Album Review: The Venetian from Vin Venezia

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Album:  The Venetian
Artist:  Vin Venezia
Label:  Innervision Records
Website:  www.vincentvenezia.com

Guitarist Vin Venezia's latest release, The Venetian, features 13 tracks consisting of vintage jazz standards, contemporary works, and original material by Venezia.  Supporting Venezia are Richie Morales on drums, Harvie S on bass, David Budway on piano, Danny Walsh on tenor saxophone, and special guest Bob Magnuson, who plays tenor sax on Miles Davis's gem "Solar" with a fervor reminiscent of Davis himself.

Venezia mesmerizes the audience with his interpretation of Victor Young and Ned Washington's tune "Stella By Starlight," stroking his guitar strings with a tenderness that ignites waves of soothing emanations. Another vintage standard "Alone Together," penned by Arthur Schwartz and Howard Dietz, is treated with a funky flare in Harvie S's grooving bass line as Walsh's tenor sax intersperses twirling toots along the rollicking progressions.

The Latin accents twining through "How Insensitive," written by Antonio Carlos Jobim, injects balmy atmospherics into the recording, laced in tranquilizing swells.  Venezia then courses into the swinging parlance of Chick Corea's trademark "Windows," demonstrating his breadth of melodic sensibilities as a guitarist and performer.  

Reimagining Billy Strayhorn's popular standard "Lush Life," Venezia performs solo, creating breezy ruffles with his steel string acoustic baritone guitar, surrounding the listener in a chimerical dreamscape.  Moving deeper into the recording, Venezia's original work "Without a Sound" has a country folk lilt that warms the soul and soothes the senses, displaying his versatility as a guitarist and composer.

A native of New Jersey, Vin Venezia lures the listener with his sense of melodious progressions.  From his warm tone to his tender phrasing and soulful voicing, Venezia is an artist who infuses a human touch into his music and his performance.

Musicians:
Vin Venezia - electric, baritone, acoustic, nylon, and synth guitars
Richie Morales - drums
Harvie S - bass
David Budway - piano
Danny Walsh - tenor saxophone
Bob Magnuson - tenor saxophone

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