July 2010
Magnolia has been nominated for the 2010 San Diego Music Awards 'Best Jazz Album'! Here is the link.

June 6, 2010
Thanks to all who came to the CD release show for "Magnolia"! Next big concert is with trumpeter John Reynolds' group in Escondido. Stay tuned for more dates throughout the summer; my group will be back at Dizzy's in a couple months, and I'll also will be joining up with pianist Joshua White for a few things playing alto.

If you haven't picked up the CD yet, you can order it through this website or through iTunes! Thank you for supporting local jazz.

May 27, 2010
CD Release Show this Saturday night at Dizzy's in downtown SD! I hope to see you there and please tell your friends! We'll be playing some new material as well. The concert will feature Jeff Miles guitar; Jeff Denson bass; and Brian McLaughlin drums.

May 24, 2010
Woodfin duo gig next week with Jeff Miles guitar is cancelled. In other news - just got my alto back from Beason Woodwinds and it plays great! Alto Madness is coming... I will try to post some sax pictures soon.

May 16, 2010
Come join me tomorrow at the Woodfin Hotel with pianist Anthony Smith! 4:30 to 7:30, see homepage for details.

Funk fans: The Earful is on hiatus for the time being but there should be some shows in the not-so-distant future with Quartet Bombastique.

May 12, 2010
I'd like to thank all the DJs on San Diego jazz station Jazz 88 for spinning "Magnolia"! Although it still feels a bit funny hearing myself in the car...

May 10, 2010
Press kit updated with new review from Jazz-Quad Magazine in Belarus.

May 7, 2010
CD RELEASE PARTY: Saturday May 29th at Dizzy's! Please come out and join us for a great evening of jazz:

May 4, 2010
We'll be starting a string of duo gigs at the Woodfin Hotel's Oasis Bar and Grill in Mira Mesa. The first one will be on May 10th featuring guitarist Joey Carano. Come out and enjoy the interplay! More info on the calendar. Future Mondays will feature other San Diego jazz musicians, including Jeff Miles guitar and Kamau Kenyatta piano/sax.

April 19, 2010
The video of the quartet playing "The Red Dot" is being featured today on All About Jazz! AAJ is the internet's biggest jazz website.

April 13, 2010
Here are some of the latest reviews of the CD:

Hot House
http://www.jazzhothouse.com
3-30-2010
In case you were wondering, there is good jazz to be heard in San Diego (as if that town needed anything else going for it). Ian Tordella, a DC transplant and former student of Charles McPherson, brings us proof with his debut album, Magnolia. Tordella's chops are apparent throughout the album, but what separates this album from most other debuts is his restraint. Rather than simply showing us everything he can do with his horn, Tordella creates some wonderful melodies and solos which employ thematic variation and make enough use of negative space to keep things interesting.

The opening track, Magnolia, gets the album started on the right foot. Tordella plays a bouncy melody over a nice groove of simmering straight eighth notes. Underneath Tordella's ensuing solo, the rhythm section slowly works up to a nice boil, pushing Tordella into full gear without overheating . . . [read complete review at http://www.jazzhothouse.com]

JazzFlits
http://www.jazzflits.nl/
4-6-2010
[Translated from Dutch]
If tenor saxophonist Ian Tordella were signed to a major label, he would probably have a whole marketing machine behind him and be launched as one of the great new talents. For now he must make do with local San Diego label Circumvention, and a bio sheet for his new CD 'Magnolia'. That does not change the fact that Tordella is a talent with a distinctive voice. He has the light, upper-register saxophone tone that Wayne Shorter, Joe Henderson, and Joe Lovano had as his ancestors. In his quintet we meet bassist Jeff Denson and pianist Florian Weber, who are part of the Lee Konitz New Quartet. Guitarist Jeff Miles, winner of the 2008 Montreux Jazz Guitar Competition, and drummer Brian McLaughlin complete the group. Seven original compositions (one by Denson, the rest by the leader) exude a lovely sort of post-bop, and are certainly adventurous enough to be above average. Tordella's forte, however, is more as a stylist and a soloist than as a composer. With its strong groove, Denson's 'Shadow Dancing' is the most convincing tune of the set.
-Herman te Loo

April 11, 2010
Press kit and one-sheet are now available on the contact page!

March 14, 2010
San Diego Jazz in Italy:
Magnolia is being played today on Bruno Pollacci's show AnimaJazz in Italy. You'll be able to listen to a stream of it here. Very interesting show with some cutting edge artists (although he does have some 80s Miles for the show's theme music, so fair warning).

Rain Check:
The Bernardo Winery concert will be happening this Sunday (March 21st) in much finer weather! Come join us for some jazz on the patio. We play from 2-5pm. Thanks for supporting local jazz!

March 8, 2010
The wet San Diego jazz scene--
Unfortunately, El Nino had the best of us and the Bernardo Winery show was cancelled due to rain. We are going to reschedule for a Sunday later in March.

Press images are now downloadable from the 'Contact' page.

March 2, 2010
In February, Magnolia was the Listen of the Week on "Pushing The Envelope: Music Decidedly Left of Center" 91.7 FM WHUS in Connecticut. Also, the video for D's Melody was featured as a video of the day on the internet's biggest jazz site, All About Jazz. You can view it here. This tune has a wonderful solo by Jeff Miles guitar. Great to see some San Diego jazz promoted on this site!

Please come out and see the quartet this weekend at Bernardo Winery from 2-5pm! See the Calendar on the Home Page for details.

We'll be cleaning up some kinks on the website in the coming weeks and have all content fully functional soon!

Feb 12, 2010
The new CD, Magnolia, is finally available! With Jeff Miles guitar; Jeff Denson bass; Florian Weber piano; and Brian McLaughlin drums. You can purchase the disc at Circumvention Music, and MP3s will be available by the end of the month at all the major websites.

Feb 1, 2010
The new CD is on its way featuring guitarist Jeff Miles, German pianist Florian Weber, bassist Jeff Denson, and drummer Brian McLaughlin. In February I'll be doing a short recording with Quartet Bombastique and also playing my first solo concert on Sunday the 14th! Please come out and have a listen. The venue is Kava Gallery on Kettner Blvd. I'm sharing the bill with three other solo artists from the San Diego jazz and avant-garde scene.

Other San Diego Jazz Gigs: This month I'll be playing with The Earful and with bassist Harley Magsino in Quartet Bombastique. Check the calendar for more info and stay tuned for more local jazz and CD Release Party news!

Jan 29, 2010
La Jolla Shores became a jazz park this afternoon as bassist Chris Mees and I put on an impromptu concert. There were lots of interested tourists and picture takers. The San Diego jazz scene is anywhere you take it!