Reviews / Articles

JUST JAZZ GUITAR - No.40 August 2004

     I never much cared for rotaries, those circular roads in New England that keeps clueless motorists traveling in perpetual circles until they figure out which way to go, but I sure do like "Rotary Ahead!" and can appreciate Mike DiBari comparing jazz to the circuitous throughways with many possibilities.  

     Working with two different bass-drums rhythm sections, DiBari has turned in a potent mix of jazz and blues that always swings.  The back-cover quote from Duke Robillard and the album's dedication to Barney Kessel are further clues to the disc's appeal.  

     DiBari swings indeed.  "Billie's Bounce" establishes his bebop credentials right away, while showing how the music of Charlie Parker is rooted firmly in the blues.  Nice renditions of "Fly Me to the Moon" and "My Romance" follow, and the album showcase his affinity for both swinging up-tempo jazz-blues as well as balladry.

     DiBari's tone is great throughout.  He used a L5 Wes Montgomery on most of the tracks, playing and ES-135 with P-100s on the others.  Frankly, he sounds the same with both guitars, which are strung with round-wounds and run through a tweed Fender Blues Junior.  Microphones on both the amp (in an isolation booth) and in the room with the guitar add a wonderful glassy edge to the tone.

     He sign on the final track, "When I Grow Too Old to Dream," where I hear echoes of John Pizzarelli, but it's still the guitar that shines through.

-  Steven Rosenberg

TAB - Entertainment - Friday, June 20, 2003

     Cambridge-based Mike DiBari introduces this set of guitar trio jazz with a variety of standard taking on different moods. "Billie's Bounce absolutely bops, Fly Me to the Moon is nice and easy, My Romance is, well, romantic. But once DiBari, a superb guitarist, whether strumming  big, lush chords or picking out a speedy solo, launches into some of his own material, the whole album jumps up to a higher level of confidence. The trios -- he has different bass and drum players on different tracks -- kick back, let loose and soar. Nothing taken away from the openers like a good gig, this just gets better as it goes along. As far as DiBari's lone vocal on When I Grow too Old to Dream, it's OK, but he might want to stick to the strings.

- Ed Symcus

The Boston Globe - Calendar - May 15, 2003
Critic's Tip
Jazzy classics ahead

     Praise from the great Duke Robillard - what more could a jazz guitarist ask for?  Ask Mike DiBari, because Robillard is one of his fans.  Robillard calls "Rotary Ahead," DiBari's new CD, "a swinging session that demonstrates his flair for melodic classic jazz stylings and tasty blues solos."  Indeed, DiBari plays like the better jazz guitarists of yesterday. 

- Steve Greenlee

Worcester Magazine - Thursday, February 13, 2003

     There's a world where swing, bebop, soul-jazz and the blues all meet.  That's where you'll find guitarist Mike DiBari and his Swingtet.  A sharp player, DiBari always hits the mark regardless of whether he's shooting from the hip on hard blues, plucking out delicate lines on a ballad, or keeping the groove on an upbeat jump tune.

     DiBari actually got his start as a classical guitarist.  He's kept the technical skills and added the soul of great guitarists like Freddy King, Charlie Christian and Grant Green.  His 1997 album, Jimpin' The Blues, took songs associated with uptown swingers like Louis Jordan and Wynonie Harris and infused them with sharp, stinging guitar licks.

     But for his upcoming CD (to be released this spring), DiBari is taking another approach.  He'll be offering a set of original compositions that mix his blues background with the sound of jazz, taking cues from Thelonious Monk and Horace Silver.  Joining him on record is "Sax" Gordon Beadle, a masterful player singularly able to infuse his soulful playing with blues and jazz.  "Of course with Gordon, you can't help but include a bit of an R&B feel," says DiBari.  "I wish there wasn't such a line drawn between jazz and blues, because there is so much common ground.  I love taking a bebop tune and playing a gut-wrenching blues solo on it."

     Besides the hard bop and the blues, expect the band to be working through some other materials on Thursday night.  "The CD will also include a take on the song 'Dinah,' which was originally popularized by Benny Goodman and Louis Armstrong," says DiBari.  "I also do a slow-grinding New Orleans shuffle.  I like to take the traditional aspect of this music, mix it in with some more modern ideas, and see what happens."

- Noah Schaffer

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