1. hobbies and interests
2. guitar

Who's Who Jazz Guitarists
Year 4
Barney Kessel
Date of Birth: October 17, 1923-May 6., 2004
Place of Birth: Muskogee, Oklahoma
Schools Attended:
Teachers:
University Currently Teaching:
How Many Recordings?: 21
Currently Touring?
Youtube: Yes
A "first call" guitarist at Columbia Pictures, during the 1960s Kessel became one of the most in-demand session guitarists in America, and is considered a key member of the group of first-call session musicians now
usually known as The Wrecking Crew. In this capacity he played on hundreds of famous pop recordings including albums and singles by Phil
Spector, The Beach Boys, The Monkees and many others. He appeared in
an acting part playing a jazz guitarist named "Barney" in one episode of
the Perry MasonTV show. He also wrote and arranged the source music,
including a jazz version of "Here Comes the Bride", provided by the jazz
combo that figured in the story. In 1961 The Gibson Guitar Corporation introduced The Barney Kessel model guitar onto the market and continued to make them until 1973. One custom instrument Kessel played
was essentially a 12-string guitar neck attached to a mandolin body
(similar to Vox's mando guitar), which may have been played on the intro
to The Beach Boys' "Wouldn't It Be Nice." During the 1970s, Kessel presented his seminar 'The Effective Guitarist' in various locations around the
world. Kessel died of a brain tumor in San Diego, California. He had been
in poor health after suffering a stroke in 1992 .
Page 1
Who's Who Jazz Guitarists
Year 4
Bucky Pizzarelli
Date of Birth: January 9, 1926
Place of Birth: Paterson, New Jersey
Schools Attended:
Teachers:
University Currently Teaching:
How Many Recordings?: 10
Currently Touring?
Youtube: Yes
John 'Bucky' Pizzarelli began his professional career in 1943 at 17 years
old playing in the Vaughn Monroe dance band. He toured and recorded
with Monroe through 1951, and in 1952 he joined NBC as a staff musician.
At NBC, for many years, he played in the Doc Severinson Band on the Tonight Show. He also toured and recorded with Benny Goodman into the
1980's. In New York, Pizzarelli worked mainly as a freelance musician in
the studios and he appeared on many recordings as part of the rhythm
section. One of the era's most solid rhythm players, Pizzarelli was in high
demand to provide propulsion and background for other musicians. His recordings as leader began to appear in the 1970's with recordings likeGreen Guitar Blues. On this recording Pizzarelli established a pattern he
repeated throughout his career. That is, playing and recording some of the
great historic guitar compositions from the 1930's. On this recording he
pays homage to Carl Kress and Dick McDonough by including Chicken A
La Swing. A few years later he paid tribute to these two guitarists again on
his Guitar Quintet LP. On April Kisses from 1999, he includes original music by Carl Kress, George Van Eps and George M. Smith. His extraordinary skill as a rhythm player places him in the company of the
great rhythm players like Freddie Greene and Barry Galbraith.
And he has brought forward the great chord solo tradition begun
by George Van Eps and Dick McDonough. Like George Van Eps,
Bucky Pizzarelli adopted the seven-string electric guitar. Bucky
Pizzarelli, was considered the only guitarist next to George Van
Eps, to play the seven-string electric guitar exclusively.
Page 2
Who's Who Jazz Guitarists
Year 4
Frank Vignola
Date of Birth: December 30, 1965
Place of Birth: Long Island, NY
Schools Attended: Culture Arts Center of
Long Island
Teachers:
University Currently Teaching:
How Many Recordings?: 11
Currently Touring? Yes
Youtube: Yes
Vignola began on guitar at age five. While he never listened to jazz exclusively, he has a wide range of influences, such as Les Paul, Eddie Van
Halen and Frank Zappa. He later studied at the Cultural Arts Center of
Long Island. He worked extensively as a sideman in the 1980s, with artists
such as Madonna, Leon Redbone, and Ringo Starr. In 1993 he signed
with Concord Jazz, when he was 27 and has released several albums under his own name since then. He has written 18 instructional guitar books
and has recorded multiple instuctional CD-ROMs for Truefire.com. In
1988 with his famed Hot Club of France tribute which was hailed in the NY
Times as one of the top ten acts in New York City in 1988 and forged the
way for the many Django Hot Club groups that followed. The early 2000's
found Vignola recording a solo guitar CD for Acoustic Disc as well as performing regularly with guitarist, Les Paul.
Page 3
Who's Who Jazz Guitarists
Year 4
George Van Eps
Date of Birth: August,1913-November,1998
Place of Birth:
Schools Attended:
Teachers:
University Currently Teaching:
How Many Recordings?: 34
Currently Touring?
Youtube: Yes
During those 62 documented years he made hundreds of recordings as
sideman, but only a handful under his own name. And those he made relatively late in his career. Yet, despite this meager output as leading artist,
George Van Eps has been revered by every guitar player to come after
him. What he did to deserve this acclaim was to single handily create a
whole new way to play jazz guitar that brought a complexity, depth and
beauty to the instrument that it didn't have before. In the late 1950's and
early 1960's he made a series of solo recordings for Columbia and Capitol
that featured the unique guitar style of George Van Eps. The first of these
recordings was Mellow Guitar, followed by My Guitar, Seven String Guitar and Soliloquy. If George Van Eps had not made another recording,
this series of recordings would have secured the Van Eps legend. But,
then in the 1990's he made a series of brilliant recordings for Concord
Records with Howard Alden that made his music accessible to a whole
new generation of jazz lovers. And, once again earned the complete admiration of a whole new generation of guitarists. Epiphone made him a sevenstring guitar in 1938, he began displaying the depth, richness and complexity that are the hallmarks of the Van Eps sound. The first major recordings
with this new instrument were the Jump recordings from the mid 1940's.
The solos recorded at that time like I Wrote It For Joand Kay's Fantasy and Tea For Two have Van Eps playing bass, melody and supporting
chords all himself all at the same time. Van Eps is known as the “Father of
the Seven-String Guitar”
Page 4
Who's Who Jazz Guitarists
Year 4
Grant Green
Date of Birth: June 6, 1935-January 31, 1979
Place of Birth: St. Louis, MO
Schools Attended:
Teachers:
University Currently Teaching:
How Many Recordings?: 98
Currently Touring?
Youtube: Yes
Grant Green left St. Louis and moved to New York City in 1959. Through
a connection, he met the management of Blue Note records. Blue Note
signed Green in 1960. From 1961 to 1965, Grant made more appearances on Blue Note LPs, as leader or sideman, than anyone else. Grant's first
issued album as a leader was Grant's First Stand. This was followed in the
same year by Green Street and Grantstand. Grant was named best new
star in the Down Beat critics' poll, 1962, and, as a result, his influence
spread wider than New York. He often provided support to the other important musicians on Blue Note. In 1966 Grant left Blue Note and recorded for several other labels, including Verve. From 1967 to 1969 Grant was,
for the most part, inactive due to personal problems and the effects
of heroin addiction. In 1969 Grant returned with a new funk-influenced
band. His recordings from this period include the commercially successful Green is Beautiful and the soundtrack to the film The Final Comedown.
Grant was also a huge influence on guitarists, from George Benson to Stevie Ray Vaughan. Still to this day guitarists try to get his signature sound,
Idle Moments is consider one of the top 100 jazz albums of all time. Grant
left Blue Note again in 1974 and the subsequent recordings he made with
other labels divide opinion: some consider Green to have been the 'Father
of Acid Jazz'. While in New York to play an engagement at George Benson's Breezin' Lounge, Grant collapsed in his car of a heart attack in New
York City on January 31, 1979. Since Green's demise, his reputation has
grown to legendary status and many compilations of both his earlier (postbop/straight ahead and soul jazz) and later (funkier/dancefloor jazz) periods, exist.
Page 5
Who's Who Jazz Guitarists
Year 4
Herb Ellis
Date of Birth: August 4, 1921-March 28, 2010
Place of Birth: Farmersville, TX
Schools Attended: North Texas State University
Teachers:
University Currently Teaching:
How Many Recordings?: 37
Currently Touring?
Youtube: Yes
Ellis first heard the electric guitar performed by George Barnes on a radio
program. This experience is said to have inspired him to take up the guitar.
He became proficient on the instrument by the time he entered North Texas State University as a music major. Ellis majored in music, but because
they did not yet have a guitar program at that time, he studied the string
bass. Unfortunately, due to lack of funds, his college days were short lived.
In 1941, Ellis dropped out of college and toured for 6 months with a band
from the University of Kansas. In 1943, he joined Glen Gray and the Casa
Loma Orchestra and it was with Gray's band that he got his first recognition in the jazz magazines. After Gray's band, Ellis joined the Jimmy
Dorseyband where he played some of his first recorded solos. Ellis remained with Dorsey through 1947, traveling and recording extensively,
and playing in dance halls and movie palaces. Ellis then joined the Oscar
Peterson Trio (replacing Barney Kessel) in 1953, forming one of the most
memorable of all the piano, guitar, and bass trios in jazz history. Ellis became prominent after performing with the Oscar Peterson Trio from 1953
to 1958 along with pianist Peterson and bassist Ray Brown. He was a
somewhat controversial member of the trio, because he was the only
white person in the group in a time when racism was still very much widespread. The years of 1959 through 1960 found Ellis touring with Ella Fitzgerald. Ellis died of Alzheimer's disease at his Los Angeles home on the
morning of March 28, 2010, at the age of 88.
Page 6
Who's Who Jazz Guitarists
Year 4
Howard Alden
Date of Birth: October 17, 1958
Place of Birth: Newport Beach, CA
Schools Attended:
Teachers:
University Currently Teaching:
How Many Recordings?: 29
Currently Touring? Yes
Youtube: Yes
Alden moved to New York City in 1982 to play an extended engagement at
the Café Carlyle with jazz pianist/songwriter Joe Bushkin. Soon afterward,
he was discovered by Joe Williams and Woody Herman. In 1983 he was
already collaborating with Dick Hyman, when he appeared with him and a
host of other musicians at Eubie Blake's one-hundredth birthday concert. In 1988 Alden signed with Concord Jazz record label, and recorded
many albums with them over the following fifteen years as a bandleader
and as a sideman. He taught actor Sean Penn to play guitar for his role
as the legendary (but fictional) jazz guitarist "Emmett Ray" in the Woody
Allen film "Sweet and Lowdown". Alden also performed most of the music
for the film along with Bucky Pizzarelli on rhythm guitar, with the music arranged by pianist Dick Hyman . It seems that the only thing regarding
Howard Alden on which the critics have debate is whether the remarkable
jazz guitarist is one of the best or simply the best. As a result of his associating with - and inspiration from - George Van Eps, Alden has been playing the seven-string guitar since 1992. The seven string guitar imparts a
greater range and harmonic richness to Alden's already colorful tonal palette, as evidenced on three remarkable follow-up albums with Van Eps, his
critically acclaimed duo recordings with saxophonist/clarinetist Ken
Peplowski, and the stunning interplay between Alden and special guest
Frank Wess on Your Story - The Music of Bill Evans . Alden also teamed
up with fellow guitarists Jimmy Bruno and Frank Vignola to record a three
guitar outing entitled The Concord Jazz Guitar Collective , which was
quickly called by some critics "an instant classic!"
Page 7
Who's Who Jazz Guitarists
Year 4
Jeffrey Burr
Date of Birth: September 8, 1974
Place of Birth: San Francisco, CA
Schools Attended: William Paterson College
Teachers:
University Currently Teaching:
How Many Recordings?: 2
Currently Touring?
Youtube: yes
The child of two classical bassists, Jeffrey Burr was encouraged to study
music seriously from a young age, but chose the guitar as his instrument.
On the way to Rock Stardom, some Charlie Parker sides got through
somehow, and Jeffrey wound up spending several years studying jazz improvisation. At sixteen he performed with bop grandmaster Dizzy Gillespie.
After earning his BA at the renowned William Paterson College, Jeffrey
moved his shed to Brooklyn and generally made a nuisance of himself in
the NYC jazz scene. This one time, he played with Norah Jones, but she
wasn't famous yet. Before returning to the Bay Area from whence he
sprang, Jeffrey recorded “Bright Blue”
Page 8
Who's Who Jazz Guitarists
Year 4
Jim Hall
Date of Birth: December 4, 1930
Place of Birth: Buffalo, New York
Schools Attended: Cleveland Institute of
Music
Teachers:
University Currently Teaching:
How Many Recordings?: 45
Currently Touring?
Youtube: Yes
Hall moved to Los Angeles where he began to attract national, and then
international, attention in the late 1950s. There he studied classic guitar
with Vincente Gómez.[2]He played with Chico Hamilton Quintet, (1955–
1956), Jimmy Giuffre Trio (1956–1959),Ella Fitzgerald (1960–1961), Ben
Webster, Hampton Hawes, Bob Brookmeyer, John Lewis, Zoot Sims, Paul
Desmond, Lee Konitz and Bill Evans. By 1960 Jim had arrived in New
York to work with Sonny Rollins and Art Farmer, among others. His live
and recorded collaborations there with Bill Evans, Paul Desmond and Ron
Carter have become legendary. Formal recognition as a composer came
in 1997, when Hall won the New York Jazz Critics Circle Award for Best
Jazz Composer/Arranger. His pieces for string, brass, and vocal ensembles can be heard on his Textures and By Arrangement recordings. His
original composition, Quartet Plus Four, a piece for jazz quartet augmented by the Zapolski string quartet, was debuted in Denmark during the concert and ceremony where he was awarded the coveted Jazzpar Prize, and
later released on CD. His most recent large-scale composition was a concerto for guitar and orchestra, commissioned by Towson University in Maryland for The First World Guitar Congress, which was debuted in
June 2004 with the Baltimore Symphony. He was awarded an NEA Jazz
Masters Fellowshipaward in January 2004. In November, 2008 the doubledisc album Hemispheres was released through the ArtistShare label.
Page 9
Who's Who Jazz Guitarists
Year 4
Jimmy Bruno
Date of Birth: July 22, 1953
Place of Birth: Philadelphia, PA
Schools Attended:
Teachers:
University Currently Teaching:
How Many Recordings?: 15
Currently Touring?
Youtube: Yes
In recognition of his prodigious talents, Jimmy has been invited to play at
major music festivals around the world, including the JVC, Berks, Vail, and
Concord Jazz Festivals, and a whirlwind stop at the Pescara Jazz Festival
in Pescara, Italy. Over the years, he has shared the stage with a who's
who of legendary and highly regarded musicians: Joe Beck, Bobby Watson, Jack Wilkins, Tal Farlow (at Farlow's 75th Birthday Concert), Howard
Alden, Christian McBride, Curt Elling and many more. When a tribute concert was planned for Barney Kessel, Jimmy was one of an invited group of
30 guitarists chosen to perform and was honored to open the tribute (with
Howard Alden). He has also participated in tributes to jazz giants Kenny
Burrell, Herb Ellis and Johnny Smith. In May of 2007, Jimmy and Affiliated
Artists opened the Jimmy Bruno Guitar Institute (JBGI). With his unique
insight into jazz and jazz guitar, Jimmy brought his method and "no nonsense" approach to jazz improvisation to eager guitar students around the
world. Five months later, his long-standing reputation as a jazz educator
was further enhanced when he was invited to address and perform at the
4-day Jazz Improv Convention in New York City. Downbeat magazine — in
celebration of their 75th Anniversary in 2009 — named Jimmy as one of
the top 75 guitarists of all time! In 2011, Jimmy created his own independent online jazz guitar school — the Jimmy Bruno Guitar Workshop — with
all-new, improved lesson content and delivery systems to better serve his
huge jazz guitar student base around the world. Having spent three years
with the Institute, improving upon and tweaking his teaching method
thanks to the direct feedback from his students, he has once again revolutionized the way students can learn guitar on the Internet.
Page 10
Who's Who Jazz Guitarists
Year 4
Jimmy Raney
Date of Birth: August 29, 1927-May 10, 1995
Place of Birth: Louisville, Kentuck
Schools Attended:
Teachers:
University Currently Teaching:
How Many Recordings?: 58
Currently Touring?
Youtube: Yes
Raney joined Woody Herman in 1948. Thereafter he played and recorded
with a number of leading swing era veterans and up-and-coming stars including Artie Shaw, Stan Getz, Terry Gibbs and Red Norvo. Throughout
the 60s he worked in studios, making occasional jazz club appearances.
This pattern continued into the 70s with the bias gradually swinging towards jazz work. A relaxed and highly proficient technician, Raney's solo
work displayed a cool, lambent style which is much admired, although his
attraction was often cerebral rather than emotional. Raney suffered for
thirty years from Ménière's disease, a degenerative condition that eventually led to near complete deafness in both ears. Fortunately, his playing remained unaffected. Raney died of heart failure, in Louisville Ky. on May 10
of 1995, just short of his 68th birthday. An obituary in the New York Times
referred to Jimmy Raney as 'one of the most gifted and influential postwar
jazz guitarists in the world.
Page 11
Who's Who Jazz Guitarists
Year 4
Joe Diorio
Date of Birth: August 6, 1936
Place of Birth: Waterbury, Connecticut
Schools Attended:
Teachers:
University Currently Teaching: USC
How Many Recordings?: 10
Currently Touring?
Youtube: Many (who hums when he plays
due to a stroke)
Guitarist and composer Joe Diorio was born in Waterbury, CT, August 6,
1936. Joe has 50 years experience playing the guitar and over 40 years
experience as a performer and recording artist. He has worked with such
jazz luminaries as Sonny Stitt, Eddie Harris, Ira Sullivan, Stan Getz, Horace Silver, and Freddie Hubbard. He has recently toured Italy with Riccardo Del Fra (bass player with Chet Baker, Johnny Griffin, Toots Thieleman).
His most recent releases on CD with the new Italian jazz label RAM Records include: I Remember Wes, a tribute to Wes Montgomery; A solo guitar album We Will Meet Again; Double Take with live recordings of the performances with Riccardo Del Fra; and Rare Birds, a duo album with Mick
Goodrick.
Highly respected as an educator, Joe has many books and an educational
video to his name. Joe currently teaches at the University of Southern California, Los Angeles and has conducted jazz guitar seminars throughout
the United States, Europe, and Brazil. Additionally, Joe was one of the
three founding instructors for the Guitar Institute of Technology (G. I. T.) in
Hollywood California.
Page 12
Who's Who Jazz Guitarists
Year 4
Joe Pass
Real Name
Date of Birth: January 13, 1929
Died if applicable: May 23, 1994
Place of Birth: New Brunswick, NJ
Schools Attended:
Teachers:
University Currently Teaching:
How Many Recordings?: 96
Currently Touring?
Youtube: many
As early as 14, Pass started getting gigs and was playing with bands fronted by Tony
Pastor and Charlie Barnet, honing his guitar skills and learning the music business.
He began traveling with small jazz groups and eventually moved from Pennsylvania
to New York City. In a few years, he fell victim to drug abuse, and spent much of the
1950s in relative obscurity. Pass managed to emerge from it through a two-and-ahalf-year stay at Synanon, drug rehabilitation program. During that time he played
guitar non stop and further honed his skills. In 1962 he recorded The Sounds of
Synanon. He was a sideman with Louis Bellson, Frank Sinatra, Sarah Vaughan, Joe
Williams, Della Reese, Johnny Mathis, and worked on TV shows including The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, The Merv Griffin Show, The Steve Allen Show,
and others. In the early 1970s, Pass and guitarist Herb Ellis were performing together
regularly at Donte's jazz club in Los Angeles. This collaboration led to Pass and Ellis
recording the very first album on the new Concord Jazz label, entitled simply Jazz/
Concord (#CJS-1), along with bassist Ray Brown and drummer Jake Hanna. In the
early 1970s, Pass also collaborated on a series of music books, and his Joe Pass
Guitar Style (written with Bill Thrasher) is considered a leading improvisation textbook
for students of jazz. In 1994, Joe Pass died from liver cancer in Los Angeles, California at the age of 65 . Pass's early style (influenced by guitarist Django Reinhardt and
saxophonist Charlie Parker), was marked by fast single-note lines and a flowing melodic sense. Pass had the unusual lifelong habit of breaking his guitar picks and playing only with the smaller part. As Pass made the transition from ensemble to solo guitar performance, he preferred to abandon the pick altogether, and play fingerstyle. He
found this enabled him to execute his harmonic concepts more effectively. His series
of solo albums, Virtuoso (volumes 1 through 4) are a demonstration of Pass's refined
technique.
Page 13
Who's Who Jazz Guitarists
Year 4
John Pizzarelli
Date of Birth: April 6, 1960
Place of Birth: Paterson, New Jersey
Schools Attended:
Teachers:
University Currently Teaching:
How Many Recordings?: 40
Currently Touring? Yes
Youtube: Yes
John Pizzarelli, the world-renowned jazz guitarist and singer, was called
“Hip with a wink” by Town & Country, “madly creative” by the Los Angeles
Times and “the genial genius of the guitar” by The Toronto Star. When he
performs with his wife, singer/actress Jessica Molaskey, and his father,
guitar legend Bucky Pizzarelli, they were labeled “the First Family of Cool”
by the San Francisco Chronicle and “the von Trapps on Martinis” by The
New Yorker. According to The New York Times, “the Pizzarelli-Molaskey
duo are as good as it gets in any entertainment medium.” After his recent
smash success with the Boston Pops, he was hailed by the Boston Globe
for “reinvigorating the Great American Songbook and re-popularizing jazz.”
And the Seattle Times called him “a tour de force” and “a rare entertainer
of the old school.” Before a recent show in the northwest, the local paper
quipped “John Pizzarelli is so impossibly cool, he shouldn’t be legally allowed to enter Oregon.” In 1997, Pizzarelli made his Broadway debut in
the musical Dream, a revue of Johnny Mercer songs. Particularly lauded
for his swinging interpretations of jazz standards, Pizzarelli also composes
his own songs, some of which have achieved a sort of modern "standard"
status in their own right. He is also a fan of bossa nova and released an
album entirely composed of that type of music. Perhaps his most famous
and highly-regarded album, though, is Dear Mr. Cole, an album featuring
Pizzarelli's versions of some of Nat "King" Cole's most famous songs.
Page 14
Who's Who Jazz Guitarists
Year 4
John Stowell
Date of Birth:
Place of Birth:
Schools Attended:
Teachers:
University Currently Teaching:
How Many Recordings?: 25
Currently Touring? Yes
Youtube: yes
Stowell, who plays electric and acoustic guitar, raised in Connecticut had
private studies with Linc Chamberland and John Mehegan. Several years
later he met bassist David Friesen in New York City, and they formed a
duo in 1976 that recorded and toured prolifically for seven years, with performances in the United States, Canada, Europe and Australia. The duo
continues to perform thirty years after their first meeting. In 1983, Stowell
and David Friesen joined flutist Paul Horn and Paul’s son Robin Horn (on
drums) for a tour of the Soviet Union. In 1977 Stowell recorded his debut
album Golden Delicious; his sidemen were Jim McNeely, Mike Richmond,
and Billy Hart[1]Stowell teaches internationally. He has been an Artist-InResidence at schools in Germany,Indonesia, Argentina, the United States
and Canada. He served as assistant director and performer at Oregon
Public Broadcasting’s PDX Jazz Summit in 1991, and since 1995 has
been a contributing columnist for a number of magazines, including Down
Beat, Guitar Player, Canadian Musician, Soundcheck (Germany),
and Guitar Club (Italy). In Germany, he teaches at Jazz & Rock Schulen
Freiburg with Frank Haunschild, with whom he playes regularly in a duo.
He has also worked with Uwe Kropinski, Dave Liebman, Hiram Mutschler, Gérard Pansanel, Kelley Shannon, and Nicolao Valiensi. In 2005 Stowell published Jazz Guitar Mastery (book and DVD). Stowell currently lives
in Portland, Oregon. Stowell plays holds the guitar in a vertical position,
not unlike a cello player.
Page 15
Who's Who Jazz Guitarists
Year 4
Joyce Cooling
Date of Birth:
Place of Birth:
Schools Attended:
Teachers:
University Currently Teaching:
How Many Recordings?: 7
Currently Touring? Yes
Youtube: Yes
Joyce Cooling, guitarist, vocalist and songwriter, is best known for her eclectic style and colorful body-moving sound. Funky, soulful, and always
original, Joyce Cooling is recognized as one of the most dynamic and
popular contemporary jazz guitarists in the world. Joyce has recorded seven albums - five of which charted on Billboard. She has to her credit two
#1 radio singles, six top 10 and thirteen charting singles in all, and has
garnered multiple music awards including the Gibson Best Jazz Guitarist
of the Year and Best New Talent in the Jazziz Reader’s Poll. She was a
nominee for the California Music Awards, the Oasis Awards and the Gavin
Contemporary Jazz Artist of the Year. Cooling has performed with such
jazz giants as Joe Henderson, Stan Getz, and Charlie Byrd. Her top-10
single, “Mm Mm Good,” featuring Al Jarreau; and Christmas holiday
tracks, “The Christmas Song,” with Lee Ritenour and her original single,
“It’s Feeling Like Christmas,” have pushed Cooling to new heights of popularity while showcasing her musical versatility. Joyce Cooling is an international attraction at major jazz festivals around the world. Global Cooling,
released in April 2009, is their seventh studio CD and is receiving worldwide critical acclaim and raving reviews. Global Cooling was #2 on Amazon and hit #1 on the smoothjazz Indie charts and stayed there for over
three months. The CD also remained in the top 10 on the TOP 50 Radio
Charts for weeks, and the single, “Dolores in Pink,” won the #2 spot on
Canada’s 2009 Café Jazz Review. Global Cooling was also chosen as the
2009 Album of the Year in the U.K. by PhoenixFM. Cooling has also received international accolades for Revolving Door (2006 Narada/ Blue
Note),
Page 16
Who's Who Jazz Guitarists
Year 4
Kenny Burrell
Date of Birth: July 31, 1931
Place of Birth: Detroit, Michigan
Schools Attended: Wayne State University
Teachers:
University Currently Teaching:
How Many Recordings?: 106
Currently Touring?
Youtube: Yes
From the start of his career Kenny Burrell was described as a bop and
hard bop player. Some of his early recordings supported this description,
but like all the great players, Kenny Burrell brought his own unique style
and sound to his playing. The bop elements were there, along with blues
and a great blend of the two styles. And Burrell proved himself to be an exceptional soloist. But, Kenny Burrell also preferred a much gentler, more
melodic and expressive style of play. This style was reflected in two early
recordings that pointed the way to a style and format that Burrell would
use throughout his career. Between 1963 and 1970 Kenny Burrell continued to work the New York studios. In the early 1970s Kenny Burrell moved
to California and began recording on the Fantasy and CTI labels and later
with Concord Records. It was during this time that Burrell began teaching a
course on Duke Ellington at UCLA. Throughout the 1960s and 1970s and
1980s Kenny Burrell released recordings at a regular rate. Burrell released
more than 90 recordings as leader and appeared on hundreds of recordings
as sideman from bop to blues to pop. Today, Kenny Burrell continues to influence the jazz guitar community and further the value of jazz guitar. He
performs and records on a regular basis and he continues to teach. He
holds a BA in Music from Wayne State University, an honorary doctorate
from William Paterson College and he isProfessor of Guitar, Jazz Program Director at UCLA.
Page 17
Who's Who Jazz Guitarists
Year 4
Lenny Breau
Date of Birth: August 5, 1941-August 12, 1984
Place of Birth: Auburn, Maine
Schools Attended:
Teachers:
University Currently Teaching:
How Many Recordings?: 23
Currently Touring?
Youtube: Yes
Breau's fully matured technique was a combination of Atkins' and Travis'
fingerpicking and Sabicas-influenced flamenco, highlighted by extraordinary right-hand independence and flurries of artificial harmonics. His harmonic sensibilities were a combination of his country roots, classical, modal, Indian, and especially jazz, particularly the work of pianist Bill Evans.In
1967, recordings of Breau's playing from The Lenny Breau Show had
found their way into the hands of Chet Atkins. The ensuing friendship resulted in Breau's first two LP issues, Guitar Sounds from Lenny
Breau and The Velvet Touch of Lenny Breau. Live! on RCA. He lived in
various Canadian cities until 1976 when he returned to the United States.
He
spent
the
next
several
years
moving
between Nashville, Maine,Stockton, California and New York City eventually
settling in Los Angeles in 1983. These years were spent performing,
teaching, and writing for Guitar Player magazine. During this time, he had
custom 7 string guitars made, one classical and one electric. At the time,
no company made a string that could be tuned to the high B on his classical guitar. Lenny used fishing line the correct gauge, until La Bella began
making a string for him. Only a few more solo albums and albums recorded with fiddler Buddy Spicher and pedal steel guitarist Buddy Emmons were issued during his lifetime. On August 12, 1984 his body was
found in a swimming pool at his apartment complex in Los Angeles, California. The coroner reported that he had beenstrangled. His wife,
Jewel Breau, was the chief suspect in the case but she was never charged
with his murder and the case is still unsolve.
Page 18
Who's Who Jazz Guitarists
Year 4
Martin Taylor
Date of Birth: October 20, 1956
Place of Birth: Harlow, England
Schools Attended:
Teachers:
University Currently Teaching:
How Many Recordings?: 23
Currently Touring? yes
Youtube: yes
At the age of 4 Taylor received his first guitar from his father, bassist William ‘Buck’ Taylor. His father frequently played the music of the Quintette
du Hot Club de France and Taylor became inspired by their legendary guitarist Django Reinhardt. At age 8 he was playing regularly in his father’s
band and at 15 he quit school intent on becoming a professional musician.
Over the next few years Taylor played in numerous bands, in holiday
camps, various radio dates and on cruise ships. Performing dates in and
around London soon brought him into contact with fellow jazz guitarist Ike
Isaacs who took the younger man under his wing. In addition to performing
with Taylor as a duet, Isaacs helped develop his sense of jazz harmony
and started him on the road to developing his unique fingerstyle technique. Taylor puts his musical talent down to beginning to learn guitar at
an early age, playing frequently and also having many musicians on his
father's side of the family. Keen to avoid having to rely on other musicians
for income, Taylor took a gamble and started to perform as a solo act. His
individual style and engaging stage personality paid off and the gigs
proved successful. After a few years he stopped touring with Grappelli
and, aided by a recording contract with Scottish label Linn Records, he
concentrated on his solo career. The relative success of these albums,
and his concert dates, raised his profile in the guitar community as his
peers became interested in his unique style. Taylor is an eleven-time winner of Best guitarist at the British Jazz awards, Freeman of the City of London, honorary doctorate awarded by Paisley University, Scotland, and in
2002 he was appointed a Member of the British Empire (knighted).
Page 19
Who's Who Jazz Guitarists
Year 4
Mundell Lowe
Date of Birth: March 21, 1922
Place of Birth:
Schools Attended:
Teachers:
University Currently Teaching:
How Many Recordings?: 19
Currently Touring?
Youtube: Yes
Mundell left home at the age of thirteen. After working in Nashville, he
found his way to Bourbon Street in New Orleans and the beginning of his
jazz career. From the early fifties to the mid-Sixties, he was an active performer, working with George Duvivier on bass and Ed Shaughnessy on
drums in Dave Garroway’s “Today Show” studio band. He also played
with the extraordinary pianist Hank Jones when they both worked in the
NBC and CBS orchestras of the early Fifties. After seventeen years at
NBC as a guitarist and arranger, Lowe was transferred to the News and
Special Events Department to work as a composer. MUNDELL MOVED TO
LOS ANGELES, California, Christmas 1965—actually, he left to visit some
friends, and never went back to New York! He met Jackie Cooper, thenhead of Screen Gems, and began the West Coast phase of his career
composing music for some of their television and film properties. Lowe
augmented his TV and film work with recording his own LP’s. Mundell
found he was spending more time writing than playing, which he found
frustrating. He made up his mind to turn that around and, during the
1980s, he stepped out of the studio world of film and television and returned to performing, the first love of his long and rich musical career. In
the 1990's, Mundell Lowe continued to record and has a long list of credits
with Andre Previn, Tete Montolu, The Great Guitars, and some new duets
with Sal Salvador. In 2000 he recorded a tribute to Charlie Byrd with guitarist Lloyd Wells.
Page 20
Who's Who Jazz Guitarists
Year 4
Pat Martino
Date of Birth: August 25, 1944
Place of Birth: Philadelphia, PA
Schools Attended:
Teachers:
University Currently Teaching:
How Many Recordings?: 33
Currently Touring? Yes
Youtube: Yes
Martino began playing professionally at age 15. Martino played and recorded early in his career. Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, Martino made
many recordings as a sideman and also under his own name.
In 1980, Martino underwent surgery as the result of a nearly fatal
brain aneurysm. The surgery left him with amnesia, leaving him, among
other things, without any memory of the guitar and his musical career.
With the help of friends, computers, and his old recordings, Martino made
a recovery , and learned to play the guitar again.His improvisation method,
"Conversion to Minor", is often mistakenly thought to be based upon using
exclusively minor systems for soloing. In fact, the system involves conceptualising chord progressions in terms of the relative minor chord/scale, but
in practice this seems to be more a way for organizing the fretboard, rather
than justifying playing certain tones in terms of whether they are "correct"
or not. Martino's lines contain chromatic notes outside any particular IIm7
chord that might be conceptualized over a chord progression; even in the
examples he provides in his books and instructional videos. Indeed, on his
bulletin board he has stated that he formulated the system more as a way
to explain his playing, rather than as something to use to create music. In
his own words, "although the analysis of some of my recorded solos have
been referred to as modal, personally I’ve never operated in that way. I’ve
always depended upon my own melodic instinct, instead of scale like formulas". Martino's return to music started once again with the 1987 recording The Return.
Page 21
Who's Who Jazz Guitarists
Year 4
Peter White
Date of Birth: September 20, 1954
Place of Birth: Luton, England
Schools Attended:
Teachers:
University Currently Teaching:
How Many Recordings?: 12
Currently Touring?
Youtube: Yes
White first gained fame with his distinctive guitar style as accompanist to
Al Stewart. During a 20-year tenure with Stewart, he co-wrote many
songs, including Stewart's 1978 top-ten hit "Time Passages". In the late
1980s, White accompanied Basia on a series of acclaimed albums. In
1996, Basia was featured on White's album Caravan of Dreams, with vocals on the single "Just Another Day". White began recording his own albums in 1990. His songs — "What Does It Take (To Win Your Love)", recorded by Jr. Walker & The All Stars (2006), "Mister Magic", recorded
by Grover Washington, Jr. (2007), and "Bright" (2009) — have each
reached number one on the BillboardJazz Songs chart. Peter White performed regularly on many Windows albums appearing as a more or less
'permanent guest', In 2001 and 2002, White worked with Creed Bratton in
the release of Bratton's first three solo albums. White produced, mixed
and also played guitar on many of the tracks. Peter White won the award
for best Smooth Jazz Musician in the 2007 Canadian Smooth Jazz
Awards. He was named the Best Guitarist at the National Smooth Jazz
Awards for four consecutive years from 2000-2003.
In 2000, White won three Oasis Contemporary Jazz Awards:
*CD of the Year for Perfect Moment
*Song of the Year for "Midnight in Manhattan" with Grover Washington, Jr.
*Best Guitarist
Page 22
Who's Who Jazz Guitarists
Year 4
Robert Conti
Date of Birth: November 21, 1945
Place of Birth: Philadelphia, PA
Schools Attended:
Teachers:
University Currently Teaching:
How Many Recordings?: 9
Currently Touring?
Youtube: Yes
Conti first began performing locally at age fourteen. In 1966, after four
years on the road touring North America, he settledin Jacksonville, Florida. In
1970, he left music to pursue a career in the securities industry. In 1976 he
began playing jazz again. In 1979, he was signed to LA based Discovery
Records label. Conti released Latin Love Affair and a Direct To Disc recording titled Solo Guitar as his debut efforts as a leader in 1979. In 1982,
he left music again for the business world. In 1985, he released another
album. In mid 1988, he was offered a position under filmmaker Dino De
Laurentiis in Beverly Hills, California. After a lengthy recovery from a back
injury in late '88, Conti was offered a position as resident jazz guitarist at
the Irvine Marriott. He held that gig until mid 1998. Many of his most recent
endeavors have been educational in nature; since starting his website in
2000, he has released 27 educational DVDs on jazz guitar, including pro
chord melody and improvisation using his trademark “No Modes, No
Scales” approach to teaching jazz guitar. As a performing jazz guitarist for
nearly five decades, Robert Conti is ranked in the top handful of the
world's greatest players by knowledgeable musicians and fans. His skill
and a vast repertoire keeps him in demand to perform at numerous venues from Jazz Clubs and festivals to First Class Hotels including and ongoing Corporate Events in California and Las Vegas. In 2009, Conti introduced the Conti Archtop Jazz Guitars - a high quality instrument with emphasis on affordability for the majority of guitarists. This model has become wildly popular with jazz enthusiasts around the world.
Page 23
Who's Who Jazz Guitarists
Year 4
Roni Ben-Hur
Date of Birth:
Place of Birth:
Schools Attended:
Teachers:
University Currently Teaching:
How Many Recordings?: 8
Currently Touring? Yes
Youtube: Yes
An avid educator, Ben-Hur's teaching career began in Israel in 1981.
Since then, he created and directed the very popular jazz program at the
Lucy Moses School in the Kaufman Center in New York City, established
successful high school jazz programs in various high schools in New York
City, created and directed jazz summer camps around the world, and presented workshops to students of all ages in Europe and the US. His inspirational demeanor and communication skills create a strong personal bond
with his students, prompting actress and social / educational activist, Bette
Midler, to ask Ben-Hur to model a music education program for other public schools in New York City. Ben-Hur has earned high praise from jazz
critics around the world for his previous recordings, Backyard (TCB1996), Sofia's Butterfly (TCB-1998),Anna's Dance (Reservoir Music2001), Signature (Reservoir-2005), Keepin’ It Open (Motema-2007)
& Smile (with Gene Bertoncini, Motema-2008). Among his most ardent admirers is award-winning writer Gary Giddins, who selected Ben-Hur's
Anna's Dance as "One of the Best Jazz CD’s of 2001" inThe Village Voice.
The youngest of seven siblings, Ben-Hur was one of the first Israeli jazz
musicians to have a significant impact on American jazz. He singlehandedly blazed the trail for the current new wave of talented Israelis now
making their mark. As a determined and impressionable young musician,
literally 'fresh off the boat' in 1985, Roni absorbed a lifetime of real-deal
experience hanging out at Barry Harris' Jazz Cultural Theater, the epicenter of hip in Manhattan during the 1980s. There he met a veritable who's
who in jazz, each of whom imparted enriching tales about living the jazz
life to the aspiring guitarist.
Page 24
Who's Who Jazz Guitarists
Year 4
Russell Malone
Date of Birth: November 8, 1963
Place of Birth: Albany, Georgia
Schools Attended: self taught
Teachers:
University Currently Teaching:
How Many Recordings?: 13
Currently Touring? Yes
Youtube: yes
Malone began playing at the age of four in his home of Albany, Georgia,
with a toy guitar his mother had bought him, influenced by musicians such
as B.B. King and The Dixie Hummingbirds.However, he cites that the most
influential musical experience he had as a youth was "[At the age of
twelve] seeing George Benson perform on television…with Benny Goodman."[1]He learned technique from listening to recordings of Benson, Wes
Montgomery, and Charlie Christian, among others. Malone played with
jazz organist Jimmy Smith from 1988—1990.[1] He then joined the Harry
Connick Jr. Big Band from 1989-1994. In 1995, Malone became part of
the Diana Krall trio, participating in three Grammy-nominated albums, the
final one in 1999, "When I Look In Your Eyes," winning Best Vocal Jazz
Performance. Malone was part of jazz pianist Benny Green's recordings in
the late 1990s and 2000: "Kaleidoscope" (1997), "These Are Soulful
Days" (1999), and "Naturally" (2000). The two formed a duo partnership,
releasing the live recording, "Jazz At The Bistro" in 2003, and the studio
recording "Bluebird" in 2004. The duo toured until 2007. Malone tours regularly as leader of The Russell Malone Quartet, and more recently in support of "Triple Play" (2010) of the Russell Malone Trio. When touring the
US, Canada, Japan, and Europe, South America, and Australia, he can be
seen in appearances with Dianne Reeves and Romero Lubambo and
tours frequently with legendary bassist Ron Carter.
Page 25
Who's Who Jazz Guitarists
Year 4
Tal Farlow
Date of Birth: June 7, 1921-July 25, 1998
Place of Birth: Greensboro, NC
Schools Attended:
Teachers:
University Currently Teaching:
How Many Recordings?: 35
Currently Touring?
Youtube: Yes
Nicknamed the "Octopus", Farlow's extremely large hands spread over the
fretboard as if they were tentacles. He is considered one of the all-time
great jazz guitarists. In 1956 he was named by Down Beat magazine critics as the very best jazz guitarist in the world, and for all the right reasons.
Where other similar players of his day combined rhythmic chords with linear melodies. Farlow preferred placing single notes together in clusters,
varying between harmonically richened tones based on a startling new
technique. His spider-like fingers handled the guitar in a way no other
player could match, and this physical approach set Farlow apart from all
others. A supreme technician, renowned for his articulation, and smooth
relaxed phrasing even at the most daunting tempos. Nearly as famous for
his reluctance to perform publicly as for his outstanding abilities, he did not
take up the instrument until he was 21, but within a year was playing professionally. From 1949–1953, Farlow became famous in the jazz world.
His huge hands and ability to play rapid yet light lines, made him one of
the top guitarists of the era. In 1958, Farlow retired from full-time performing, returning to a career as a sign painter. He continued to play occasional dates in local clubs. In 1962 the Gibson Guitar Corporation, with Farlow's participation, produced the "Tal Farlow" model in their prestigious
Artist Model line. Farlow only made one record as a leader during 1960–
1975, but emerged a bit more often during 1976–1984, recording for Concord fairly regularly before largely disappearing again.
Page 26
Who's Who Jazz Guitarists
Year 4
Ted Greene
Date of Birth: September 26, 1946—2005
Place of Birth:
Schools Attended:
Teachers:
University Currently Teaching:
How Many Recordings?: 2
Currently Touring?
Youtube: yes
While Greene is often regarded as a jazz musician, he played many musical styles. He was known to guitarists due to his role as a music educator,
which included private teaching, seminars at the Guitar Institute of Technology, columns for Guitar Player magazine, and his series of instructional
books on guitar harmony, chord melody and single-note soloing. A voracious reader of almost any book on music theory, especially from the
'Common Practice Period' (circa 1600-1900) he distilled very complex concepts regarding the structure of western music, and would write out more
accessible versions for students to understand , often applying keyboard
concepts to the guitar. For example, many transcriptions of the Chorals of
J.S. Bach would be re-written for guitar, along with useful analysis applicable to any musical setting, such as jazz and other styles. He would also
make occasional live appearances at clubs in the San Fernando Valley,
usually playing a Fender Telecaster. While he was a sought-after session
player, he derived much of his income from tutoring. He wrote four books
on the subject of jazz guitar performance and theory: Chord Chemistry, Modern Chord Progressions: Jazz and Classical Voicings for Guitar,
and the two-volume Jazz Guitar: Single Note Soloing. His playing style included techniques such as harp-like harmonic arpeggios, combined with
gentle, tasteful neck vibrato, creating a "shimmer" to his sound. Other notable techniques included playing songs with a "walking bass" line with
simultaneous melodies. Greene used counterpoint to improvise in a variety of styles, such as playing a jazz standard such as Autumn
Leaves in Baroque style. He used a large variety of chord voicings, often
creating the effect of two simultaneous players.
Page 27
Who's Who Jazz Guitarists
Year 4
Tony Mottola
Date of Birth: Aparil 18, 1918-August 9, 2004
Place of Birth: Denville, New Jersey
Schools Attended:
Teachers:
University Currently Teaching:
How Many Recordings?: 18
Currently Touring?
Youtube: Yes
Like many of his contemporaries he started out learning to play the banjo
and then took up the guitar. He had his first guitar lessons from his father
and by the late 1930s he was playing in George Hall's orchestra. Mottola
was one of the most sought after and respected studio musicians in the
recording and music industry. He worked extensively with Frank Sinatra and Perry Como, and orchestrated albums for Burl Ives. He appeared
on the DuMont Television Network program Melody Street. Mottola also
played with Doc Severinsen's Orchestra on The Tonight Show and composed music for the films Running on Empty and Violated(1953) as well as
the 1950s television series Danger, which starred Yul Brynner. Several of
his songs were heavily sampled by The Avalanches for their album Since I
Left You. Mottola's only charted single under his own name was "This
Guy's In Love With You" which reached #22 on Billboard's "Easy Listening
Top 40" in the summer of 1968. Throughout the 1970's and 1980's Tony
Mottola produced a large number of recordings that don't fit into the jazz
genre, but were successful guitar recordings. The many recordings he
made with Enoch Light probably fit better in the popular music area and
did much to enhance the popularity of the guitar. He was one of the most
sought after and respected studio musicians in the recording and general
music industries. He was certainly one of the most respected guitar players to ever play the instrument.
Page 28
Who's Who Jazz Guitarists
Year 4
Tuck & Patti
Date of Birth:
Place of Birth:
Schools Attended: Stanford University
Teachers:
University Currently Teaching:
How Many Recordings?: 16
Currently Touring? Yes-world wide
Youtube: yes
For nearly three decades, this unique vocal/guitar jazz duo has cast its
passionate musical spell worldwide, capturing the hearts of lovers, the respect of jazz buffs, and the jaw-dropping awe of guitarists.With 29 years of
performing together, and 26 years of marriage, the devotion forged by this
extraordinary couple shows no sign of dimming from the pressure of familiarity. For them, this pressure creates more diamond than dust. Their instinct for refining their music, their technique and their career—their home
studio makeover—their house and garden renovation—never wavers from
their credo: It's not done if it's not from the heart. And what comes from the
heart demands excellence. Onstage and off, guitarist Tuck Andress and
vocalist/arranger Patti Cathcart might, at first impression, strike you as an
odd couple. The obvious difference in skin color is quickly overshadowed
by the contrast of their personalities. Patti exudes the soft, centered yet
powerful graciousness of a gospel singer; Tuck almost wears his brain on
his skin, anticipating the thousands of musical decisions he'll have to send
to his ten fingers during the course of a performance. Seeing the virtuosity
and complexity of Tuck's guitar work, most are surprised to learn that Patti
is the actual writer, arranger, and producer. Without even blinking, Tuckthe-problem-solver brags, "Patti writes and arranges; I am just the orchestra."
Page 29
Who's Who Jazz Guitarists
Year 4
Wes Montgomery
Date of Birth: March 6, 1923-June 15, 1968
Place of Birth: Indianapolis, Indiana
Schools Attended:
Teachers:
University Currently Teaching:
How Many Recordings?: 33
Currently Touring?
Youtube: Yes
Wes Montgomery came from a musical family; his brothers, Monk (string
bass and electric bass) and Buddy (vibraphone and piano), were jazz performers. The brothers released a number of albums together as
the Montgomery Brothers. Although he was not skilled at reading music,
he could learn complex melodies and riffs by ear. Montgomery started
learning guitar at the relatively late age of 19, by listening to and learning
the recordings of his idol, guitarist Charlie Christian. He was known for his
ability to play Christian's solos note for note. Many fellow jazz guitarists
consider Montgomery the greatest influence among modern jazz guitarists. Following the early work of swing/pre-bop guitarist Charlie Christian
and gypsy-jazz guitarist Django Reinhardt, Wes joined Tal Farlow, Johnny
Smith, Jimmy Raney, and Barney Kessell to put guitar on the map as a bebop / post-bop instrument. While these men generally curtailed their own
output in the 1960s, Montgomery recorded prolifically during this period,
lending guitar to the same tunes contemporaries like John Coltrane and
Miles Davis were recording. While many Jazz players are regarded as virtuosos, Montgomery had a very wide influence on other virtuosos who followed him, and in the respect he earned from his contemporaries. To
many, Montgomery's playing defines jazz guitar and the sound that learners try to emulate. Wes Montgomery was certainly one of the most influential and most musical guitarists to ever pick up the instrument....He took
the use of octaves and chord melodies to a greater level than any other
guitarist, before or since....Montgomery is undoubtedly one of the most important voices in Jazz guitar that has ever lived-or most likely ever will live.
Page 30