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For jazz guitarist Rick Zunigar, music
has consistently been an integral part of his life. Born in Queens,
N.Y. of proud parents native to Puerto Rico, Rick was emersed in
an environment of cultural and musical diversity.
Rick’s gift for music originated from
his mother who sang and performed at Radio City Music Hall. Rick
grew up listening to salsa and jazz, and within him grew a desire
to learn the art of music.
It wasn’t long before Rick discovered
his true love: the guitar. The inspiration to play the guitar came
from Wes Montgomery and Joe Pass. By the age of seventeen Rick had
already hit the professional scene, building an enormous track record
that now includes performances, recordings, and tours with many
music greats like Freddie Hubbard, Cal Tjader, Jimmy Smith ,Willie
Bobo, Stevie Wonder and many more.
Rick’s extensive work has exposed him
to multiple styles of music and enabled him to develop a limitless
repertoire of musical styles. Rick’s mainstay continues to be jazz;
however, he enjoys incorporating all kinds of music into his playing,
like bebop, Latin. R&B, and Fusion.
This is exemplified in Rick’s first
solo recording New Frontier (Headfirst). Now released is Rick’s
latest recording Rick Zunigar Organ Trio (Jazzuni) which again boast
a group of jazz greats including Joe Bagg-Organ, and Mark Ferber-Drums,
Rick maintains his strong conviction to the mastery of the art of
improvisation and composition.
Rick’s goal is to reach as many people
with his music; he feels he has a contribution to make in continuing
the support and nurturance of the art of jazz.
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The Rick Zunigar Trio embodied on this disc
heralds the state of the jazz organ trio genre at the dawn of the 21st
Century. The archetype of this venerated form emerged in the mid '50s
and was championed by such major proponents as Jimmy Smith, Brother Jack
McDuff, Jimmy McGriff, Shirley Scott, Big John Patton, along with guitarists,
Wes Montgomery, George Benson, Kenny Burrell, and drummers Grady Tate,
Bernard Purdie. Blues-based and always swinging, the organ trio was usually
a forum for blowing and was characterized by long solos and exploration
of varied moods and soulful expression. From the early '60s, it seems
as though just about every local tavern in the Black neighborhoods of
the cities of this country had a Hammond B3-based group -- sometimes duos,
sometimes trios, sometimes quartets with tenor saxophone or singer.
These groups provided a proving ground for
young musicians of the day, as well as a satisfying outlet for people
who wanted to hear live music which they could relate to. The body of
work by the leaders in the organ trio idiom in its heyday has been well-documented,
owing to the fact during that era, based on record sales, the organ groups
-- most significantly those led by Jimmy Smith -- represented perhaps
the most popular genre of jazz. In the late '60s Larry Young and others
ventured into more remote territory, expanding the harmonic palette of
the form, but gradually, through the natural evolution of jazz -- particularly
because of the advent of jazz fusion which also featured guitar and electronic
keyboards, but with a decidedly different style, the organ trio as a recording
medium for jazz faded into the background. In recent years, jazz has seen
a movement towards a renewed interest in its historical styles and consequently,
the recent past has seen a resurgence of interest in the form, spearheaded
by new recordings by Jimmy Smith and Joey DeFrancesco, among others. Guitarist
Rick Zunigar's conception of the organ trio gives us a present-day look
at the genre, filtered through all of the tradition of the past, but also
infused with other influences and trends that have their roots in the
major jazz movements of the last 30 years.
John Koenig - CD linernotes
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Rick Zunigar Trio-Clouds-Jazzuni
Rick Zunigar-Organ trio-Jazzuni
Rick Zunigar Quintet -New York Minute-Jazzuni
Dave Collini-ASAP-Optimism
Benn Clatworthy-While My Lady Sleeps
Benn Clatworthy-One 4 Nica-Cornerstone Jazz
Rick Zunigar-New Frontier-Headfirst
Stevie Wonder-Conversation Peace; Natural Wonder Tour Live;
Hotter Than July; Original Musicquarium One;
Secret Life of Plants; In Square Circle-Motown
Take Six-Join the Band-Warner Bros
Little Jimmie Scott-Dream-Warner Bros
Lorez Alexandria-A Woman Knows-Discovery
Roberta Flack & Donny Hathaway-Featuring Donny Hathaway-Atlantic
Roy Ayers-No Stranger to Love-Polydor
Clare Fischer-Salsa Picante, Machaca, Crazy Bird-Discovery
Jermaine Jackson-Let’s Get Serious-Motown
Smokey Robinson-Where’s the Smoke-Tamala
Michael Franks-One Bad Habit-Warner Bros
Cal Tjader-Huracan-Crystal Clear
Crusaders-The Good and the Bad Times-MCA
High Energy-Groove Patrol-Motown
Eddie Murphy-Eddie Murphy-CBS
Wilton Felder-Love is a Rush-MCA
Mike Garson-The Oxnard Sessions-Reference
Joe Sample-Roles-MCA
LA Jazz Syndicate- LA Jazz Syndicate
Miki Coltrane-I Think of You
Chris Ho- Growing up
Sylvia Striplin- Give me your Love
Grady Harrell- Come Play With Me
California Smooth Jazz-Sampler
Henry Franklin- Shalabongo
Nedra Wheeler- Gifts (live at birdland west)
Zunigar is a very fluid player with
chops galore. One might hear a hint of other guitar styles like
Wes Montgomery but Zunigar is not an imitator, but rather he steadily
sets forth loads of improvisational ideas
Myrna Daniels - LA Jazz Scene
A combination of Barney Kessel on the
jazz tracks and John McLaughlin on the fusion tracks
Will Smith - Omaha Word Herald
Zunigar is a master guitar craftsman
whose playing knows no boundaries. Zunigar hit the professional
scene at 16, and, as he performed in clubs and various venues, his
reputation grew as a superb guitarist. It based on this reputation
that Freddie Hubbard and Stevie Wonder tapped the services of this
talented young musician…. Jesse Nash - LA Times
Rick's taste ranges from Bebop to Salsa….straight-ahead
Peter Megaw - EM
There seems to be a resurgence in
the popularity of the organ trio featuring guitar, organ and drums.
More and more guitarists these days are turning to this format as
their working bands, and none stand out more than guitarist Rick
Zunigar. Zunigar is not only a great improviser, he is a masterful
composer, arranger and band leader. With Organ Trio, Zunigar has
put together an album that is both traditional and contemporary,
and is a showcase for all of his above mentioned talents. The musicians
gathered for this project are nothing less than brilliant at all
times. With three different drummers: Dave Tull, Mark Feber and
Don Littleon, and four organists: Bill Heid, Joe Bagg, Wayne Peet
and Mikal Majeed, Zunigar has managed to create different moods
on the album that make each track unique and a joy to listen to.
Not only are all of these musicians
great players, their interaction produces a conversational style
of improvising that never sounds like the soloist is being put out
front, but more of a cog in their musical machine.
The tunes on the album are a variety
of standards ("Milestones", "All Blues", "In a Sentimental Mood"),
seldom played jazz tunes (Highway One by Bobby Hutcherson), and
originals by Zunigar and Joe Bagg. Of particular note are the arrangements
of "Milestones" and "Sentimental Mood," both featuring Zunigar’s
wonderful chord-melody playing.
There is something for everyone on
this album, burning single- note solos, delicate chord melodies
and swinging melodic solos. It never sounds like the soloists are
playing licks or patterns over the given chord changes, but that
they are playing the tune itself, which allows each tune to have
a life of its own. I think that Organ Trio would be a welcome addition
to any guitarist’s musical library.
The playing is great, the arrangements
are fresh, and the musicians are always at their best. What more
could one want from any jazz album?
Matthew Warnock - Just Jazz Guitar (Dec 22, 2006)
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Tracks from "Rick
Zunigar - Organ Trio" are featured on the "Fuse
This Jazz" program
Buy
it at CD Baby
Rick Zunigar Organ Trio © 2006 Rick Zunigar
1 Tweedle Dee Tweedle Dum
2 Look Ahead
3 Highway One
4 Ahimsa
5 (old) Milestones
6 In a Sentimetal Mood
7 All Blues
8 While You’re Sleeping
Musicians
Old Milestones; Dave Tull-Drums Bill Heid-Hammond B3 Organ
Tweedle Dee Tweedle
Dum, Ahimsa, While You’re Sleeping; Joe Bagg- Hammond B3 organ Mark Ferber-Drums
All Blues, Highway
One; Wayne Peet-Organ Don Littleton-Drums
In A Sentimetal Mood;
Mikal Majeed-Organ Don Littleton-Drums
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