To Swing is the Thing Mike Melito

• 1You Said It06:27
• 2Big Red04:57
• 3A Bee Has Two Brains07:10
• 4Blue Key06:53
• 5Lush Life06:27
• 6Make Believe04:55
• 7Ruby My Dear06:38
• 8Straight Street07:57
• 9Three For Carson05:52
• 10Locke Bop05:40
• Total Runtime01:02:56

Info for To Swing is the Thing

Twenty-eight years ago, in March 1994, Mike Melito's fellow Rochesterian, Chuck Mangione, presented a traveling festival in upstate New York. He hired Roy McCurdy to play with Nat Adderley - with whom McCurdy had played on 7 leaders, plus another 19 with Cannonball Adderley, between 1966 and 1979 - in a band that included pianist Don Menza and Rochester guitar stalwart Bob Sneider. He assigned Melito to the other act, James Moody, in a unit including then up-and-coming pianist Danilo Pérez. Roy and I hit it off right away, Melito says. I'd obviously been checking him out for years. We played the same set of drums, same cymbals - and I learned a lot about sound. He didn't talk to me about anything. I watched him, and figured out what he was doing that I wasn't. I believe you're a student forever. I work a lot on my sound, on my hands, on my cymbal beat. My goal has always been to sound as authentic as possible as a player and strive for the same sound as my heroes. Melito offered this self-assessment after relating an encounter some thirty years ago with iconic drum conceptualist Max Roach, whom he'd studied closely since age 12, when Melito heard the 1947 Charlie Parker-Miles Davis-Roach classic Dewey Square on the first jazz record I ever bought on my own. Another Rochester friend, trumpeter John Sneider, had played Roach some tapes featuring Melito, and the maestro noticed. I met Max and he gave me one of the greatest compliments I've ever received, Melito recounts. He said, 'You really know how to phrase; the snare drum...' - and gave me a big hug. The 56-year-old master offers a highly personalized refraction of Roach's late 1950s investigations of the possibilities of 3/4 waltz time towards the end of his eighth self-released album, To Swing Is The Thing, a title that efficiently encapsulates the imperatives that have driven him through 40 years as a professional drummer.

Mike Melito, drums
Neal Miner, bass
Jeb Patton, piano
Grant Stewart, tenor saxophone
Joe Magnarelli, trumpet

Recorded at Trading 8’s in Paramus, NJ April 18th and 19th, 2022

Mike Melito
has been one of the most sought after jazz drummers and teachers in upstate NY for over 25 yrs. Mike studied with RPO percussionist John McNeill as well as Ray Mosca who is best known with his work with Ahmad Jamal and Oscar Peterson.

Mike has released five critically acclaimed CD’s of his own and is on over 25 recordings as a sideman. His recordings continue to get much airplay around the country. Mike’s recordings caught the ear of Downbeat Magazine and the magazine in turn did a feature article on him.

He is the house drummer of The Xerox Rochester International Jazz festival backing many artists in slots throughout the festival each year. He also can be seen playing in the Bob Sneider Trio for the late night jams in the festival each night. Mike has backed legends such as James Moody, Benny Golson, Barry Harris and Junior Mance. He has also worked with names such as Eric Alexander, Vincent Herring, Chris Potter, Gary Smulyan, Gerry Niewood, Danilo Perez, Gary Versace, Harry Allen, Peter Bernstein, Grant Stewart, Pat Labarbera, Rachel Z, David Hazeltine and many others.

Mike has taught many successful drummers over the past 25 years. Many have gone on to have successful music careers in performing and teaching.

This album contains no booklet.