The 19th annual Denison University Jazz Guitar Festival will be held on Saturday and Sunday, October 24th and 25th at the Burke Hall of Music and Art, on Denison’s campus at 240 West Broadway, Granville, 43023. Once again, Denison guitar instructor and festival organizer Tom Carroll has assembled a roster of world class jazz guitarists to provide FREE education and entertainment. After a Saturday afternoon of workshops led by local greats including Brett Burleson and Don Hales, the first of two free concerts will be held in the Burke Recital Hall at 7:30pm, featuring the world-class guitar duo of Bucky Pizzarelli and Ed Laub, with special guest guitarist Frank Vignola. The second festival concert, on Sunday at 4pm in Burke Recital Hall, will feature fusion guitar virtuoso Larry Coryell. After Coryell’s performance, there will be a Grand Finale which brings together all performers and clinicians for a top-flight jam. Keep reading for insights from Carroll, as well as the full festival schedule. This is a great jazz chance for students and fans to get an up-close glimpse at the majesty of jazz guitar.
Tom Carroll on the featured performers: “Bucky Pizzarelli is 89 and will be 90 in January. He has played with and/or recorded with just about everyone in jazz and pop since 1948. Sinatra right up until Paul McCartney! Although much younger than Bucky, Larry is essentially the first jazz guitarist that the term ‘jazz-rock’ was used to describe. He also has played with a who’s who of jazz and rock over the last 40 years…Gary Burton, Sonny Rollins, John McLaughlin, Brecker Brothers, Jimi Hendrix! Frank Vignola is another generation younger than Larry. He tours with guitar ‘god’ Tommy Emmanuel and his website can give you a bigger picture of his history.”
Carroll on the festival at large: “This year marks the 19th Denison Jazz Guitar Festival. This is the longest ongoing jazz guitar festival in the country. The mission of the fest is to celebrate the guitar and to bring performers who have made an impact on the history of jazz guitar to our campus. The artists interact with our students through the clinics and perform a concert. Historically, after the last concert on Sunday, all of the artists and clinicians do a ‘Grand Finale’ where we all sit on stage and call tunes. This is always an unplanned and exciting way to end the weekend. Some of the artists we’ve presented: Bucky Pizzarelli, Howard Alden, Frank Vignola, Julian Lage, Gene Bertoncini, Jack Wilkins, Romero Lubambo, Duke Robillard, Kenny Poole, Cal Collins…and MANY more.”
Denison Jazz Guitar Festival Schedule
Saturday, October 24th
Workshops:
12:30 pm doors open – “Informal Jam” with Tom Carroll
1:00 pm “Wes Montgomery” Concert/Demo with Brett Burleson
2:00 pm “A Life as a Guitar Player” Concert/Demo with Don Hales
3:00 pm “7-String Guitar, How it Works” with Chris Buzzelli
4:00 pm “Ed Laub, Frank Vignola and Bucky Pizzarelli” Concert Preview and Q&A
Concert I
Bucky Pizzarelli and Ed Laub, guitar
and Special Guest: Frank Vignola, guitar
Tom Carroll, director
Burke Recital Hall – 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, October 25th
Concert II
Special Guest: Larry Coryell, American jazz fusion guitarist
Tom Carroll, director
Burke Recital Hall – 4:00 p.m.
“Grand Finale” immediately following