Denison University's eighth annual Jazz Guitar Festival, featuring a series of clinics and two concerts, is scheduled for Saturday (Oct. 2) and Sunday (Oct. 3). Jazz guitar legend Bucky Pizzarelli is among this year's featured artists. Tom Carroll, an instructor in Denison's music department and well-known local musician, organized the annual event, which will be among the highlights of Parents' Weekend.

The festival opens with an afternoon of pre-concert clinics running from 11 a.m. until 4 p.m. on Saturday (Oct. 2) in Burke Hall Rehearsal Room. Participating are Chris Buzzelli, Tim Cummiskey, Stan Smith, and Carroll. There will also be a special presentation by guitar maker Gary Zimnicki. At 4:30 p.m., guitar legend Pizzarelli will be present at a meet and greet prior to his performance. The featured concert will begin at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday (Oct. 2), in Burke Recital Hall. The festival concludes with a grand finale concert at 4 p.m. on Sunday in Burke and features a special appearance by "The Frank and Joe Show" with guitarist Frank Vignola and percussionist Joe Ascione.

Pizzarelli is a returning artist to the festival, having been here most recently in 2002. He has been a fixture in jazz circles and the studios since the early 1950s. Self-taught, Pizzarelli has long been a master of the 7-string guitar. He toured with Vaughn Monroe, before and after a stint in the military, has worked on the staff of NBC and ABC, and toured several times with Benny Goodman. Pizzarelli has since kept up a busy recording schedule and plays often at jazz parties. He has recorded with his son, John Pizzarelli, on an occasional basis since the early 80s. Pizzarelli's most recent recording,Flashes: Solo 7-String Guitar 3, was released this month.

Buzzelli, Cummiskey, and Smith are all past festival performers. Smith is head of the jazz and contemporary guitar curriculum at Capital University as well as a guitarist for the Columbus Symphony Pops Series. Buzzelli, who also plays the 7-string guitar, directs the guitar program at Bowling Green State University and has recorded a number of albums. Cummiskey, another 7-string guitar player, is a member of the faculty at the Ohio State University and at Kenyon College. He currently leads several groups ranging form solo jazz and classical guitar to duos, trios, and a quintet.

Guy Remonko on drums and Doug Richeson on bass are other featured performers at the festival. Remonko is professor emeritus of music at Ohio University and an affiliated studio instructor of percussion at Denison. In addition to teaching percussion, he directs Denison's Latin-Jazz Percussion Ensemble and is a member of the Faculty Jazz Quintet. He is also active as a clinician and free-lance jazz drummer/percussionist presenting clinics and performing at major clubs and festivals throughout the country. Richeson, an affiliated studio instructor in Denison's music department, has toured and recorded with Phil Collins. Richeson has also performed with Tony Bennett and has appeared on three Grammy-award winning albums with him. He has recorded for movie and television soundtracks and performed several time at the White House for the President. Richeson also holds a teaching position at the Ohio University School of Music and taught previously at Capital University's Conservatory of Music.

Carroll has been an instructor in Denison's music department since 1980. The Beatles and The Rolling Stones drew him into music. He has performed with Ernie Watts, Marvin Stamm, Rusty Bryant and Gary Carney and leads his own ensemble, The Tom Carroll Trio. He also is the organizer of theBlues fest, 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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