PRESS RELEASES
Anthony Stanco | “In The Groove”
Trumpet Virtuoso Anthony Stanco Pays Tribute to the Hard Bop Tradition in a Contemporary Spirit on his Spirited New Album, Recorded Live at Michigan’s The Alluvion
In the Groove, out October 17 via OA2 Records, Features an All-Star Quintet with Randy Napoleon, Xavier Davis, John Webber and Joe Farnsworth
The title of Stanco’s Time, the 2024 release by trumpet virtuoso Anthony Stanco, delivered two meanings. The strongly bebop-flavored album found Stanco slipping back into time and style that he wanted to explore and celebrate, but it was also a confident assertion that in time the Detroit-bred trumpeter had arrived at his full potential, seizing the moment to showcase his audacious technique and torch-bearing love for the jazz tradition.
Stanco’s dazzling follow-up, In the Groove, contains a similar play on words. Due out October 17, 2025, on OA2 Records, the album is loaded with deep-pocket grooves, as Stanco travels forward in the music’s trajectory to exult in the buoyant spirit of hard bop. At the same time Stanco himself is in full stride on this outing, further developing the eloquent agility that made its predecessor such a standout, bolstered by the livewire energy that only a concert environment can provide.
In the Groove was captured live at The Alluvion, a gorgeous and intimate jazz club in downtown Traverse City, Michigan that has in a short time gathered around itself a dedicated and passionate community of listeners. Stanco was joined for the occasion by an outstanding all-star band ideally chosen to bring the trumpeter’s vision of 21st-century hard bop to vibrant life: guitarist Randy Napoleon, pianist Xavier Davis, bassist John Webber and drummer Joe Farnsworth.
The club’s name lends the album title a third meaning, as “alluvion” refers to the action of a body of water as it carves a groove out of its surrounding and forms fertile new land in its wake. Stanco carried that theme through the whole album, giving his original compositions titles inspired by water and by the club’s home city.
“I grew up on the east side of Detroit – fifth generation Detroit Italian,” Stanco states proudly. “My entire family and roots are from there, and I grew up under the tutelage of Marcus Belgrave and Rodney Whitaker. But Traverse City has become a second home to me. I’ve managed to create a lot of great musical and personal relationships there.”
That home is headquartered at The Alluvion, where Stanco has a monthly residency. The club’s owner, Jeff Haas, also founded a non-profit organization called Building Bridges with Music that Stanco is deeply involved with, bringing music education into underserved Detroit-area schools. A pianist and composer, Haas also contributed the lively “Tales” to the album’s repertoire.
In the Groove was inspired, in style and in spirit, largely by the classic live (and “live”) albums released in the late 1950s and ‘60s. “I love those classic hard bop albums that feature a signature boogaloo groove,” Stanco says, “and I just don’t think you can create a boogaloo as convincingly in the studio is you can live.”
It doesn’t take long to be convinced on In the Groove as the quintet bolts out of the gate with album opener “T. Sea,” propelled by Farnsworth’s irrepressible rhythm. The tune’s title is a play on Traverse City’s initials while incorporating the album’s water theme. “It’s my little dad joke,” admits Stanco sheepishly.
All jokes (and accompanying groans) aside, fatherhood has clearly been another source of profound inspiration for Stanco. On Stanco’s Time he paid loving tribute to his now 2-year-old daughter Josephine with “Josie Rosie,” on which the band sang the titular rhyme en masse. He does the same for his 9-month-old boy Sonny on the new album, this time enlisting the full Alluvion audience to sing along on “Sonny Boy.” The similarity between the two songs was not accidental, Stanco explains: “I couldn’t have them fighting about which one was better for the rest of their lives.”
As with all the best live albums, the audience remains a distinctive presence throughout In the Groove. On the title track, the crowd erupts into a call and response with Stanco’s growling muted trumpet, lending an undeniable, exhilarating energy to the boogaloo that follows. Farnsworth trusts this group of music lovers enough to drop out under Stanco’s breathy solo on Napoleon’s “Hey Cute One,” leaving the fans to clap the beat along.
The guitarist has become one of Stanco’s closest collaborators in recent years. Both he and Davis also played on Stanco’s Time and are colleagues of the trumpeter’s on the faculty of Michigan State University. Farnsworth was also part of the band for the previous album and eagerly offered to reprise his services when the idea of a live follow-up was initially floated. Webber has long shared an invigorating rhythm section hook-up with the drummer, making him a natural choice to complete the line-up.
Stanco likens the connection that he’s forged with Napoleon to the one shared by pianist Duke Pearson and trumpeter Donald Byrd, another Detroit influence. That led him to Pearson’s “Say You’re Mine,” originally recorded on Byrd’s 1962 Blue Note album The Cat Walk.
The remainder of the album consists wholly of Stanco originals. The swaggering “Riptide” was christened in honor of Farnsworth, who frequently employs “rip” as his verb of choice, exemplifying its meaning with his ferocious groove on the tune. Providing a bit of a respite and opened with Davis’ gorgeous, harp-like solo, “Pyramid Point” is named for a popular spot in the city for hiking and reflects the contemplative awe generated by its breathtaking views of Lake Michigan. The brisk “Just a Moment,” a contrafact of John Coltrane’s “Moment’s Notice,” ends the evening on a blazing high note.
“The hard bop era was all about getting back to the blues and roots of this music,” Stanco concludes. “That’s exceedingly important to me and my musical endeavors, as well as to the Detroit tradition. So, we’re paying our homage and playing the tradition of the blues – but doing our own thing with it.”
2025 TOUR DATES
September 28, 2025
Blue Llama Jazz Club: Ann Arbor, MI
Time: 6:00pm – 8:30pm
October 16, 2025
UrbanBeat: Lansing, MI
Time: 6:00pm – 9:00pm
November 1 & 2
Traverse City Philharmonic: Masterworks Series
TC Philharmonic Center: Traverse City, MI
Saturday, November 1 at 7:30 pm
Sunday, November 2 at 3:00 pm
November 20, 21, 22
Cliff Bell’s: Detroit, MI
Time: 7:30pm & 9:30pm
Anthony Stanco | Photo by Jeff Dunn
Anthony Stanco · In the Groove
OA2 Records · Release Date: October 17, 2025
For more information about Anthony Stanco, please visit:
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DL Media · (610) 420-8470
Don Lucoff · don@dlmediamusic.com
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