Full House featuring Jim Rotondi and David Hazeltine Featuring Jim Rotondi (trumpet, synthesizer), David Hazeltine (fender rhodes, hammond b3), Greg Skaff (guitar), Barak Mori (bass), Joe Strasser (drums). 11 Tracks. Recorded live at Smoke, New York City, on May 30, June 13 and June 20, 2002. Full House is an exciting new musical collaboration between trumpeter Jim Rotondi and pianist David Hazeltine which draws on a wide variety of influences, ranging from their straight-ahead jazz roots through the electronic innovations of the 1970's and '80's. Both artists realized from the outset that as with any new musical venture, musical integrity is of primary importance, and they simply choose to explore the possibilities and challenges that newer styles and compositional approaches present. This is why in any given performance it isn't uncommon to hear new arrangements from the songbooks of Stevie Wonder or Earth, Wind & Fire, but given a treatment conductive to improvisation. Of course there is also a strong focus on original composition in addition to the works of great jazz composers such as Cedar Walton, Joe Henderson and Wayne Shorter. Enjoy the first release from the group on the Nagel Heyer label. Still, the band can be heard every Thursday night at New York's great new jazz venue, Smoke, which is located at 2751 Broadway, 106th Street. "A player and writer with great respect for the melody, Hazeltine can be surprisingly inventive with the harmonic and rhythmic possibilities in a tune. Unobtrusive yet frequently exciting, Hazeltine always sounds as if he is digging what he's playing, and his approach makes well-known tunes sound fresh." (Jazz Times) "Even in the crowded, competitive New York scene, it is obvious to me that the hip-without-fanfare Hazeltine is a standout" (Ira Gitler). "David Hazeltine is for sure the brightest star on the jazz piano horizon. His style has a deep-seated commitment to jazz history while communicating a wealth of 'today' ideas." (Cedar Walton)