Mel Bay Jimmy Bruno & Jack Wilkins: Live from the Theatre at Washington Virginia
Born in Philadelphia on July 22, 1953, Jimmy Bruno was first exposed to music by his parents at a very early age. His mother was a singer and his father, Jimmy Bruno, Sr., was a notable jazz guitarist who was best known for his performance in 1959 on the hit recording "Guitar Boogie Shuffle" with Frank Virtue and the Virtues. When Bruno was about eight his childhood love for music began to develop when his father brought home what would be Jimmy s first guitar. As a child, he never had any formal training, but instead absorbed the life altering sounds of Ella Fitzgerald, Charlie Parker, Art Tatum, John Coltrane and Oscar Peterson. In 1973, when Bruno was just nineteen, he landed his first big gig when Buddy Rich came to Philly holding auditions for a guitarist. He spent the next year on the road with Buddy, receiving quite a musical education. When he returned to Philadelphia in 1974, he found few gigs as a jazz musician and decided to try his luck playing in Las Vegas, finally settling in Los Angeles as a studio musician. In the end it wasn t the place or the music he loved. Since his return to Philly in 1988, Jimmy Bruno has created a name that is synonymous with jazz guitar, recording numerous albums for Concord Records and now for Mel Bay Records. In addition to his new album with Mel Bay Records, Jimmy Bruno has recently been featured in three, live concert DVDs released through Mel Bay Records - Jimmy Bruno: Live at Chris CafÃ©, Volumes 1 and 2 and Jimmy Bruno and Jack Wilkins: Live at The Theatre. Jimmy is also a Mel Bay author who to date has written several instructional books for six and seven string jazz guitar. Jimmy Bruno is co-chair of the Jazz Guitar Department at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, PA and is a featured writer for Just Jazz Guitar Magazine. For more than four decades Jack Wilkins has played an important role in the New York jazz community. His list of credentials and past performances reads like Who s Who of Jazz. Over the years he has backed many of finest jazz singers from Mel Torme, Ray Charles, Morgana King, Sarah Vaughan, Tony Bennett, to the Manhattan Transfer, Nancy Marano, Stanley Turrentine and Jay Clayton. Most recently, Wilkins has shared the stage with jazz greats: Jimmy Heath, The Mingus Epitaph and jazz bassist Eddie Gomez. Born in Brooklyn, NY, Jack began playing the guitar at the early age of ten. His childhood idols included Django Reinhardt, Charlie Christian, Wes Montgomery, Bill Evans, Clifford Brown, Freddie Hubbard and Johnny Smith. In 1973, at the age of 29, Jack recorded his first album as a leader. Since then he has recorded numerous projects on many different labels including his first release with Mel Bay Records. Besides his extensive recording and performing career, Jack Wilkins has written several books as a Mel Bay author and recently was featured in a live concert DVD with his friend and fellow jazz guitarist, Jimmy Bruno entitled Jimmy Bruno and Jack Wilkins: Live from The Theatre in Washington, Virginia presented by The Benedetto Players and Mel Bay Records. Jack Wilkins has been awarded an NEA grant in recognition of his artistic achievement and contributions to guitar. He was invited to the Smithsonian Institution to take part in the "Blue Guitars" exhibit, and appeared on the P.S. I. first live jazz Internet concert. He was also featured as part of the J.V.C. New York festival tribute to Johnny Smith, Tal Farlow and Herb Ellis and Barney Kessel. Jack Wilkins teaches at The New School and Manhattan School of Music and frequently conducts seminars and guitar clinics, both in New York and abroad.