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"WHAT THEY'RE
SAYING"
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| "DellaRatta
has the talent, tunes and superb sidemen to
deserve at least a Diana Krall -sized career. He
sings and plays better, and fronts a tremendous
band." |
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--Daily
Gazette
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| "DellaRatta.....demonstrating
a talent for composing, improvising and
arranging....that recalled Thelonius Monk's flair
for refreshing familiar chord progressions with
harmonic twists.....an imaginative reworking that
moved from the sublime to swinging and back
again." |
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--Washington
Post
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| "DellaRatta...well
crafted with strong traces of influence from McCoy
Tyner and Bill Evans." |
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--LA
Times
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| "DellaRatta
brought new life to an old sweet song." |
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--Boston
Globe
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| "A
vocalist with a great power to thrill and move the
listener, with some of the fragile delicacy that
Chet Baker had in his youth, but with a greater
sense of assurance." "a soft spoken
sincerity that achieves a kind of dignity amid
great emotional intensity." |
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--Allaboutjazz.com
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| "Rick
DellaRatta is one of the finest Jazz pianists
alive." |
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--Savannah
Times
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| "This
multi-talented pianist also has a wonderful voice!
He composes with a monkish touch...also
interesting is the good contrast in the soloing of
the aggressive Leibman to the more laidback solos
of DellaRatta with nice use of spaces." |
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--Swing
Journal - Japan
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| "DellaRatta's
voice has a soft and pure tone that is beautiful
to hear. His intonation is perfect, and he
wonderfully recalls Jobim's intentional flatness
that gives the notes a wistful falling sound. And
when Gomez walks his bass with DellaRatta's piano,
the whole room syncs into the swing." |
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--Jazzreview.com
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| "One
of the worlds finest pianists." |
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--Teri
Thornton
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| "His
voice is his secret weapon. It's pure
velvet." |
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--Troy
Record
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| "Music
that orbits between cool and boppish...with vocals
that really catch a listeners attention."
"An understanding and control of the
Shorter-Hancock style." |
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--Cadence
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| "Just
the right blend of vocal and instrumental jazz...a
great act to hear live in a jazz club." |
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--Jazzlife
- Japan
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On
Rick DellaRatta's "Live in Brazil & The
Blue Note" CD:
"I've
not heard anything quite like Rick DellaRatta and
group. I hope this gets out to the large audience
it deserves. I think they've found a wonderful way
to bridge the gap of generations of
listeners."
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| --KTXK
-FM Texarcana, Texas |
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On
Rick's latest CD "Jazz At
Christmastime":
"Considered
by many to be one of the brightest rising stars in
jazz today......the CD is alternately swinging and
soulful - blending well-crafted jazz arrangements
with classic holiday melodies and warm vocals to
create a fresh sound. Its also a nice choice when
entertaining a range of different ages,interests
and tastes." "Sure to set the mood for
yuletide festivities."
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--METRO
editorial services
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Rick
DellaRatta is now considered by many to be one of the finest
Singer/Pianists performing today and one of only a handful of Jazz
Artists who can make a successful musical presentation to a large
audience without having to abandon the true art form of Jazz.
Through his life long endeavor to help advance people to their
highest potential through the understanding of Jazz as well as
spreading peace worldwide through his "Jazz for Peace World
Tour", Rick DellaRatta is considered to be an innovator and a
visionary.
The
Rick DellaRatta Trio
Lenny White, Eddie Gomez &
Rick DellaRatta
His
unique and original piano playing and composing has been compared
in print to Chick Corea, Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, Bill
Evans, McCoy Tyner, Keith Jarrett, Joe Zawinul, Horace Silver,
Oscar Peterson and Thelonious Monk while his signature vocal sound
and style has been likened to Chet Baker, Billy Holiday, Joao
Gilberto, Ivan Lins, Michael Franks and Antonio Carlos Jobim.
Dr.
Billy Taylor put Ricks impact in perspective when commenting on
Ricks "Thought Provoking CD - he said: "Rick DellaRatta
is one of the people who is taking Jazz to the next level".
RECORDINGS
Rick's
latest CD "Jazz at Christmastime" features unique jazz
arrangements of Christmas music and is set to be released in
December 2001 on the Stella Record Label. Other cd's of Ricks
include an intimate solo album entitled, "Alone
Together," and a double cd that was recorded live in concert
both in Fortaleza, Brazil and The Blue Note Jazz Club in NYC
entitled "Live
in Brazil & The Blue Note". DellaRatta switches gears
to the classical genre with his symphonic composition "Permutata"
which was recorded by the London Symphony Orchestra on the MMC
label under the direction of Roger Briggs.
"Thought
Provoking," his CD released in June 1997 on Stella
Records, features Eddie Gomez on bass, Dave Liebman on saxophone,
and Lenny White on drums. Jazz Times noted that "DellaRatta
displays his burgeoning talents ...featuring his youthful
sounding vocals, energized keyboard skills and prowess as a
composer." "Thought Provoking" follows "Take
It or Leave It," DellaRatta's debut CD. With "his
swinging piano style" and "sultry vocals," he
"brings new life" to jazz standards and captivates with
his own unique, avant-garde compositions. According to Cadence
Magazine, Rick's debut CD makes "music that orbits between
cool and boppish... with vocals that really capture a listener's
attention." Also released in 1998 is a music video of the
haunting single "Living Inside a Daydream," from the
"Thought Provoking" CD.
"Jazz
for Peace",
his CD released in April 2004 includes selections
from the very first Jazz for Peace Concert on 10/4/2001 which
featured Rick along with Jazz Greats - Bassist Eddie Gomez,
Drummer Lenny White & Cuban Saxophonist/ Clarinetist Paquito
D'Rivera. ◊
Live selections from Rick DellaRatta's Recent Sold Out weekend at
Birdland in NYC! ◊
Rick's Symphonic Composition "Permutata" recorded by The
London Symphony Orchestra at the famed Abbey Road
Studios in London, England. ◊
Studio
recording of Rick's signature composition "Jazz for
Peace".
PERFORMANCES
Rick
DellaRatta, 40-year-old New York based international jazz pianist,
vocalist and composer, has performed in legendary jazz clubs such
as Sweet Basil, Ronnie Scotts, The Blue Note, Birdland and The
Five Spot. Rick is currently sharing his musical message worldwide
through his "Jazz for Peace World Tour". The tour is
scheduled to include The United States, The Middle East, The
United Kingdom, Asia, Europe and South Africa. The "Jazz for
Peace" tour will be Rick's first ever "World Tour"
however recent performances by Rick outside the U.S. have included
Japan, Hong Kong, Bulgaria, Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, Iceland,
Norway, Sweden, Finland, Switzerland, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg
and Croatia.
Recent
Festival appearances as a leader include headlining at The
Savannah Jazz Festival, The Kansas City Jazz and Blues Festival,
Ottawa International Jazz Festival, The Empire State Jazz
Festival, Coleman Hawkins Jazz Festival, The Lake George Jazz
Festival, The Sofia Jazz Festival in Bulgaria and The Taketa Jazz
Festival in Japan. Other festival appearances include The Loft Jazz Festival, New York's world famous Blue Note the
Panasonic Jazz Festival, The DuMarier Jazz Festival in Toronto and
Summer Fest in Milwaukee.
MUSICIANS
Rick
DellaRatta has been touring with his trio Jazz Greats Eddie Gomez
and Lenny White as well as leading successful performances with
Jazz Legends Dave Leibman, Paquito D'Rivera, Rufus Reid, Billy
Hart, Bobby Watson, Nick Brignola, Sonny Fortune, Elliot Zigmund,
Idris Muhhamad and Al Foster.
AWARDS
DellaRatta
has been honored with awards such as The 2000 MAC Award for
Recording Of The Year for his double album live CD release titled
"Live in Brazil & The Blue Note". Rick was also a
1998 and 1999 ASCAP Popular Award Winner as well as the 1997 Back
Stage Bistro Award Winner for outstanding singer/instrumentalist
and was a Mac award nominee for outstanding jazz artist. The award
winning Singer/Instrumentalist has also agreed to an exclusive
endorsement deal with Earthworks Microphones. After receiving a
Masters in music at the New England Conservatory, Rick toured with
Herb Reed and The Platters throughout the Caribbean, Bahamas,
Bermuda, Mexico and Jamaica. He also toured as pianist with the
Artie Shaw Orchestra throughout the U.S. and Canada, and as
opening act and MC for jazz legend Dizzy Gillespie. A native of
upstate New York, Rick now resides in New York City.Rick
DellaRatta's achievements as a world class musician as well as
his musical message through Jazz to create peace and sharpen the
minds of all mankind to it's highest potential were summed up
recently when he was referred to as "Mr. Jazz" by former
President George W. Bush and recently congratulated by current
president Barack Obama for “everything he has accomplished to
this point, and…challenging
humanity to realize that the forces that unite us are far
stronger than the forces that divide us.”
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