By Tony Gieske
A ballad late in his last set at Vibrato Thursday night showed most clearly why Dominick Farinacci merits the title “a trumpet player’s trumpet player.” No histrionics in the Harry James manner, no pyrotechnics a la Maynard Ferguson, no mannered melancholy like Miles Davis.
Straight ahead it went in — the great 19th century cornetist Jean B. Arban could not have executed better — and lyrically and passionately it came out, songfully and sincerely.
Improvisationally, Farinacci made it all up as he went along, a feat not achieved by every Juilliard grad. There was plenty of bebop, to be sure, but it was made to serve and not to fill.
The thing that filled the listening soul was that sound. He blew his horn reverently, as Uan Rasey advises, as though he were telling someone something nice.
Pianist Dan Kaufman gave the golden boy support with admirable propriety, especially in a closing medley of Charlie Chaplin’s “Smile” and the Louis Armstrong favorite, “What a Wonderful World.” Hamilton Price, bass, and Kevin Kanner, drums, fanned the well sourced flames all night long.
By Don Heckman
After reviewing a performance by Farinacci a few months ago at Vibrato, I thought it would be useful to add another perspective this time around. And Tony Gieske – as a trumpet/cornet player himself – has brought an insightful view to the playing of this gifted young artist.
There were also several other qualities that impressed me even more strongly the second time around. The first was the sophisticated diversity of the repertoire choices. Tony’s already mentioned the poignant rendering of Chaplin’s “Smile,” and Farinacci offered an equally compelling take on a tune rarely heard in a jazz context — Jacques Brel’s “Ne Me Quitte Pas.” And his lyrical version of the theme music from “The Pawnbroker” was evocative enough to draw a broad smile and enthusiastic applause from its composer, Quincy Jones, who was in the audience and equally responsive to the balance of the set.
Farinacci displayed his articulate mastery of both trumpet and flugelhorn by switching the usual approach to each, occasionally playing soft ballads on trumpet and up-tempo, fast fingered improvisations on the flugelhorn. And his plunger muted solo on the blues was delivered with a hard-swinging drive that would surely have delighted Bubber Miley, one of the technique’s innovators.
In addition, his easygoing comments between numbers displayed – even more so than in his earlier appearance – a growing ease with his role as a rapidly emerging new star. Still in his mid-twenties, Farinacci is convincingly putting all the pieces together for a major jazz career.
Photos by Tony Gieske. Read and see more of Tony Gieske’s jazz essays and photos at his personal web site tonyspage.com.
The International Review of Music 