Denison University's 7th annual Jazz Guitar Festival, featuring a series of clinics and two concerts, is set for Saturday (Oct. 11) and Sunday (Oct. 12). Jazz guitar legend Gene Bertoncini and the Brazilian jazz group Trio da Paz are among the featured artists this year. Tom Carroll, an instructor in Denison's music department and well-known local musician, organized the annual festival.

The festival opens with an afternoon of pre-concert clinics running from 11 a.m. until 5 p.m. on Saturday (Oct. 11) in Burke Rehearsal Room. A featured concert at 8 p.m. on Saturday, in Burke Recital Hall, will highlight Bertoncini and Trio da Paz, with an informal jam session at Brew's following the concert. The festival concludes with a grand finale concert at 4 p.m. on Sunday in Burke featuring Romero Lubambo of Trio da Paz, Bertoncini, Rick Peckham, Stan Smith, Chris Buzzelli, Tim Cummiskey and Carroll. Peckham and Smith extend the music making with a concert on Monday evening (Oct. 13) at 10 p.m. in the Bandersnatch, the coffeehouse in Huffman Hall.

The clinics begin with a "Jam Session" with Tom Carroll (11 a.m.), "Learning Tunes" with Tim Cummiskey (12 p.m.), a concert with Stan Smith/Paul Brown Duo (1 p.m.), "Solo Guitar" with Chris Buzzelli (2 p.m.), "Chromaticism on Guitar" with Rick Peckham (3 p.m.) and "The Music of Brazil" with Trio da Paz (4 p.m.). The afternoon concludes with a discussion and concert preview led by Bertoncini (5 p.m.). All events are free and open to the public.

Returning for his sixth Denison visit, Bertoncini has firmly established himself as one of the most eloquent and versatile masters of the guitar. His performances integrate jazz, classical, pop, and bossa nova styles with his own improvisations. Bertoncini has worked with the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, the Benny Goodman Sextet, Tony Bennett, Lena Horne, Paul Desmond, and Paul Winter, among others, and has been one of the most prolific and popular studio musicians in New York City.

Trio da Paz is one of the best-known Brazilian jazz groups in the world. Guitarist for the group, Romero Lubambo, has been playing since age 13. He was fascinated by the rhythms and melodies defining Brazilian music and American jazz and taught himself through intense research and practice, developing exceptional skill, versatility and fluency in both idioms. Lubambo has been working in New York since 1985 and has performed and recorded with many outstanding artists including Diane Reeves, Herbie Mann and Ivan Lins, to name a few.

Peckham has played guitar since age 8. Hired to teach at Boston's Berklee College of Music in 1986, he has worked in the school's ear training, performance studies and guitar departments, serving as the assistant chair of the guitar department since 1991. Since moving to Boston, Peckham has played with many great jazz musicians, including George Garzone, Jerry Bergonzi, Bob Brookmeyer, Mike Gibbs, Tim Berne, and Bob Moses. Recently, he has toured Ireland several times with composer bassist Ronan Guilfoyle and Germany with guitarist Roland Gebhardt.

Smith, Buzzelli, and Cummiskey are all returning artists to the Festival. Smith is head of the jazz and contemporary guitar curriculum at Capital University as well as guitarist for the Columbus Symphony Pops Series. As a guitarist, he was a member of the Moacir Santos Band in Los Angeles and, as a band leader in Columbus, has accompanied various artists such as Ernie Watts and David Amram as well as performing in clubs, concerts and festivals. He also has conducted clinics at the International Association of Jazz Educators Conferences. Buzzelli, who plays the 7-string guitar, directs the guitar program at Bowling Green State University and has recorded a number of albums. In 1993 he recorded with organist Brother Jack McDuff on the Schoolkids Records release "Boss of the B-3" which led to his first release as a leader, "What Goes Around," where he is featured in solo, duo, and trio settings on both six and seven string guitar. Cummiskey is on the faculty of Ohio State and Kenyon College. He performs as both a leader and a sideman throughout the Midwest and leads several groups ranging from solo jazz and classical guitar to group configurations including duos, The Tim Cummiskey Trio, and The Tim Cummiskey Quartet.

Carroll has been an instructor in Denison's music department since 1980. He has performed with Ernie Watts, Hank Marr, Rusty Bryant and Gary Carney, and leads his own ensemble, The Tom Carroll Trio. He also is an organizer of theBluesfest which attracted large audiences at its recent weekend concerts.

About Denison:

Denison University, founded in 1831, is an independent, residential liberal arts institution located in Granville, Ohio. A highly selective college enrolling 2,100 full-time undergraduate students from all 50 states and dozens of foreign countries, Denison is a place where innovative faculty and motivated students collaborate in rigorous scholarship, civic engagement and the cultivation of independent thinking.

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