Urbanessence Tito Carrillo

• 1 Momentum 06:34
• 2 Fire & Ice 09:21
• 3 Bliss Point 06:37
• 4 Urbanessence 11:42
• 5 Crazy, Stupid Fine (Bass Intro) 00:58
• 6 Crazy, Stupid Fine 08:53
• 7 Poor to Rico 07:45
• 8 Up the Down Staircase 06:54
• 9 Justice & Mercy 07:44
• 10 Fly by Night 07:12
• 11 Sublime (for Roy Hargrove) 03:38
• Total Runtime 01:17:18

Info for Urbanessence

Urbanessence, the second solo album by veteran trumpeter and composer Tito Carrillo, is an homage to the funky beauty and unique energy of city life—where profound human connections are established daily with those who look and speak differently from one another, and where the art, language and delicacies from every tribe are celebrated. Cities are home to the creators, the visionaries, and the innovators, who marshal armies of people motivated by the hope they provide and the vision they impart. For the artists themselves, the city is their playground. With saxophonist Troy Roberts, pianist Ben Lewis, bassist Clark Sommers, drummer Jay Sawyer, and percussionist Victor Gonzalez, Carrillo channels and celebrates the black music traditions from the three Americas through this set of 10 original compositions.

"...a skilled improviser, building complex and multi-faceted musical lines with seeming effortlessness." (Chicago Jazz Magazine)

"The album Urbanessence – the sophomore recording by trumpeter Tito Carrillo – is his musical palimpsest. Rich in colour, texture and with the radiant timbre of his brass instrument [sometimes softened by a mute, yet still aglow], inflaming the angular riches of the woodwinds of Troy Roberts, Mr Carrillo's horn burns with the zeal for the Black ..." (Latin Jazz Net, Raul Da Gama)

"Trumpeter Tito Carillo's second bite of the apple on Origin was more than a decade in the making, following up his outstanding first release, Opening Statement (Origin, 2011). With Urbanessence (Origin, 2022), the Chicago-based artist is truly up to the task, producing a work which is an homage to everyday life in the city. The narrative makes the ..." (All About Jazz, Paul Rauch)

Tito Carrillo, trumpet
Troy Roberts, saxophones
Ben Lewis, piano
Clark Sommers, bass
Jay Sawyer, drums
Victor Gonzalez, congas

Recorded September 19 & 20, 2021 by Vijay Tellis-Nayak at Transient Sound, Chicago, IL
Mixed & mastered by Rich Breen at Dogmatic Sound, Burbank, CA
Produced by Tito Carrillo

Tito Carrillo
is one of the finest trumpeters to emerge from Chicago's rich jazz trumpet legacy. He is an accomplished trumpeter, educator, bandleader, and composer, and since 1996 he has been a fixture in the Chicago jazz and latin music scenes.

A native of Austin, Texas, the list of artists he has performed, recorded, and toured with is as varied and impressive as his skill set. He has worked with Chicago heavyweights Willie Pickens, John Moulder, Patricia Barber, Ryan Cohan, and Dana Hall; big bands such as the Woody Herman Orchestra (Frank Tiberi, director), the Chicago Jazz Ensemble (Bill Russo and Jon Faddis, directors), the Chicago Jazz Orchestra (Jeff Lindberg, director), and the Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra (David Baker, director); jazz greats such as drummer Louis Hayes, trumpeter Jon Faddis, and saxophonist Vincent Herring; Salsa legends such as Andy Montañez, Tony Vega, and Cheo Feliciano; Latin jazz giants Tito Puente and Paquito D'Rivera; and pop icons Quincy Jones and Phil Collins. Recent performances include engagements with Grammy-nominated Cuban flute virtuoso Orlando "Maraca" Valle, Brazilian trumpet great Claudio Roditi, vocalist/Blue Note recording artist Jackie Allen, and the Chicago Afro-Latin Jazz Ensemble.

Carrillo has played some of the most prestigious venues in the world, including Chicago's Symphony Center, Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, and London's Royal Festival Hall. His work has been heard at international jazz festivals in Chicago, Telluride, Montreaux (Switzerland), the Netherlands, and Finland. He has appeared on over 20 CD recordings in his 14-year career, as well as the concert DVD Quincy Jones: Live at Montreux 1996.

Tito Carrillo is also active in jazz education, and was appointed as full-time jazz trumpet professor at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2006. Prior to his appointment at Illinois, he served on the faculty at the Chicago College of Performing Arts at Roosevelt University, as well as at Northwestern University. He also has helped to spread jazz awareness to Chicago's inner city schools through the Ravinia Jazz-in-the-Schools outreach program. He presently continues an active career as a guest artist/clinician at secondary and collegiate jazz programs across the nation.

This album contains no booklet.