The article by the professor of music had an article published in The International Trumpet Guild Journal.
Professor of Music Thomas Erdmann had a 6,000-word article published in the October 2018 issue of The International Trumpet Guild Journal.
The article, “Going to the Source: Claudio Roditi,” is about the Brazilian-born jazz trumpet, flugelhornist, vocalist, and composer. A worldwide jazz icon, Roditi earned a Grammy nomination for his performance on Ettore Stratta’s “Symphonic Bossa Nova” recording and another Grammy nomination in the Best Latin Jazz Album category for his “Brazilliance X 4″ album.
Roditi’s amazing versatility and ability to play excellently in a wide variety of situations, such as Latin styles, bebop, straight-ahead, and post-bop, is possibly the reason he hasn’t earned household name recognition outside of jazz circles, where he is considered a virtuoso. Reviewers’ comments cement this.
JazzTimes reviewer Ken Franckling calls Roditi, “A solid trumpeter, able to meld into any situation without artifice or flash.” JazzTimes’ Michael J. West notes Roditi is, “An underrated trumpeter.” It is, however, famed critic Scott Yanow who sums this sentiment up best, “A superior if sometimes overlooked trumpeter (the Kenny Dorham of the 1990s), Claudio Roditi is a frequently exciting hard-bop oriented player.”
Born on May 28, 1946, in Rio de Janeiro, Roditi was a finalist at the prestigious International Jazz Competition in Vienna, Austria, just 20 years later. There he met Art Farmer, who inspired him to take up a life in jazz.
Moving to Boston in 1970 for studies at the Berklee College of Music, his excellence was noted by quickly being offered a faculty position at the Boston School of Contemporary Music. Moving to New York in 1976 brought the artist to the notice of well-known musicians, and he was quickly playing with Joe Henderson, Tito Puente, Charlie Rouse, Mongo Santamaria, Horace Silver, and McCoy Tyner, among others.
A few of his more prominent gigs included a long association with Herbie Mann, as well as a five-year member of Dizzy Gillespie’s United Nation Orchestra, followed by membership in the Dizzy Gillespie All-Star Big Band, a Gillespie tribute band. His long-term work with musical soulmate woodwind artist Paquito D’Rivera is legendary.
A truly international performer, Roditi recorded in Brazil and Mexico long before he did in the United States. Among the large number of international artists he’s worked with include Brazilian composer Guadencio Thiago de Mello and German pianist Klaus Ignatzek, as well as Belgian bassist Jean-Louis Rassinfosse.