New York Mary (Remastered) New York Mary

• 1 New York Mary 04:48
• 2 South Philly Willy 06:17
• 3 Hip City Slicker 05:50
• 4 Feet First 05:36
• 5 Sunrise 06:08
• 6 Shooby 05:40
• Total Runtime 34:19

Info zu New York Mary (Remastered)

New York Mary was an instrumental jazz-rock trio that was active in the Northeast U.S. during the mid-1970s, releasing two albums on Arista’s Freedom imprint in 1976.

Saxophonist Bruce Johnstone and bassist Rick Petrone played in Maynard Ferguson’s backing band during the earlier part of the decade while drummer Joe Corsello appeared on Barry Miles‘ first album.

An early Arista signing, New York Mary released two albums during America’s Bicentennial year. For New York Mary (1976), the trio of Johnstone, Petrone, and Corsello are augmented by trumpeter Donald Hahn, guitarist Tim Breen, and keyboardist Allan Zavod.

Lighting Rhodes arpeggios in G beacon “Sunrise,” which crashes between the root and minor-third with wailing sax and machine-gun drums aplenty. As Corsello pummels throughout, the soloists take turns in the spotlight. Just as the skin-man seems to be the last one left on the battlefront, the saxist recapitulates the tune amidst a polkafied closing propulsion.

Wah-filtered Clavinet introduces the mono-chordal “Shooby,” where Johnstone swaps saxes at the fore as Corsello tom/snare pummels against a wet, scratchy fretboard lick. Similar guitar/keyboard effects are utilized on the treble “New York Mary,” on which the brass/woodwind team blow and tongue amidst a syncopated precision that hears Corsello lay a closed hi-hat on every first beat.

Johnstone explores the diatonic breadth of C in “Hip City Slicker,” where Petrone’s dizzying low-note walks are highlighted in the middle. The bass remains persistent even as the mic is overrun in a brass duel. All the while, Corsello bashes with the intensity of two drummers playing at once.

For the sophomoric A Piece of the Apple (1976), New York Mary are joined by trumpet/flugelhorn player Ron Friedman, guitarist Pete Levin, and keyboardists Robert Aries and Pete Levin.

Johnstone and Friedman billow upwards in unison amidst the diatonic descent that signals “Rush Hour,” where brisk charts give way to piercing analogue and creamy Rhodes amidst the track’s click-hi-hat/wah-wah precision.

Petrone puts his Phaser bass to low-octave work on “Zoo Mouth,” in which Corsello rolls toms from one speaker to the other whilst keeping a steady cymbal click. An effects-laden four-string also lines the clicking, stumbling pace of “Greasy Street,” which fuels an inebriated trade-off of sax and flugelhorn.

Rhythms are largely de-emphasized on “Aftermath,” a flute/Rhodes wind-down number mostly in Amaj7.

Shortly after the recording of the first album, Zavod scored a high-profile, four-year gig in Jean-Luc Ponty‘s backing band. After New York Mary split, Johnstone lent his services to clarinetist/bandleader Woody Herman.

Bruce Johnstone, baritone, alto, soprano saxophone
Rick Petrone, bass
Joe Corsello, drums, percussion
Tim Breen, guitar
Allan Zavod, keyboards
Donald Hahn, trumpet

Digitally remastered

Bruce Johnstone
Sept 1st 1943 Wellington New Zealand.Bruce Johnstone’s first exposure to American audiences was as a member of Maynard Ferguson’s band in 1972. He recorded three albums with the Ferguson Band which, along with live concert appearances placed him in the #3 spot in Down Beat Magazine’s Readers Poll behind Gerry Mulligan and Pepper Adams. He held this position for the next ten years.

Leaving Ferguson in 1976, he moved to N.Y., signed with Arista’s new Freedom label and with co-leaders Rick Petrone and Joe Corsello formed the new Jazz Fusion band New York Mary. Both albums produced by this band met with great critical success. While in N.Y. Bruce also recorded with Anthony Braxton (Creative Orchestra Music 1976) with blues singer Luther Allison. (The horn section being Michael and Randy Brecker, Lew DelGatto and Bruce Johnstone.) In 1977 Bruce joined The Woody Herman Band and toured and recorded with the band until April 1978.

Since 1978, he has lived and worked in Western N.Y.(primarily Buffalo N.Y. and Erie PA) and maintains a busy concert/clinic schedule including appearances with The Dave Stevens Big Band, The Buffalo Brass, The Erie Philharmonic Pops, The Bemus Bay Pops, his own small groups and with The Don Menza Octet. He is currently Director of Jazz Studies at SUNY Fredonia.

Prior to coming to the States with Ferguson, Bruce had had solid musical careers in Copenhagen Denmark where he played with Ben Webster and Dexter Gordon. London England where he was a studio musician. Sydney Australia where he was a studio musician and Assistant Musical Director at a prominent Sydney Nightclub called Chequers, and Wellington New Zealand, where he was a member of the NZBC Radio Big Band while still in High School.

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