Opening Statement by Tito Carrillo

Opening Statement is the debut solo CD of dynamic trumpet artist Tito Carrillo, a 15-year veteran of Chicago’s vibrant jazz and latin music scene at the time of this recording. Though having appeared on dozens of recordings as a sideman, this marks his first project as a leader and composer. He contributes eight indelible originals to the album’s ten tracks, which cover a wide pallette of moods and grooves both within the jazz and latin jazz idioms and beyond.

MUSICIANS:

Tito Carrillo - trumpet, flugelhorn
Benjamin Lewis - piano (except tracks 2 & 6)
Lorin Cohen - bass
Dana Hall - drums and cymbals

GUESTS:

Geof Bradfield - tenor and soprano saxophones (tracks 1 & 4)
Phillip Doyle - tenor saxophone (tracks 8 & 9)
Darwin Noguera - piano (tracks 2 & 6)

Tito Carrillo’s infectious trumpet style combines a rare tonal purity and expressive melodicism with fiery, Latin-tinged articulations and a bold, post-bop-infused harmonic concept. Yet many could make the mistake of pegging him simply as a Latin jazz trumpet phenom exclusively. Carrillo explains: “It’s a stigma I’ve had to shake a little bit in my time here in Chicago. Don’t get me wrong, I grew up listening to my father’s salsa records, especially salseros from his native Puerto Rico like Andy Montañez and Hector Lavoe. I enjoyed that music growing up, but when I picked up the horn at age 11 and began to seriously study music, my first two loves were classical music and Clifford Brown! Only later did I dedicate myself to studying the roots of the clave-based rhythms, and especially the music of Cuba.”

As a professional, Tito’s versatility in a wide range of styles has led to an impressive résumé of collaborators: jazz artists Willie Pickens, Ryan Cohan, John Moulder, Louis Hayes, and Rudresh Mahanthappa; big bands such as the Woody Herman Orchestra, the Chicago Jazz Ensemble, the Chicago Afro-Latin Jazz Ensemble (CALJE), and the Smithsonian Masterworks Orchestra; latin jazz greats Paquito D’Rivera, Claudio Roditi, and Cuban flute virtuoso Orlando “Maraca” Valle; and even pop icons Phil Collins and Quincy Jones.

Carrillo emphasizes that all of these experiences have helped mold the musical vision that is on display in this latest musical offering. “Opening Statement has essentially been 15 years in the making. I’ve played so many different styles of music in a variety of configurations, including traditional jazz, bebop, post-bop, free jazz, Afro-Cuban, Brazilian, funk, soul, hip-hop, gospel, and I love it all. But I keep coming back to the acoustic jazz format as my true sound. In this context, I feel free to meld together all of my influences and experiences, and what comes out – is me.”

Tito Carrillo is a trumpeter, composer, and educator, whose music blurs the lines between Afro-Caribbean music traditions and modern jazz. Carrillo came to prominence in the mid 90’s in Chicago’s rich jazz and Latin music scenes, becoming a top call soloist, sideman, and bandleader. His critically-acclaimed solo debut album Opening Statement was released on the Origin Records label in 2011.