Charlie Apicella Trio

Biography

Charlie Apicella is a jazz guitarist from upstate New York who has become a prominent figure in the New York and New Jersey hard-bop scene since the early 2000s. Growing up in Hudson, New York, Apicella was introduced to music by his father's older brothers, one of whom attended Woodstock, which became a significant influence on his musical direction. He did not begin seriously listening to or playing guitar until college, where he was immediately drawn to the jazz tradition after hearing Wes Montgomery and Charlie Parker. His formal musical education included studying composition and improvisation with saxophonist Yusef Lateef and saxophonist Archie Shepp at UMass, followed by guitar studies with Pat Martino in 2014. As a young guitarist, he met his idol B.B. King, who offered him advice and shared stories that left a lasting impression on his approach to music and performance.

Apicella's primary project, Iron City, is a hard-bop organ trio that has maintained the tradition of soulful, organ-based jazz since the early 2000s. The group has achieved significant success in the New York jazz scene, maintaining a six-year roster position at the Blue Note and serving as one of the house bands at Arthur's Tavern since its reopening in May 2022. Beyond his work with Iron City, Apicella has performed and recorded with numerous jazz legends including Dave Holland, Sonny Fortune, John Blake Jr., and Avery Sharpe, as well as contemporary masters such as Joe Magnarelli, Vic Juris, Dave Stryker, Don Braden, and Jon Herington of Steely Dan. In 2022, he formed The Griots Speak, a free improvisation group featuring bassist William Parker, saxophonist Daniel Carter, and percussionist Juma Sultan (known for his work with Jimi Hendrix).

Apicella has established himself as an educator and advocate for jazz music, directing Blues Alive, a program that brings blues masters into New York City schools. He teaches guitar for TrueFire and the New York Jazz Workshop and has written instructional content for DownBeat and Just Jazz Guitar magazine. His discography includes nine records released on Origin, Zoho, and his own label, CArlo Music. He was voted onto the DownBeat Readers Poll for Guitar in the 84th and 86th editions. His guitar playing has been compared to Grant Green, and his vision for Iron City has been to create the most grooving and muscular rhythm section in New York City.

Fun Facts

• Apicella's first concert ever was B.B. King, with front-row seats provided as a surprise by his father and uncle. He was so impressed by the experience that he attended B.B. King concerts three more times over the next five years, considering that band to be the best of King's entire career.
• One of Apicella's uncles attended Woodstock, which became a huge influence on his musical direction. Years later, he formed The Griots Speak with percussionist Juma Sultan, who actually performed at Woodstock with Jimi Hendrix, creating a full-circle moment connecting his early influences to his current work.
• Before moving to New York City to pursue jazz full-time, Apicella worked at a bank for 10 years. He credits this banking background with helping him maintain organized business practices that have been essential to keeping his music career alive and successful.
• Apicella earned degrees in African American Studies and Arts Administration in college, with a minor in art history where he studied Chinese calligraphy. He attributes these studies to helping him develop compositional balance and the ability to work quickly to gain momentum in projects.

Musical Connections

Mentors/Influences

• Yusef Lateef - Studied composition and improvisation with this saxophonist and musical titan (General composition and improvisation training) [College years (early 2000s)]
• Pat Martino - Guitar teacher who provided both musical instruction and career mentorship; encouraged pursuit of modern Chitlin Circuit style career path and made introductions to booking agents and TrueFire (Guitar instruction and career guidance) [2014 onwards]
• Archie Shepp - Trained Apicella as a historian; studied music history with this saxophonist (Music history training) [College years at UMass]
• Dr. Billy Taylor - Trained Apicella as a historian (Music history training) [College years]
• B.B. King - Idol and early influence; offered advice and shared stories when Apicella met him at University of Massachusetts performance (Personal mentorship and advice) [College years]

Key Collaborators

• Brad Whitley - Organist in Iron City trio (Iron City albums and performances) [Early 2000s onwards]
• Austin Walker - Drummer in Iron City trio (Iron City albums and performances, including Destiny Calling) [Early 2000s onwards]
• William Parker - Bassist and co-founder of The Griots Speak; long-term free improviser and bandleader (The Griots Speak (2022 onwards), Destiny Calling) [2022 onwards]
• Daniel Carter - Saxophonist, flutist, clarinetist, trumpeter, and pianist; co-founder of The Griots Speak; long-term free improviser and bandleader (The Griots Speak (2022 onwards), Destiny Calling) [2022 onwards]
• Juma Sultan - Percussionist and co-founder of The Griots Speak; known for work with Jimi Hendrix at Woodstock (The Griots Speak (2022 onwards), Destiny Calling, Hard Bop Meets Woodstock) [2022 onwards]
• Dave Holland - Jazz legend with whom Apicella has performed concerts and recorded (Various recordings and performances) [Career]
• Sonny Fortune - Jazz legend with whom Apicella has performed concerts and recorded (Various recordings and performances) [Career]
• John Blake Jr. - Jazz legend with whom Apicella has performed concerts and recorded (Various recordings and performances) [Career]
• Avery Sharpe - Jazz legend with whom Apicella has performed concerts and recorded (Various recordings and performances) [Career]
• Joe Magnarelli - Contemporary master with whom Apicella has performed concerts and recorded (Various recordings and performances) [Career]
• Vic Juris - Contemporary master with whom Apicella has performed concerts and recorded (Various recordings and performances) [Career]
• Dave Stryker - Contemporary master with whom Apicella has performed concerts and recorded (Various recordings and performances) [Career]
• Don Braden - Contemporary master with whom Apicella has performed concerts and recorded (Various recordings and performances) [Career]
• Jon Herington - Contemporary master and Steely Dan guitarist with whom Apicella has performed concerts and recorded (Various recordings and performances) [Career]

Artists Influenced

• Students at TrueFire - Teaches guitar for TrueFire online platform (Online guitar instruction) [Recent years]
• Students at New York Jazz Workshop - Teaches guitar at New York Jazz Workshop (Jazz guitar instruction) [Recent years]
• New York City school students - Brings blues masters into NYC schools through Blues Alive program (Blues Alive educational program) [Recent years]

External Links

• Spotify