BOP ARTS presents THE MIKE BAGGETTA GROUP featuring GEORGE SCHULLER, EIVIND OPSVIk and JASON RIGBY
Wednesday March 17th 8pm
Bop Shop Atrium 274 N Goodman St.
in the Village Gate
$10 donation requested
We here at the Bop Shop are always looking out for new musicians that catch our ear to bring to the Atrium. When we received guitarist Mike Baggetta's new release Small Spaces (on the Spanish Fresh Sounds New Talent imprint) we were impressed. Baggetta is a jazz guitarist whose music works firmly in the jazz tradition while taking into account the expanded structures the music has forged. Baggetta's first disc with his quartet has garnered favorable reviews across the board. Michael G. Nastos recently said this in All Music Guide:
It seems jazz churns out hundreds of new electric guitarists per year, and many of them sound much the same. Mike Baggetta has the potential to break the mold of post-John Scofield plectrists if his talent in evidence on this debut recording progresses as it should. Blessed with a refined approach and solid technique, Baggetta's quartet displays music in the neo-bop vein, and in tandem with tenor saxophonist Jason Rigby, gives the listener much food for thought as their well-tethered tandem lines whip up attractive textures. The parallels of Scofield's work with Joe Lovano in the early '90s is hard to deny, as Baggetta and Rigby supply linear modern jazz at once luscious and vocally influenced.
And that pretty much nails it. Incidentally, saxophonist Rigby has several fine albums out under his own name as well. We're also pleased to see two old friends of the Bop Shop in the rhythm section: bassist Eivind Opsvik (he's been here with Tony Malaby, Kris Davis and Harris Eisenstadt) and drummer George Schuller (who's been here with Conference Call, Burton Greene's trio .) Both have also led groups at the Rochester International Jazz Festival. Baggetta has assembled quite a band!
Baggetta originally hails from Massachusetts where he started on guitar and wound up studying at Rutgers University. He has since played around the country working with Los Angeles trumpeter Kris Tiner and in the bands of such players as Kevin Norton, Schuller, Tom Harrell, Conrad Herwig and many others. His quartet sounds like a seasoned band on Small Spaces which is only their first record. This should be an excellent evening of guitar jazz in the Atrium.
