Mill City Trio: Press

The Mill City Trio are no strangers to the pages of Metronome Magazine. The group's 2006 debut recording, Solstice, captured my attention with its colorful arrangements and stellar playing, eventually leading to a Metronome cover story.
Guitarist Jamie Dunphy, guitar/bassist Greg Passler and drummer Anthony D'Anna are the heart and soul behind the trio as they push the boundaries of improv jazz while remaining true to its origins. Whether they offer up clever contemporary hippness like "Spin Cycle," cookin' grooves on "The Watched Pot Boils," Latin beats on "Dark Tango," the moody stringwork of "Black Light," or a funky "Model T," The Mill City Trio remains a hip and vital act on Boston's vibrant jazz scene. Good stuff!

On Saturday, the jazz ensemble Mill City Trio filled The Lily Pad in Inman Square for their first CD release party. Latecomers found standing room only. The band performed numbers from their debut CD, Solstice. The music was clearly well-rehearsed, with tight interplay between guitar and bass. The trio's style had an easy feel: floating, yet not without direction, and with hints of Latin flavor. Their soft sound was slightly reminiscent of Stan Getz. This was cultivated mostly by D'Anna's varied brush work and soft stick technique.
The trio played a set of ten songs, mostly from Solstice. The audience's favorite, however, was a new tango not on the CD. The final piece was another popular one, an arrangement of a guitar piece by Gaspar Sanz, a late 17th-century composer. Dunphy played the guitar line against a walking bass, while incorporating a few blues notes and modernizing the traditional Baroque melody into something fun and inventive. The audience loved it, and The Mill City Trio closed the house to enthusiastic applause.

Guitarist Jamie Dunphy, guitarist-bassist Greg Passler and drummer Anthony D'Anna perform some excellent easy-listening jazz originals on their debut album, Solstice. The guitar work is smooth, creamy and fluid while the rhythm section ebbs and flows beautifully on these well-written compositions.
Dunphy's solo work isn't culled from the flashy or extravagant. He is a tastefully calculated player that controls his touch masterfully, and in doing so, creates magnificent shades of moods and colors. Passler and D'Anna's playing is also understated but extremely effective. With the release of Solstice, the Mill City Trio prove themselves to be one of the finest jazz groups on the Boston circuit today. Outstanding!

UMASS Lowell has turned out some excellent musicians over the years and the Mill City Trio is no exception. Formed in 2005, this jazz trio has released two critically acclaimed CDs: 2006's Solstice and last year's Down Deep. The strength of the music lies in the interplay between the two guitars handled expertly by Jamie Dunphy and Greg Passler. The effect is a hypnotic, dreamy sound canvas that threatens to explode at any given moment but which remains inward and controlled. Completing the trio is percussionist Anthony D'Anna whose inventive playing compliments the two guitars perfectly.

Tomorrow night the MCT take the stage at the Acton Jazz Cafe. Listed among Downbeat Magazine's "100 Great Inernational Jazz Clubs" the cafe remains a hidden jewel, it's cozy, low-key atmosphere creating the perfect backdrop for an intimate night of music. (And they've got a great wine and beer list!) Show starts at 7:00PM.