The
sound of uptempo boppin’ jazz guitar is alive and well in the
garden state of New Jersey. For the 2009 CD release of Wit Of The
Staircase, Andy Rothstein’s guitar and compositions
receive solid support from bassist Tony Senatore, keyboardist
Pete Levin, drummers Luther Rix and Van Romaine and
a host of other fine players. There’s some fine interplay between
Rothstein and the core band, who also receive added backing from a
complete horn section led by trumpet master Lew Soloff. With
the refined studio sound attained here, kudos must also go to Steve
Jankowski, who not only engineered and co-produced, but also arranged
all the horn sections and played trumpet. Describing the session in
the liner note of the superbly packaged multi-panel digipak album,
Rothstein adds ‘We were going for a real old school ‘Blue
Note’ vibe and recorded each tune 2-3 times and picked the best
version of each. I got to showcase all the aspects of my guitar playing,
ranging from straight ahead bebop to fusion to rock.’ You can
spot several influences including Metheny and, to my ears, French
guitar fusion great Jean Pierre Llabador among other giants of jazz.
Rothstein’s guitar sound is superbly tracked and the overall
sound is warm and clear. Enhancing the album’s predominantly
jazzy vibe, track 7, “Word For Word” superbly conjures a
solid Clapton / Harrison kind of slide sound with it’s lushly
unfolding melodic instrumental guitar leads. Clearly these guys know
what they’re doing in the studio! Having played guitar since
he was 13, Rothstein has studied with greats like Steve Khan, Kevin
Eubanks and Ted Dunbar. Following the 2006 release of his acclaimed
solo debut Voodoo Tone, Rothstein offers an excellent follow
up CD that speaks volumes about the state of jazz/rock guitar instrumental
music in 2009.
www.AndyRothstein.com
MUSIC
WEB EXPRESS 3000 presents ANDY ROTHSTEIN
Guitars Center Stage
Guitarists making waves in the music world,
their new recordings and gear!
Musical Background
I've
been playing guitar for over 25 years. I had the opportunity of studying
with both Kevin Eubanks and the late Ted Dunbar at Rutgers university
in the late 80s, as well as privately with Steve Khan and Vinnie Zummo.
I spent the early 90’s aggressively performing and recording
with a variety of bands including jazz-fusion band One More Once,
fronted by violinist Jonathan Dinklage, and alternative rock band
The Prayer. My next major musical endeavor in the late 90’s was
the forming of my own progressive/alternative rock band Mary's Magnet
with long time friend and bassist Tony Senatore. Since 2005 I’ve
been developing my solo career and released my first CD Voodoo
Tone in 2006 and my second CD Wit Of The Staircase this
year.
New CD
My
new CD is Wit Of The Staircase was recorded over a period ranging
from 2008-2009. It was engineered by Steve Jankowski (Jankland Recording)
and produced by Steve Jankowski, Tony Senatore and myself. I am proud
to say it made it onto the 2010 Grammy ballot in 2 categories: Best
contemporary jazz album and best jazz solo for Lew Soloff’s trumpet
solo on “Wit Of The Staircase.” I was fortunate to have
an opportunity to work with some phenomenal musicians and showcase
all the aspects of my guitar playing ranging from straight ahead bebop
to fusion to rock.
This record is really divided into 2 separate recordings. Four of
the tunes “Recordame”, “No Worries”, “Just
Friends” and “Minor League” were cut live at Jankland
recording studios in New Jersey in September 2008. We were going for
a real old school ‘Blue Note’ vibe and recorded each tune
2-3 times and picked the best version of each. The rest of the tunes
were all remote-tracked with a lot of the guitar recorded in my house.
Favorite
Guitars
On
this record I predominantly used a Gibson Pat Martino custom for the
more jazz oriented tunes and my own custom Swamp Ash Tele on the more
rock/funk oriented tunes. I am using 2 amps in stereo: a Victoria
VIctorilux and a Rivera Fandango. I use a variety of pedals including
a Fulltone Fulldrive for overdrive and Hermedia Zen Drive for distortion
and a T.C. Electronic chorus and a pair of Boss DD-3 delays.
Musical Influences
My favorite
jazz players are Pat Martino, Pat Metheny John Scofield, Mike Stern
and Wes Montgomery. My favorite rock players are Hendrix, Clapton,
Jimmy Page, Alex Lifeson, The Edge, Stevie Ray Vaughn and Neil Schon,
and my favorite rock bands are Zep, U2, Police, Queen, Jeff Buckley
and the Beatles. Hard to say which albums influenced me the most but
Pat Martino’s East, Jeff Buckley’s Grace and Ghost
In The Machine by The Police all had a huge impact on me.
Upcoming Plans
We plan on playing many live shows in support of the CD. Our
next show will be at Bar Saints & Sinners in Hoboken November
27th, 2009.
Web Site
www.andyrothstein.com
www.CDBaby.com
email: arothstein@ureach.com
