Sax-man Joseph Vincelli's new release ...it's all about This Life!
~www.jazzinorlando.com, February 2002

When asked about the music style of his upcoming CD release Dallas-based jazz saxophonist Joseph Vincelli answered quickly and definitively, "competitive smooth". If that’s an unfamiliar phrase, its meaning will become clear after listening to the CD titled This Life.

So, what is competitive smooth? And what does it sound like?

Vincelli talked with jazzinorlando.com about that ... and made some pre-release copies available ... when he played the Pleasure Island Jazz Company recently. Here’s what a sneak-peek listen revealed.

First, it’s a fat CD packed with twelve cuts that vary in rhythm and emotion. And it’s passionate, feel-good music incorporating smooth, tropical, African, and Brazilian samba beats.

Some tunes will send you bopping across the dance floor, or make you boogie in your desk chair at work, and some will simply make you smile. Others are sultry and perfect for listening to by the glow of candlelight, firelight, or moonlight. There’s a beautifully done vocal cut, and a brief percussion set-up for the rhythmic song that follows.

One song would sound just fine in a movie score or soundtrack. Another conjures up mental images of music for a television or cable show so convincingly that you’ll find yourself listening for its debut.

Vincelli wrote nine of the 12 songs and co-wrote two. One cut, Al Green’s "Let’s Stay Together", is a cover. Every song is strong on it’s own, together this is quite a package.

Whether it’s on the radio or the Internet , listen for This Life to get big air ... it’ll be on any station worth listening to.

But Vincelli, who’s outstanding ability earned him a scholarship to the Berklee College of Music, doesn’t limit himself to writing and performing music.

He also wrote and published a series of three books delving into the psychology of music. The books, more about music appreciation than music education, are presented in levels. "I was intrigued by Bach and the spirituality of music," he says about the inspiration to write the books.

Vincelli calls the first, Intimacy with Music – Level I, food for the mind, a combination of music and spiritually. This is a book for anyone who enjoys music. The second, My Friend Music – Level II, aquaints readers with the affects of music in all aspects of our life. Its audience is those who already know a little something about music. The third book, My Friend Music – Text Book Version, is a little more education-oriented and encompasses philosophies from some of the world’s greatest thinkers.

All three books, plus several of Vincelli’s ten CDs, are available from his web site at www.josephvincelli.com. His latest release, This Life, will be added soon.  [Webmaster's note: It's available NOW in the Merchandise section of this site.]