The Endurance of Optimism: Liner Notes by Dustin Mallory
Liner Notes by Dustin Mallory
After eight years since his last album, John Petrucelli is back with a DIY live release titled The Endurance of Optimism. In the intervening time since Presence, Petrucelli served as Director of Jazz Studies at the University of Utah, Artist-in-Residence at the University of Virginia, and completed a postdoctoral fellowship at Oberlin Conservatory. His company, PETRUCELLI, has also grown into a professional saxophone brand as Petrucelli continues to move seamlessly between business, performance, and academic lanes. Building on the spirit of his sophomore release, The Endurance of Optimism continues Petrucelli’s resolve to create a durable oeuvre of releases chock-full of his patient yet determined musical ethos.
Recorded on October 17, 2025, at the Drift Lounge in Salt Lake City, this new release sees Petrucelli change formats from Presence’s large ensemble to a bass-less trio that includes guitarist Christopher Kaukali and up-and-coming drummer Jacob Porter. The iPhone-captured recording creates a tunneled atmosphere that invites the listener to slip into the vessel and experience the wonderland that awaits.
The opening track, “It Should’ve Happened a Long Time Ago,” sets the tone with a colorful soundscape from Kaukali that Petrucelli paints upon like a canvas. Kaukali is almost Bill Evans-like in his use of color and atmosphere to shape the music. Inspiration from Kurt Rosenwinkel is also present in his timbral approach to the guitar. Petrucelli’s motivic pecking on “Boots” gives way to cascading lines that flow over the harmonies. There is a persistence in Petrucelli’s solos; they often build to a climax that sees the rhythm section avoid overbearance and land at arrival points with a maturity beyond their years. The rhythm section’s accompaniments consistently weave rhythmic lines in and out of the saxophone melodies, creating an appealing, contrapuntal effect.
Petrucelli constructs the mood on “Daydreaming” by connecting arpeggios like a gulf stream of clouds. Porter’s brush work is pointed and rife with syncopated accents. The restatement of the head sees Kaukali’s guitar join the arpeggiated fun with displaced phrases, interactive 4-against-3 patterns, and other rhythmic riddles, all while the dynamics hairpin the music to its destination. Both “Scallop Shell of Quiet” and “Spiral” present heart-pounding solos, contained in two soul-rousing romps. “Hil’s Blues” is Porter’s feature and opens and closes with solos that display his mastery of playing in five. “Hil’s Blues” segues into a short, improvised interlude that bridges the band into the standard “On Green Dolphin St.” This piece, as well as the performance’s closer, “Body & Soul,” gives the band a chance to open up on some very familiar music. In both cases, Petrucelli delivers absolutely blistering solos. The saxophone cadenza at the end of the album functions as a sort of proclamation that dialogues with the album’s title. “Body & Soul” ends with the rhythm section setting up a soft landing for Petrucelli’s horn to conclude with the unspoken optimism from the album’s title.
Unlike Petrucelli’s previous releases that focus on his abilities as a composer/arranger, The Endurance of Optimismpushes Petrucelli’s own playing to the forefront. His experience and development as a musician shine brighter here than any previous release, a sound that has aged incredibly well, with an approach that reveals the wisdom of his years.
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Experience the live performance featuring John Petrucelli, Christopher Kaukali, and Jacob Porter.
Listen to The Endurance of Optimism on Bandcamp