Featured Artist: Tony do Rosario

CD Title: The Welcoming

Year: 2008

Record Label: Dreambox Media

Style: Straight-Ahead / Classic

Musicians:

Tony do Rosario - guitar, Bob Shomo - drums, Behn Gillece (vibes), Dan Kostelnik (organ)

Review:

The Welcoming is a live recording from jazz guitarist Tony do Rosario and his band, which was taped at The First Presbyterian Church of Cape May on August 13, 2007. Produced by Rosario and his drummer Bob Shomo, The Welcoming is a beautiful jazz requiem with softly grated pop tones and gently flowing lines that congeal like fudge on an ice cream sundae.

The enchanting vibes played by Behn Gillece on “Another Time” deliver twinkling star-like effects dotting the smooth jazz melody, while the instrumentation of Rosario’s guitar and Dan Kostelnik’s organ are melodically splayed with slabs of pop sprinkles powdering the phrasing. The brushing of Shomo’s lightly tapping drumbeats emote a soft esthetics as the plush vibes and organ notes bedazzle the tracks. One song after another allows the musicians to feel their way around each other as they work in harmony producing tapestries that are portraits of calmness buttressed by smooth lines like in the sleek soul-jazz phrasing of “Easter Sunday.” Other tunes like the title track and “Simone” have a cheery bounce in their melodic phrasing, while some are prolific at being reflective like in “Waiting Alone.”

Tony do Rosario’s quartet is skilled at creating jazz works with smooth lines and clips of soul, pop, and bop. Their presentation on The Welcoming is family friendly and has a maturity that adult contemporary audiences would be drawn to from the first listen. Rosario has been performing for over a decade in front of audiences. Growing up in Southern New Jersey, around Atlantic City, Rosario’s parents moved from Brazil. It was Rosario’s love of Brazilian music that first inspired him to play guitar and write his own compositions. His recordings have allowed him to play gigs across the U.S. and around the world. Presently, Tony do Rosario resides in Chicago, Illinois and teaches at Old Town School of Folk Music in his spare time.

Tracks:

Childhood Memories, Another Time, Jean de Fleur, Easter Sunday, The Welcoming, Waiting Alone, Simone

Record Label Website: http://www.dreamboxmedia.com

Artist's Website: http://www.tonyguitar.com

Listen or Buy: www.amazon.com/The-Welcoming/dp/B001BTJ6KY/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&s=dmusic&qid=12171

Reviewed by: Susan Frances

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