Bassist Tom Brigandi recorded just two albums as a leader. Both albums are exceptional. Yet so little is known about him. From my online research, I know he attended the Berklee College of Music in Boston and graduated in 1981. I also know that he played with Chuck Mangione in the 1990s and with J.R. Monterose and Nick Brignola. And this past May, Brigandi played in a band at an event for the Central New York Jazz Arts Foundation, which provides scholastic and public jazz programs for the Upstate New York region. It seems he lives up there someplace. What's strange is that he's completely off the online grid—no website, no Wikipedia entry, no nothing.
Brigandi's first album as a leader was Late Night New York, featuring Joe Carello (as,bar), Eric Alexander (ts), Dino Losito (p), Tom Brigandi (b) and Danny D'Imperio (d). Recorded at Redrock Recording Studios in Delaware Water Gap, Pa., in September 1999, the album features a range of interesting songs: Chuck Mangione's Brooks Brothers, Brigandi's Rack 'Em, J.R. Monterose's Bobbie Pin, Billy Strayhorn and Duke Ellington's Day Dream, Monterose's Beauteous and the standards This Time the Dream's on Me, Secret Love and Easy to Love.
The band was spring-loaded and tiger hungry. Brigandi's bass is foot-tapping solid while Alexander and Carello on reeds are dynamic. Equally exciting is Losito, a terrific bop pianist.
Brigandi's only other leadership album is After Hours. Recorded in New York in 2002, the album features Joe Magnarelli (tp), Eric Alexander (ts), Dino Losito (p), Tom Brigandi (b) and Danny D'Imperio (d). This one carved out more solo space for Brigandi. The songs are Joe Zawinul's One for Newk and Young and Fine, Bill Evans's Five (which Evans used as a theme to end club sets), Brigandi's Sharkey and the standards Candy, I Fall in Love Too Easily, Falling in Love With Love and Too Young to Go Steady.
Overall, Eric Alexander is a standout on both albums and his playing here was agile, confident and thrilling.
Hopefully Brigandi will emerge from the woods and record again. If these two albums are any indication of his talents, he never should have stopped. A gorgeous player and leader.
JazzWax tracks: Both Late Night New York and After Hours (both self-produced on the Bass on Top label) are out of print. At Amazon, I see several used copies of Late Night New York starting at 45 cents. After Hours is going for $31.
JazzWax clips: Here's Brooks Brothers...
Here's Candy...
And here's Brigandi with the Mike Dubaniewicz Quartet in February 2017 at the Liverpool (N.Y.) Public Library playing Charlie Parker's Chi-Chi. The group features Dubaniewicz on alto sax, Dave Solazzo on piano, Tom Brigandi on bass and Phil Leone on drums...
A special thanks to Doug Paterson and Peter Levin.
