Album Notes

matt criscuolo is a native of the bronx, new york.studied at manhattan school of music with steve slagle,dick oatts,walt weiskofph,bob mover, john purcell and rich perry.he has worked or recorded with greats such as gerry mulligan,david murray,rich perry, harold danko,etta jones,steve davis,& billy drummond to name a few.this is matt's third release as a leader and composer and he has definitely staked his place as a recognisable and respected musician.his approach to improvisation is genuine. it's not rooted in acrobatics for the sake of showing off chops like so many saxers.when you hear his tone, you hear a thick warm sound that is both tender and edgy.sweet and confident.This record "melancholia" is like a soundtrack to a jazz movie. It is recorded with a string quintet backing up a jazz quartet. the strings made 4 passes over each song in the studio to create the sound of a 20 piece orchestra. the end result is a rich and robust project that sounds huge. matt is currently gigging in the tristate area and abroad