John Jorgenson

The 12th Annual Denison Jazz Guitar Festival, directed by Tom Carroll, will be held Oct. 18 and 19. Clinics will be held in the rehearsal room of Burke Recital Hall on Saturday, Oct. 18, from 12 to 4 p.m. A meet-and-greet with Martin Taylor, internationally acclaimed jazz guitar soloist, will follow the clinics at 4 p.m. Taylor will be featured in the festival’s opening concert in Burke Recital Hall at 8 p.m. that evening.

On Sunday Oct. 19, the festival will present a Grand Finale Concert featuring the John Jorgenson Quintet at 4 p.m. in Burke Recital Hall.

The John Jorgenson Quintet features guitarist John Jorgenson, a founding member of the Desert Rose Band, the Hellecasters, and six-year member of Elton John’s band. Artists ranging from Barbra Streisand to Bonnie Raitt to Earl Scruggs have sought out Jorgenson’s guitar work. Recently, John Jorgenson was chosen to portray Django Reinhardt in the feature film Head in the Clouds.

At a John Jorgenson Quintet performance, audiences are amazed by John’s dazzling guitar work as well as his mastery as a clarinet player and vocalist. Whether playing his own accessible compositions or classic standards, John and his band make music that is equally romantic and ecstatic, played with virtuosity and soul.

John Jorgenson is known as one of the pioneers of the American gypsy jazz movement. He has performed as a solo artist as well as collaborated with other musicians all over the world. His articles and lessons on gypsy jazz have appeared in prominent guitar magazines and he has given master classes around the country, and he has performed with some of the most respected European proponents of this style, Bireli Lagrene and Romane. His playing has been included on a CD with Babik Reinhardt and Jimmy Rosenberg, and on another featuring Angelo Debarre and Moreno. In 1988 Curb Records released Jorgenson’s “After You’ve Gone” CD, a collection of Reinhardt- and Goodman-styled 1930s swing, featuring guest artists Darol Anger and David Grisman.

      Martin Taylor

Award-winning guitarist Martin Taylor has established a unique musical career as an internationally acclaimed musician, and his inimitable style has seen him recognized as one of the world’s foremost exponent of solo jazz guitar playing.

Although completely self-taught, Martin has enjoyed a remarkable musical career spanning across four decades. During that time has invented and developed a way of playing the guitar that is admired and often imitated by guitarists all over the world. As well as being a true guitar innovator, he is also a master concert performer, dazzling audiences with his solo shows, which combine virtuosity, emotion and humor with a strong stage presence.

The Jazz Guitar Festival is sponsored by Denison’s Department of Music and the University Programming Council. All Jazz Guitar Festival events are free and open to the public.

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