Dominick Farinacci - Adoro (2007)

Ohio-born trumpeter Dominick Farinacci is a technically gifted and lyrical artist with a bent for swinging, straight-ahead jazz. Born in Cleveland in 1983, Farinacci first began playing trumpet in the sixth grade. Along with private lessons, he gained valuable experience attending the Saturday music program at Cleveland's Tri-C Community College. By the time he entered high school, he was already an accomplished jazz musician, performing regularly around the city.

As a teenager, Farinacci was selected as a member of the prestigious High School Grammy Awards All-Star Big Band in California; an honor he earned three years in a row. Also during high school, he attended the Berklee College of Music Summer Jazz Program and opened for trumpeter Wynton Marsalis at the Tri-C Jazzfest in Cleveland. Based off that performance, Marsalis invited Farinacci to appear on the PBS concert special Live from Lincoln Center: A Tribute to Louis Armstrong.

After high school, Farinacci was accepted into the inaugural class of the Juilliard Jazz Program. It was while studying at Juilliard that his performance at another Lincoln Center concert, a tribute to trumpet legends Lee Morgan and Freddie Hubbard, that Farinacci caught the attention of producer Todd Barkan who signed him to a recording contract. In 2002, he released his debut album, Manhattan Dream, featuring pianist Mulgrew Miller, bassist Chip Jackson, and drummer Joe Farnsworth. The following year, he won first place in the Carmine Caruso International Jazz Trumpet Competition. Several more albums followed, including 2004's Besame Mucho and 2006's Adoro.

After graduating Juilliard, Farinacci remained in New York City and continued releasing albums like 2009's Lovers, Tales and Dancers and 2011's Dawn of Goodbye. He also spent two years living on and off in Qatar in the Middle East as the first Global Ambassador for Jazz at Lincoln Center. In 2016, Farinacci released his first album for Mack Avenue, Short Stories, featuring production from industry legend and fellow Cleveland native Tommy LiPuma. ~ Matt Collar