Tantalizing Trumpet

Listen to dynamic trumpeter Richie Vitale and you’ll hear a seasoned artist who has emulated many modern mainstream jazz greats while building an appealing personal style.

For starters, and perhaps most importantly, New York City resident Vitale has a robust, even sizzling, tone that recalls such masters as Freddie Hubbard and Woody Shaw, and that immediately tantalizes your ear. His sound wasn’t always so bold, but lessons with Shaw, who died in 1989, set him straight.

“Woody would tell me that he’d try to hit the back wall in a club with his sound,” said Vitale, 45, who plays tonight and Saturday at Jax in Glendale with guitarist Sid Jacobs, pianist Cecilia Coleman, bassist Bob Maize and drummer Ron Marabuto.

“He helped me to project my tone, not by force but by fullness,” he added. “My sound’s gotten better over the years, and now it’s round and full.”

Another strong facet of Vitale’s art is his warm feeling for melody, his way of choosing rhythmically charged notes that seem to land just right, yet have an unexpected quality. Vitale said the influence of Art Farmer, who died Oct. 4, and Thad Jones pops up in this respect.

“Art and Thad, they picked notes that not many trumpet players would pick,” said Vitale, whose latest album is the first-rate “Live at Smalls.” “They weren’t cliche players; they’d always surprise you. That’s what I’m striving for, too.”

When Vitale moved to New York about 20 years ago, he had the good fortune to spend time with some of jazz’s better-known players, from Shaw to saxophonists Junior Cook and Pepper Adams, with whom he often played.

“From Junior and Pepper, I learned that music has no age and that, hopefully, as we grow older, we mature and play better,” he said. “Those guys improved all the time. It’s important not to lose sight of that.”

Vitale revels in playing jazz, but it’s not always easy, he said.

“Sometimes it feels like you’re trying to swim upstream with a boat in your teeth; sometimes it’s like catching a long wave to shore, effortless and fun,” he said. “That’s a feeling of joy.”

In Brief: Cecilia Coleman brings her invigorating quintet, featuring tenor saxophonist Jerry Pinter and trumpeter Steve Huffsteter, to Jax on Monday and Tuesday. Former Coleman saxophonist Andy Suzuki leads his perky Little Fusion Band on Wednesday at 9:30 and 11:30 p.m. at the Baked Potato, 3787 Cahuenga Blvd., North Hollywood. On Saturday at the Baked Potato, former Police guitarist Andy Summers celebrates the music of Thelonious Monk. Same times.

BE THERE

Richie Vitale plays tonight and Saturday, 9 p.m.-1:30 a.m., at Jax, 339 N. Brand Blvd., Glendale. No cover; no minimum. Call (818) 500-1604.

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Zan Stewart writes about jazz for the Valley Edition. He can be reached at Zansky@AOL.com.