Vinnie Cutro Ensemble (The Music of Duke Ellington & Billy Strayhorn)

WANTAGE — Jazz music lovers had the opportunity to experience a live performance by West Milford residents Vincent Cutro and Mitch Schechter on Sunday at the Sussex-Wantage Library.

The performance was sponsored by the Friends of the library.

"We try to have a variety of musical genres brought live to our community through the library," Friends President Jayne McHugh said.

"I always knew that I wanted to become a music teacher," Cutro said.

After attending the New Jersey University, where he received his B.A in Music Education, Cutro began freelancing and networking as a musician in the New York area, later continuing his education at New York University for his masters in jazz performance.

In 2010, Cutro and keyboardist/pianist Mitch Schechter recorded a CD featuring the music of Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn.

“Ellington composed like 5,000 songs,” Cutro said. “He and Strayhorn were amazing musicians. Four years ago, I came up with this project to perform their music as a duo as opposed to a quartet, which is a complete challenge.”

Cutro said at one point, he played with American jazz drummer and bandleader Buddy Rich for a year, and then began traveling with Lionel Hampton.

“I’ve been on between 20-30 tours in Europe and lived in New York City for about a decade performing," he said. Cutro said his main instrument is the trumpet, but he also has taught flute, clarinet, alto saxophone, string base and piano.

In the past, Cutro taught five years in the Jersey City Public School System as a general music teacher and was an adjunct trumpet teacher at New York University. Teaching music a total of 19 years, Cutro teaches instrumental music in the Hackensack public school system.

Otherwise, Cutro performs with his band, Vinnie Cutro and New York City Soundscape, featuring musicians Jerry Bergonzi on the tenor saxophone, Billy Hart on drums, Bob Farrel on trombone, pianists Charles Blenzig and Schechter and bass player Jay Anderson.

“Vinnie and I have been playing together for a long time,” said Schechter, who accompanied Cutro during the performance. Schechter has been composing music since he was 12 years old.

“I played the trumpet and then when the Beatles got popular, I started playing the drums," he said. "I started playing the piano because Dad didn’t want to hear the drums anymore. After that, I got my music education bachelor’s degree at Fairleigh Dickinson University and then studied at the Manhattan School of Music. I also taught at the County College of Morris for about seven years, as well.”

Jean Butkus of Hamburg is a “jazz aficionado.”

"The performancce was amazing, really quite a treat," she said. "It's so good to hear live music at such a high quality." - The West Milford Messenger

Don't miss out on this free Classic Jazz concert at Plainfield Public Library. This Saturday afternoon concert and talk features Vinnie Cutro (trumpet) and Mitch Schechter (piano) in a celebration of “The Music of Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn”. This afternoon's event will feature live musical performances and historical commentary about the compositions of two great American Jazz Composers. Find out more about this project and the musicians involved at www.vinniecutro.com - The Plainfield Public Library

David A. Orthmann By DAVID A. ORTHMANN
June 19, 2011
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Vinnie Cutro Trio
Trumpets Jazz Club
Montclair, NJ
April 3, 2011

Vinnie Cutro's opening set at Trumpets Jazz Club wasn't weighed down or overshadowed by history. The gig closely followed the release of the trumpeter's The Music of Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn, this year on Royal Music Ensembles Records. A couple of things separated the live performance from typical salutes to revered artists of the jazz tradition. Instead of offering lengthy monologues on the significance of Ellington and Strayhorn, Cutro let the material speak for itself. Most importantly, the leader, pianist Mitch Schechter, and bassist Rick Crane didn't treat the songs like museum pieces, or readily invoke the memory of other versions. Their renditions were living, breathing entities that stood on their own and resisted easy categorization.

Cutro did an admirable job of programming by juxtaposing three tracks from the recording with several other Ellington and Strayhorn songs. One of the most rewarding aspects of the set was the rapport between members of the trio. Individual efforts were always placed in the context of a balanced ensemble sound in which each voice was essential. The melodies of four of the set's eight selections were shared by Cutro and Schechter. There was a satisfying contrast between Cutro's relaxed horn and Schechter's rather stately take on the head of "Chelsea Bridge." During a luminous version of "Lush Life," both of them offered brief portions of the melody in less than predictable places, as if they were finishing each other's sentences.

On the record, the duo of Cutro and Schechter often evinces a floating, ethereal quality; whereas, throughout the live, set the addition of Crane provided a decided rhythmic thrust. Without a drummer's clamor, it was a pleasure to hear his every note clearly articulated. Crane did an admirable job of outlining the contours of "I Let A Song Go Out Of My Heart." During the medium and up-tempo numbers the bassist's vivacious walking line kept things moving. Crane also proved to be a first rate soloist. His "Caravan" improvisation featured long galloping lines, a brief articulate pause, some bent notes, and one tantalizing trip from the top to the bottom of his instrument.

Relatively brief solos by Cutro and Schechter fit nicely into the ensemble work, as well hosting other dimensions of the trio's rapport. Cutro had a way of getting around the horn in rapid fire fashion while staying in touch with the essence of every song. Amidst Crane's plucked bass and Schechter's firm harmonic support, on "Lush Life," Cutro sounded as if he was breaking out of confinement. Long showers of notes and reckless high note flourishes eventually led back to the tune's melody and ballad feel. Not unlike his solo on the record, during "Daydream" Cutro briefly quoted Bud Powell's "Parisian Thoroughfare" while finding his own melodies. Schechter's chords jounced against the trumpeter's lengthy fluttering runs and singing phrases at various points in "Perdido."

Schechter often displayed a penchant for locking into Crane's pulse, or simply making the beat swell on his own. Even as his solos developed and strode forward, he stayed in a certain recognizable range that gave the work a very satisfying, holistic quality. Not content to merely offer a song quote and move on, Schechter found his own way of phrasing a part of "I Let A Song Go Out Of My Heart," and then deftly integrated it into another, closely related melodic line. Throughout "Caravan" there was a playful intelligence at work as he pieced together spiky, rollicking Latin-oriented scraps, and followed with a flowing stream of jazz-centric lines on the song's bridge.

Live performances in jazz clubs often include surprises that most recordings can't match, and Cutro's set was no exception. About 45 minutes into the performance, he announced "a little change in format," and invited Joseph Wolverton to the stage. Wolverton is a tenor who has sung with a number of leading orchestras and opera companies throughout the United States and Europe. Accompanied by Cutro and Schechter, he performed "Nessun Dorma," from Puccini's opera, Turandot. Although his interpretation was outside of the scope of this review, Wolverton's voice was very impressive. Undaunted by a classic piece of music outside of the jazz canon, Cutro offered a lyrical, impassioned interlude in between Wolverton's vocals. If enthusiastic applause by an audience that entered the club expecting to hear sixty minutes of jazz was any indication, then perhaps the distance between "Nessun Dorma" and the songs of Ellington and Strayhorn isn't as great as might be assumed. - ALL ABOUT JAZZ

April 22,2013........Friday at 7:00 at Suffolk Theater in Riverhead........presents a Duke Ellington Birthday Tribute featuring
The Vinnie Cutro Quartet - The Independent Newspaper

We received positive feedback from our patrons who loved the performance and the format of blending stories and music. I'm certain I'm sharing what you already know: Vinnie and Mitch are great - so pleasant to work with, professional, and talented. They provided a wonderful performance for the audience. We had 49 patrons attend, which is a great number for a Sunday afternoon. You missed a fantastic program!
Joanne Grady (Board Member of West Milford Township Library) -