3/23/2018 Vinny Raniolo explores guitar classics on "Air Guitar" - LemonWire
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Vinny Raniolo explores guitar classics on “Air Guitar”
By Dodie Miller-Gould - March 1, 2018
Vinny Raniolo’s debut album, “Air Guitar,” is set for release April 27, 2018. The album comes after years of Raniolo’s playing with worldrenown musicians and developing his skills as an educator. “Air Guitar” finds the performer reinterpreting classics with his style of vibrant guitar playing. He is accompanied by Elias Bailey on bass. The duo creates rich soundscapes while crafting tribute tunes that sound familiar to listeners while weaving their style throughout.
About Vinny Raniolo
Vinny Raniolo’s reputation as a musician is partially built on his almost incessant touring schedule. In addition, his popular videos that teach guitar playing methods indicate his dedication to the art of learning to play guitar.
Raniolo’s work in the studio and the concert hall extends to popular projects for the small screen. The guitarist has been on three public broadcasting shows, “Tommy Emmanuel and Friends,” “Four Generations of Guitar” (Frank Vignola’s program), and Raniolo has the privilege of being the youngest musician in a lineage of featured jazz guitarists with Bucky Pizzarelli and the “Music Gone Public” series. Raniolo has also performed on the soundtrack and in onscreen appearances for HBO’s “Boardwalk Empire.”
Aside from his teaching, and playing on small screens and in studios and concert halls, Raniolo’s talents have been featured in the films “Cafè Society” and “The Irishman.” It seems that being involved with films by Woody Allen and Martin Scorsese respectively broadens Raniolo’s audience.
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Raniolo is also known for his famous partnerships with other famous musicians. InLove Our Vision? Support Our Work. particular, his work with Vignola. Together, the guitarists have performed thousands of concerts. The two are featured on Tommy Emmanuel’s “Accomplice One.” Mark Knopfler, Jerry Douglas, and David Grisman are also on that album.
While it would seem that a musician of Raniolo’s experience would have multiple albums to his credit. It is difficult to believe that “Air Guitar” is his first album.
“Air Guitar” by Vinny Raniolo
Listeners familiar with jazz, standards and folk music will recognize the music on “Air Guitar.” Probably the most exciting track is the first. “Come Fly With Me” brims and sways with an energetic vibe found in the original. The brightness of the sound will remind audiences of the original. Raniolo’s interpretation finds the guitarist and Bailey playing nimbly and crafting a full soundscape. The overall effect is fun.
Likewise, “Leaving on a Jet Plane” retains its melody and the guitar attempts to re create the song’s lyrical line. Those familiar with the original might “hear” the older version playing while listening to Raniolo’s cover version.
Overall, Raniolo and Bailey perform invigorated classics. A stellar effort for a debut and a cool addition to any jazz fan’s collection.
Dodie Miller-Gould
Dodie MillerGould is a native of Fort Wayne, Indiana. She has BA and MA degrees in English from Indiana UniversityPurdue University, Fort Wayne, and an MFA in Fiction from Minnesota State University, Mankato. Her research interests include popular music and culture, 1920s jazz, and blues, confessional poetry, and the rhetoric of fiction. She has presented at numerous conferences in rhetoric and composition, and creative writing. Her creative works have appeared in Tenth Muse, Apostrophe,
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