Joseph Mongelli

Joe's music draws on a broad, eclectic background of performance experience spanning 35+ years. From small group jazz to swinging big bands, symphony orchestras to avant-garde free jazz, Dixieland, funk and rock, Joe has played it all.

His trumpet and flueglhorn resonate with a wide range of styles. Listeners will note the cool, lean approach of Miles Davis, the bop lyricism of Clifford Brown, the hard bop/funk influence of Freddie Hubbard, and of course, the traditional Dixieland figures of Louis Armstrong.

Joe makes extensive use of classics from the American Song Book  and jazz standards for the raw material of his musical canvas. But he makes these classics his own with unique arrangements not heard elsewhere.  His most recent CD, WashAshore,  exemplifies Joe's creative approach.

A talented composer and arranger, Joe has over 50 compositions to his credit including many original works such as Elegy for 9/11 - a tribute to those impacted by the events of September 11, 2001 and numerous arrangements of others’ compositions. Original. compositions include standard-sytle ballads, smooth, fusion and hard-bop jazz pieces, contemporary Big Band originals, New Age, Techno, brass ensemble, orchestral and choral works. 

Some of Joe's original Big Band music was featured on the 2009 CD released by the Boston Horns Big Band: Originals Volume 1. This CD includes a solo performance by Joe on his piece Rearview Mirror and guest performances by Grammy award winners Mark Walker and Oscar Stagnaro, members of Paquito D'Rivera's rhythm section.  It is available at www.bostonhorns.com.

Boston-area venues where he has performed include Sculler's Jazz Club, Ryles, the Berklee Performance Center, The Center for Arts in Natick and the Peabody Essex Museum. On Cape Cod, Joe has appeared at Preservation Hall in Wellfleet, the Cultural Center of Cape Cod, the Cape Cod Art Museum, the Harvest Gallery, the Gran Cru Wine Bar, Del Mar, Embargo, Stewarts, The Riverway, Bubala's,  and the Provincetown Art Association & Museum.  When not playing jazz gigs, Joe plays classical trumpet in both solo and symphonic settings at various venues on Cape Cod. 

Joe received his Master's Degree in performance from Manhattan School of Music (MSM) where he studied with Mel Broiles, Alan Dean and Phil Smith. He was a featured soloist in the MSM Big Band and small group jazz ensembles. While an undergraduate at New York University, he studied jazz performance with Jimmy Giuffre. He studied arranging with Don Sebesky.