In April 2018, Brazilian drummer Samuel Martinelli self-released an album called Crossing Paths, celebrating the relationship between Brazilian music and jazz. Reviewing the album for AllAboutJazz, Dan Bilawsky pointed out that his quartet was “rich in rhythmic verve. Martinelli provides strong originals, puts his own stamp on a classic or two, adds hearty support, and delivers with grace, while his seasoned colleagues -- trumpeter Claudio Roditi, bassist Marcus McLaurine, and pianist Tomoko Ohno -- magnify his intentions and find deeper meaning in the notes and tones of the project.” Six of the eight tracks are Martinelli originals, added to Sonny Rollins’ “St. Thomas” and Dizzy Gillespie’s “Birks’ Works”.
In January’s Jersey Jazz Magazine, McLaurine recalled that Roditi, who died in January 2020, really liked the group on the recording. After Claudio passed,” he said, “we decided, in his honor, to keep it together as The Trilateral Project. Claudio was a sweetheart and a total master. His spirit is always there when we play.”
At 7:00pm on Saturday, February 26, The Trilateral Project will be performing at the New Jersey Jazz Society’s Virtual Social. “The more we play,” McLaurine added, “the more it really jells into something. We are hoping to get a recording out as our next project. We are now working on material, and we are going to get featured guests on it.”
The February 26th Social will be streamed on the njjs.org website as well as on the NJJS Facebook page and YouTube channel. There is no admission charge, but donations are welcome and appreciated.
One of Roditi’s last recording projects was as a guest artist on the Diva Jazz Orchestra’s Diva + The Boys album (mcgjazz: 2019). Ohno, a resident of Tenafly, NJ, is Diva’s pianist and she shared solos on that album with Roditi, clarinetist Ken Peplowski, and trombonist Jay Ashby on Ashby’s “Deference to Diz”. Born in Tokyo, Ohno began piano studies at the age of four. After moving to the United States, she enrolled in the Jazz Studies Program at William Paterson University, where she studied with pianist Harold Mabern and bassist Rufus Reid.
McLaurine has become one of the most sought-after bassists in jazz, sharing the bandstand with trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie, guitarist Kenny Burrell, and saxophonist James Moody, among many others. He also played in the Count Basie Orchestra under the direction of Thad Jones. Roditi once called Martinelli, “one of the most talented musicians to come out of Brazil in recent times.”" either playing Brazilian music or American jazz. I have used
Funding for the NJJS Socials has been made possible, in part, by Morris Arts through the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State, a partner agency of the National Endowment for the Arts.
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