Who's Who Jazz Guitarists Year 4

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 Corpora- tion introduced The Barney Kessel model guitar onto the market and con- tinued 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 pre- sented 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 To- night 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 like- Green 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 extraordi- nary 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 per- forming 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 rela- tively 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 Gui- tar 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 admi- ration of a whole new generation of guitarists. Epiphone made him a seven- string 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 Fanta- sy 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 appearanc- es 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 im- portant 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 success- ful Green is Beautiful and the soundtrack to the film The Final Comedown. Grant was also a huge influence on guitarists, from George Benson to Ste- vie 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 Ben- son'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 (post- bop/straight ahead and soul jazz) and later (funkier/dancefloor jazz) peri- ods, 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 Univer- sity 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 Tex- as 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.

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