VDT View — BLUES FOR BROTHER RAY

Jim Rotondi

Trumpet player Jim Rotondi’s new CD is a jazzy homage to his mentor, the late Ray Charles. Rotondi once worked for the man whom he called “Mr. C.” Rotondi started as a child with piano and switched to trumpet at the age of 12. At 14, he heard the music of Clifford Brown, which changed his life. In 1984, he won first place in the International Trumpet Guild’s Jazz Trumpet Competition. His career has included playing on his own, with many musicians, and a stint with Ray Charles. This album’s title is as good as its name. Featuring Rotondi’s trumpet, “Blues for Brother Ray” soulfully moves through Charles hits and others such as “What I Say,” “Baby It’s Cold Outside,” “Cry Me a River,” “Georgia.”

HOMETOWN

Sam Yahel

Sam Yahel moves from the Hammond B-3 to piano in this bold CD. To those familiar with Yahel’s Hammond work, this move may seem new, but, for Yahel, this CD marks a return to his first instrument, the piano. “I’ve always considered myself a much more natural organ player than a piano player,” Yahel says. “I consider myself a very good piano player, but I have to work hard at it. … It varies from night to night. One night I might feel like I’m playing the piano well, another night the instrument is kicking my butt.” Songs on “Hometown” include John Lennon’s “Jealous Guy,” Thelonious Monk’s “Think of One,” Duke Ellington’s “Blue Pepper,” as well as original compositions such as Yahel’s “Hometown,” “So Long,” and “Oumou.”