New York born, Charlotte NC based guitarist Andre Ferreri has a resume as expansive, freewheeling and genre transcendent as his compositional and playing style. Over the decades, he’s worked professionally with an array of pop, soul and jazz legends. For years he led contemporary jazz ensemble Airstream and is a first call guitarist for the Charlotte Symphony. His compositions have appeared on TV shows, in films and commercials and co-founded Laser Records, a label created to help musicians promote their music. For all these vast accomplishments, nothing thrills Ferreri more — or makes him feel more creative, expressive and vibrant — than when he gets back to the traditional jazz and swing that shifted his sensibilities early on from 70’s classic rock to modern and traditional jazz. His perfectly titled latest album Numero Uno — attributed to the Euro sounding Andre Ferreri Quintetto — brings him full circle and is the culmination of the past five years of his life; having laid the foundation for his full-fledged return to traditional jazz with his 2015 album Tributes, which included a song dedicated to Joe Pass. Ferreri chose to name his group the Italian version of “quintet” because the project has a Euro-Italian feel to it and he wanted to pay homage to both his heritage and the inspiration he found during his time in Italy. Ferreri’s longtime associates that form the core “Quintetto” include tenor saxophonist Ziad Rabie, who helps bring out the intensity of the emotions throughout the project, acoustic bassist Anna Stadlman and pianists Mark Stallings, Phillip Howe and Sean Higgins. Ferreri also worked for the first time with Kobie Watkins, a well-traveled world class drummer who has skinned for everyone from Kurt Elling and Arturo Sandoval to Sonny Rollins. “Ferreri has chosen to return to his passion for trad jazz, bebop and swing and grace us with a spirited and soulful, multi-mood driven album with his “Quintetto” whose title Numero Uno promises that he and the great ensemble will be continuing this vibe for a long time to come. Full of passion, explosive jamming, touches of big band and blues, tributes to his wife Mary and Pat Martino, and a sliver of important social consciousness, this is a powerful and empowering collection that showcases what happens when a musical veteran finds fresh new purpose in his solo career and engages with seasoned players to help him realize his vision that, like he says, almost seems divinely channeled.” —Jonathan Widran, The JW Vibe