Rick Del Savio: New York Minutes

Rick Del Savio is a young, New York based jazz guitar player, who has just released a wonderful duo based CD titled "New York Minutes". Joining Rick as his “better half” is Upright Bassist Ed Kollar, and together they go through a set of fourteen standard tunes that reflect both maturity and sensitivity towards some of the greatest tunes ever written (imho*). Jazz staples like “In A Sentimental Mood”, “All The Things You Are”, “Stella by Starlight”, “Autumn Leaves”, “Fly Me To The Moon” and nine other great songs are first-rate selections for this duo date.

Del Savio exhibits knowledge of his instrument as he deftly arranges a chord-melody for each tune’s head followed by a tasteful display of improvisational technique over the changes. Much to his credit, he doesn’t bombard the listener with everything he knows how to play in one chorus. Whether he’s laying down single lines, chordal shots, octaves, or short chord solos, Del Savio keeps the flow uncluttered and smooth.

I especially enjoyed his bluesy fills on some tunes like “If I Had You”, the tag to “Makin’ Whoopie”, or the surprising bluesy intro to “Stella”. Cool Stuff indeed.

It’s obvious that Del Savio is very comfortable with these tunes and his instrument, especially on “All The Things You Are” which as many musicians know is a difficult tune to play through the changes. But Del Savio does it extremely well and even throws in some very cool open string chime sounding tones ala Lenny Breau.

And of course there’s Del Savio’s thoughtful comping when Kollar steps out into the spotlight. And speaking of Kollar, he does a great job of keeping the flow moving while laying down some great lines himself when it comes time to solo. He can definitely walk the walk.

With both these talented musicians side-by-side it’s no wonder that “New York Minutes” is a wonderful CD to have in your collection.

* imho – in my humble opinion.

Go to www.rickdelsavio.com to purchase "New York Minutes" or to see what else Rick Del Savio has to offer.

Lyle Robinson