Album Notes

"Play[s] good guitar all over."
- DOWN BEAT MAGAZINE
"Among the best swing guitarists in New England."
- JIM CARTY, WMFO 91.5 FM

Guitarist/Composer Mike DiBari's new CD release is a delight for both jazz and blues fans alike. The Boston area musician, who has spent the last ten years on the thriving local blues/R&B scene, combines his roots in the blues with a passion for jazz. "When I got more serious about playing jazz I didn't want to let go of what I learned from all those great players like B.B King and T-Bone Walker. My goal was to create a style where I could go from blues to Charlie Christian to Thelonious Monk and everything in between, all at the same time." On Rotary Ahead! Mike achieves what he set out for. In the opener Billie's Bounce, a Charlie Parker tune in the classic Bebop tradition, you can hear swirling Jazz lines intertwined with blistering Blues licks. DiBari's jazz chops are further confirmed on Fly Me To the Moon, which opens with signature Wes Montgomery style octaves, and later unravels with consecutive choruses of double time runs a la Pat Martino.

His talent as a composer shines through on many cuts including the title track. "Rotary Ahead started out as a technical exercise but I later realized it was kind of catchy so I kept going with it." Pure and lyrical ballad playing can be found on New York, an original inspired by 9/11, while a classic swing to bop encounter unfolds on Charlie's Fear, which Mike attributes to his heroes, guitarist Christian and Monk. The top honor, however, goes to the great jazz guitar legend Barney Kessel, who passed away recently and to whom this CD is dedicated. "Barney was the one who made me realize that my idea of playing was within reach. When I heard him play I thought 'this is it'."


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

For more info, free lessons and transcriptions please visit www.mikedibari.com