie for Groovology, Chieli Minucci's solo debut for the label features a bit less edge, a bit more pop, and much more of a kick back vibe than his early solo efforts for JVC. It's not that Sweet on You lacks adventure; it's simply a more in the pocket variety. Whereas in the past, he might wow us with wacky multi-movement jam sessions, on tunes like "Hot 100" he opens with an hypnotic, swaying atmosphere, then bursts into a staccato melody featuring muted electric guitar, synth vibes, and horns over a punchy live percussion pattern. The middle of the track features some easy improvisation over a drifting atmosphere featuring a subtle blues keyboard harmony. While past albums featured elongated spiritual passages loaded with space, Minucci's equivalent here is "Breaking Away," which features a gently soaring duet with pianist Jay Rowe that smacks of the Pat Metheny and Lyle Mays approach over a subtle locomotive throb. Minucci also mines wah-wah inflected retro-soul turf on "Around the World," and hits smooth jazz pay dirt on the very Special EFX like "Endless Summer," and the Brazilian tinged title cut, whose easy wordless vocals by Rosanna Vitro make it sound like a classic Joyce Cooling cut. ~ Jonathan Widran

MusiciansChieli Minucci.......Pensa-Suhr and Hohner electric guitars, Scharpach acoustic guitar, Gibson 1970 SG electric guitar, Orozco classical guitar, Gibson Chet Atkins electric/acoustic guitar, Ovation 12-string acoustic guitar, keyboards, programmingDavid Mann.......soprano and tenor saxophones, fluteJerry Brooks....bassFernando Saunders.....fretless bass on “Farewell”Gerald Albright.....soprano sax on “Endless Summer”Philip Hamilton.......percussion, vocalsDavid Charles...... percussionArmsted Christian.....vocalsRosanna Vitro.....vocal on “Sweet On You”Stan Harrison...... alto sax on “Hot 100” & “Little Squirt”Lenny Pickett...... tenor sax on “Hot 100” & “Little Squirt”Barry Danielian.......trumpet on “Hot 100” & “Little Squirt”Jay Rowe..... acoustic grand piano on “Breaking Away”Werner “Vana” Gierig..... acoustic grand piano on “Around The World”Produced and Arranged by Chieli MinucciCo-Producer: Paul WickliffeExecutive Producer: Danny WeissRecorded and Mixed at Horizon Studios, NJ by Paul Wickliffe12/99 thru 2/2000Pre-Production at Baci Studios, NYCadditional recording at Tedesco Studios, NJbrass section recorded at Nervous Music, NYC by Chris HowardMastering by Robert Vosgien @ Capital Mastering, LAChieli Minucci was born and raised in NYC. Son of Catherine & Ulpio Minucci (a concert pianist/composer, who wrote the 50s hit, Domani (Julius LaRosa), A Thousand Thoughts of You, and Felicia (both Nat King Cole). Chieli grew up in Queens, NY, where he still resides today. He began music early on, studying classical piano from the age of 5, and eventually switched over to guitar at 8. He was continually surrounded by the sound of music, through his father's piano playing, and composing, which was to play a key role in his musical future as a writer himself. At age 13 he joined neighborhood friends to form the band, Taurus, which stayed together for about 3 years. Chieli did a great deal of performing and traveling with this band, performing regularly on the Italian Line Cruise ships during Christmas and Easter school holidays, as well as countless school dances and parties, as well as local bars. It was during these teen years that he developed his love for performing, writing, singing, and traveling, all through music. He attended Ithaca College in upstate NY, where he initially majored in music, studying classical guitar, but eventually settled in as an English major. He continued studying music theory, history, solfeggio, composition, and big band arranging, as well aJazzTimes (10/00, p.120) - "...Offers more of his remarkable trademarks: sweet-toned, melodic and fluid guitar play marked by splashes of classical and Latin colors..."