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| Bill Moio Try This  After spending decades on the casino circuit of Las Vegas, Reno and Lake Tahoe, veteran guitarist Bill Moio has crafted a gem in Try This, his first album since 1999's Let's Go. Co-produced by acclaimed keyboardist-arranger George Whitty (who has toured and/or recorded with the likes of Herbie Hancock, The Brecker Brothers, Grover Washington, Jr., Bill Evans, Richard Bona, Chaka Khan, Dave Matthews, Santana, Oz Noy and Céline Dion), Moio's second album as a leader is not only a showcase of his impeccable six-string work, it also reveals his accomplished songwriting prowess in ten pleasing originals.From the funky Tower of Power-inspired title track to the soulful, blues-tinged "Struttin', " the gorgeous ballad "Friends Again" and smooth jazz cruising numbers, "Chuckles" and "Straight Talk, " Moio and his cohort Whitty concocted a virtual two-man show on Try This through their accomplished keyboard sampling/sequencing technology and adept drum programming. The result is quite organic-sounding and authentic, while the guitarist unleashes his remarkably fluent chops in scintillating fashion. Along the way, the native of South Portland, Maine and resident of Paradise Valley, Arizona also sneaks in a few tips of the hat to guitar heroes Pat Martino ("720 Berkeley" and "I've Heard It All Before") and Wes Montgomery (particularly his thumbed octaves work on "Straight Talk, " "Let It Begin" and "Chuckles"). Alto saxophonist Eric Marienthal (Chick Corea Elektric Band), bassist Jimmy Haslip (Yellowjackets) and drummer Tom Brechtlein (Chick Corea, Wayne Shorter, Al Di Meola, Jean-Luc Ponty, Robben Ford) appear as special guests on the title track. Brechtlein also appears on "Struttin'" and "Need to Know" while Marienthal brings some heat in his inspired alto sax solo on "Struttin'." Trumpeter Wayne Bergeron and trombonist Andy Martin beef up the proceedings on "Struttin'" and the Latin flavored closer, "Arroz con Pollo." And the full-sounding complement of digital horns and strings on "I've Heard It All Before" and "Friends Again" sound as convincing as the real deal. "George and I would meet via Zoom once a week on Tuesdays at 1 pm, " Moio explained. "We'd work on tunes for an hour or so, then we'd get together the next week to work on more. And that's how we did it. Everything was done over the internet through file sharing." Moio added, "Last year I finally got to meet George in person when he came to the Musical Instrument Museum in Phoenix to play with Lee Ritenour, which was a real treat." Moio's previous album, 1999's Let's Go, was strictly a one-man production, limited by the technology of the day. "At the time, all I had was an Atari 1040ST computer with 1MB of RAM, so everything was on floppy disks. I had one Roland keyboard that was multi- timbral and I also had a drum machine that wasn't even capable of making loops, so I had to program every little hi hat beat and kick drum hit myself. I used quarter-inch tape that I recorded my guitar on and then hooked it up. And that's how that CD was done. This new one is a whole different world of technology, and it's just amazing." With the January 2025 release of Try This on ITI Records, guitar aficionados and smooth jazz fans alike will be introduced to this talent deserving of wider recognition, who has been flying under the radar for decades. "That would be great, " acknowledged Moio, "because I've always just been the local working guy. I never toured. I was fortunate that I worked six, sometimes seven nights a week in the Reno, Tahoe and the Las Vegas area, playing the casinos and shows for decades. I also gigged at a local jazz club in Phoenix that a friend of mine ran, and for six years I was playing 'O Solo Mio' and 'Al Di La' with a mandolin player at an Italian restaurant. But I always kept working on my playing during the day and was always writing tune ideas. And now it's just so great for me to be expanding beyond that with this album. It's been such an educational process for me. It's just been a great ride." Moio initially hooked up with his co-producer Whitty during the pandemic when he began taking online piano lessons with him through ArtistWorks.com. As he recalled, "I figured it would help me get better piano chops for writing my tunes. Eventually, we started doing the Logic program together and began working on my tunes, and before you know it George said, 'Hey, man, this stuff sounds pretty good. You ought to do more.' So I ended up writing these ten tunes you hear on Try This. George then connected me with Jimmy Haslip, who connected me with ITI Records. And that's how the album came about." Whether he's flying through Benson-esque single note lines with nonchalant abandon, as on the emphatic opener, "Try This, " the soulful "720 Berkeley, " the urgent "Struttin'" or the smokin' cha-cha-chá, "Arroz con Pollo, " or summoning up smooth Wes-like octaves on more relaxed fare like "Let It Begin, " "I've Heard It All Before, " "Chuckles" and "Need to Know, " Moio demonstrates a rare command of his instrument in the context of his own pleasing songs. It's a perfect blending of talent and instinct. "That's just how I hear music, " said the 68-year-old guitarist-composer-producer. "They're nice melodies rather than some heavy, complicated jazz compositions. It's a song, it's got changes, I blow on it. That's basically my method." Growing up in South Portland, Maine, Moio picked up guitar at age eight and later studied with a local guitar teacher before making his professional debut at age 15. After finishing high school, he was accepted to the prestigious Berklee College of Music in Boston, where he studied under the late William G. Leavitt. Seminal jazz guitar albums for him through his developmental years included Pat Martino's 1972 album, Consciousness, and George Benson's 1971 album, Beyond the Blue Horizon. As he recalled, "I remember listening to Pat's record for the first time. 'On the Stairs' was playing, and when that guitar break came in, I was like, 'What was that?' It was killer. Another revelation for me was hearing Benson's version of 'So What' on Beyond the Blue Horizon. My teacher played that for me when I was about 14, and I remember thinking, 'What's that? How do you do that?' That was it for me. I never went through Hendrix or Clapton or any of the rock guys, I just went straight into Benson and Martino and Wes and never looked back. Those guys will always be the masters, for me and for my generation." Leaving Boston, he returned to Maine and began teaching at The University of Maine at Augusta. It was at this time that he founded his first band, The Bill Moio Quartet, which performed an eclectic blend of jazz, Latin and funk. Moio left Maine in 1978 and headed west to Nevada for a two-week engagement at the MGM Reno. Two weeks turned into nine months, and he later found himself immersed in the show circuit throughout Nevada, serving as the house guitarist for Harrah's Reno and Harrah's Lake Tahoe for seven years, then holding down the position of orchestra leader at Harrah's Tahoe for two years before finishing a three-year run in the showroom of The Rio Suites Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas. Moio has also performed with the legendary soul band Tower Of Power and has appeared with such jazz artists as trombonist Bill Watrous, guitarists Joe Diorio and Jack Wilkins and organ great Joey DeFrancesco to name a few. Now with Try This, Moio is showcasing his remarkable fretboard prowess and songwriting talents to a much wider audience. “I still practice every day and work on new stuff, ” he confided. “I really work on my time, so when I double it, it’s there. Because when you’re dealing with MIDI you have to be locked in. So I’ve been working on my Bach Sonatas and Partitas, and I always have my metronome close by. It’s something you just constantly work on. All with the great players that I’ve admired, their time is so strong. George Benson’s time and his feel is ridiculous. Everything about that guy is amazing. Music just flows out of him.” Moio follows that example, with a few twists of his own along the way, on Try This. TRACKS, TIMES, PLAYERS: Bill Moio: Guitars George Whitty: Keyboards Jimmy Haslip: Bass Tommy Brechtlein: Drums Eric Marienthal: Sax 2. 720 Berkeley 5:48 Bill Moio: Guitars/Keyboards/Drum Programming George Whitty: Keyboards 3. I’ve Heard It All Before 4:55 Bill Moio: Guitar/Keyboards/Drum Programming George Whitty: Keyboards/Piano Solo 4. Need To Know 5:46 Bill Moio: Guitar/Keyboards George Whitty: Keyboards/ Rhodes and Synth Solos Tommy Brechtlein: Drums 5. Friends Again 5:52 Bill Moio: Guitar/Keyboards/Drum Programming George Whitty: Rhodes Solo/Keyboards/Drum Programming 6. Chuckles 4:48 Bill Moio: Guitars/Keyboards/Drum Programming George Whitty: Keyboards/Drum Programming 7. Straight Talk 5:11 Bill Moio: Guitar/Keyboards/Drum Programming George Whitty: Piano Solo/Drum Programming Mel Brown: Bass 8. Let It Begin 6:24 Bill Moio: Guitar/Keyboards/Drum Programming George Whitty: Keyboards/Drum Programming 9. Struttin’ 5:35 Bill Moio: Guitars/Rhodes Solo George Whitty: Keyboards Eric Marienthal: Sax Tommy Brechtlein: Drums Wayne Bergeron: Trumpet Andy Martin: Trombone 10. Arroz Con Pollo 5:59 Bill Moio: Guitar George Whitty: Rhodes Solo/Keyboards/Drum Programming Wayne Bergeron: Trumpet Andy Martin: Trombone TOTAL RUNNING TIME: 56:43 CREDITS: All songs written by Bill Moio, ASCAP Publishing Three Meatballs Music, ASCAP Produced by Bill Moio and George Whitty Mixed by George Whitty Mastered by George Whitty Artist: Bill Moio Album Name: Try This Label: ITI Records Street Date: January 17, 2025 Add Date: January 20, 2025 Artist Website: billmoio.com write your comments about the article :: © 2025 Jazz News :: home page |