Bassist CHRIS COLANGELO is one of the genuine masters on his instrument.  The first thing you notice about Chris's playing -- his tone, deeply resonant with astonishing articulation across the instrument's sonic register.  Once you adjust to such reverberant force, you recognize that this is a musician with serious chops ... that hard to define, never forgotten lyric quality that separates yeoman time-keepers from bassists with seductive narrative power.

Born in Camden, New Jersey, Chris attended Rowan University, majoring in jazz performance.  Then a resident of the Philadelphia area, Chris was part of the local jazz scene, with session work throughout the Delaware Valley, including gigs in Atlantic City.  After moving to Los Angeles in late '91, Chris began performing and traveling with heavyweights such as the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra, Yusef Lateef, Jimmy Cleveland, Alex Acuna, Roy McCurdy, Doc Severinsen, Ernie Watts, Kei Akagi, Les McCann, Richie Cole, Sal Marquez, Joe La Barbera and Peter Erskine among many others.

Chris's album, 2 trios + 1 -- “Live” (BluePort Jazz), earned plaudits at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas soon after its appearance in nationwide distribution.  Legendary pianist Jane Getz joined Chris for this “in concert” recording, along with percussionist Dave Hocker and saxophonist Chuck Manning. 

Jazz reviewer John Gilbert wrote about that session, “live at Monteleone's in Los Angeles, [where] Colangelo assembled an all star cast, ” that

“... the listener will understand why [Chris] is much in demand upon hearing him in action.  His assertive approach and rapid fire solos take bass playing to another level...power tempered with feeling is a most sought after attribute and Colangelo achieves this with a natural ability grounded in musical education.”

Recently, Chris co-led two recordings: the first album,“Blue Coast ” with the group 4 WEST; another, “ LIVE ”, featuring Benn Clatworthy on tenor sax and Otmaro Ruiz on piano, with Jim Paxson on drums, recorded at a Los Angeles club in May '03.  Chris is currently working on his second solo effort, soon to be completed.

To put a precise point on these brief but stunning facts, any jazz afficionado who's not yet discovered this calm jazz dynamo, Chris Colangelo, owes it to the promise of immense musical pleasure to tune into the magic Chris concocts each night he plays.  This is a bassist for the long haul ... a player's player, a musician's musician, but most of all a torrential lyric genius.

--JIM MEROD
   www.blueport.com

{ Jim Merod is currently at work with Benny Golson crafting that legendary jazz composer/saxophonist's autobiography.  In addition, Jim has recorded live jazz for more than twenty years across the United States.  Recently, on the west coast, he recorded multi-instrumentalist Bennie Maupin as well as pianist John Hicks' Trio.  He recently recorded Joe Lovano's sextet and the Chico O'Farrill Latin Jazz Orchestra at BIRDLAND in New York.  Educated at Princeton and Stanford, Jim has taught at universities on both coasts.  In 1995, he published a book, “Jazz As A Cultural Archive,” with Duke University Press. }