Guitarists Who Need More Exposure By Dom Minasi

Welcome To My blog. Every once in a while I will introduce you to emerging or established to guitarists who fly just under the radar of public recognition. Each fielded the same questions and recommended a video.

Jack DeSalvo

Jack is a guitarist, composer, multi-instrumentalist and has performed on more than 60 albums as leader and sideman and as one of the co-owners of Unseen Rain Records. He has produced almost 100recordings for Unseen Rain Records. Hailed in THE WIRE magazine as masterful, he has played and recorded with numerous jazz greats and performed at major European festivals including a sojourn with Ronald Shannon Jackson that resulted in the classic record Red Warrior. His latest recording is Bare Trees on Unseen Rain Records. To learn more about Jack, visit his website: https://www.jackdesalvo.com/

DM: How long have you played the guitar? Jack De Salvo56 Years DM: Who are your major influences? JD: Keith Jarret, John Coltrane, Miles Davis, Django Reinhard, Ralph Towner, John McLaughlin, Bill Connors, Tal Farlow , Lenny Breau, and many more DM: Why jazz? JD: Jazz is currently the most sophisticated and flexible musical tradition that allows for ultimate expression through improvisation while allowing for composition to (or not) affect the direction of the music DM: How do you feel about the use of electronic effects with guitar? JD: It depends on the context. Lately, I've been playing mostly acoustic nylon string, but I do play electric guitar on gigs and recordings and occasionally use reverb.. DM: Where do you think jazz is headed? JD: Jazz has always been absorbing material from every possible style of music in the world and will continue to grow and expand. Popular culture has dipped far below even the lowest common denominator, which along with the devaluation of music in general via streaming, etc. does not bode well for the jazz world, but musicians and jazz listeners' passion for the music has only grown. Whether in a tiny room or a large concert hall Jazz in its many forms will grow and flourish creatively.

Dan Arcamone

Dan is a guitarist, composer, and educator hailing from Norwalk, CT. Arcamone’s powerful yet elegant style has been winning over audiences and critics alike. Intricately constructed single-note phrases and rich chordal landscapes mark his highly individualized style, Arcamone's musical style is hard to pin down with a single term, needless to say, it is the result of years of focused study and performance. These experiences have culminated in a personalized approach to the guitar that challenges the listener to think outside their common expectations. As a leader, Dan’s most recent recording is Standards, Vol. 1 (2021), Psalm (2019), In addition to his recordings, Arcamone has also released two exercise books (Melodic Continuity and Counterpoint Exercises on Familiar Chord Progressions) and a collection of his over-60 compositions (Dan Arcamone Songbook). To learn more about Dan, visit his website: https://www.danarcamone.com/music DM: How long have you played guitar DA: It’s been about 28-29 years. DM: Who are your major influences? DA: My earliest jazz influences for guitar were {{Pat Martino }}, {Pat Metheny}}, and {{Chris Morrison}}, who was my teacher during my undergrad studies at Western Connecticut State University. Ben Monder, John Stowell,{{ John Scofield}}, Kurt Rosenwinkel, and {{Allan Holdsworth }}have also been major influences of mine. In recent years, {{Rich Goldstein }} of The Hartt School has influenced my playing as well. I completed my master’s degree at Hartt in the Spring of 2021. I also like to listen to saxophone players such as, {{John Coltrane }}and Michael Brecker especially when I was first interested in learning jazz. Lately, I’ve been more interested in piano players, mainly, Keith Jarrett and Brad Mehldau. DM: Why Jazz? DA: I don’t consider the music I play to be jazz most of the time but use ingredients that I learned from studying jazz. I usually refer to it as modern improvised music. Mostly I like the improvisation element of jazz. My understanding of chords and how they work with scales for soloing comes from listening to and studying jazz. I like the idea of everyone in the band improvising together and reacting to what is happening in real-time. I like how my music can sound different depending on who is playing it with me and how the same songs never sound the same. DM: How do you feel about the use of electronic effects with guitar? DA: I use effects all the time. I always use delay and reverb. I almost always use overdrive when I’m soloing. Growing up I listened to mainly rock and metal and still listen to that stuff a lot. I prefer soloing with an overdriven tone rather than a clean tone. It sounds more like a saxophone to me. I’m able to sustain notes for a long time and the notes blend into each other more. I like the variety of different textures that effects offer. Sometimes I like to create ambient pads. On my recording, “Evolve”, I used a looping pedal to layer pads instead of comping more traditionally. DM: Where do you think jazz is headed? DA: I don’t see things changing too much. Some players make music in the bebop/hard bop traditions and then there are those that blend influences from other musical genres with jazz. Some mix classical music with jazz while others might mix rock music with it. The term “jazz” makes me think of swing, syncopation, specific rhythms, and melodic ideas. I think jazz will continue to branch out sideways as opposed to in a straight line heading somewhere. Just forms of music, borrowing certain elements from jazz, existing alongside it.

Frank DiBussolo

Frank has been a professional musician since 1965. He has worked with many distinguished artists such as Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, Diana Ross, and many others. As a soloist, he has been featured with the bands of Buddy Rich, Dizzy Gillespie, Art Blakey, Bucky Pizzarelli, Howard Alden}, Lester Lannin, and more. He is a graduate of Widener University and the Combs College of Music where he earned the Master of Music and Doctor of Musical Arts degrees. He has served on the faculties of Swarthmore College, Moravian College, Lehigh University, and the Combs College of Music. Dr. DiBussolo has recorded extensively and can be heard on the Naxos, DBK, and Lost World record labels. For his work in the recording industry, he has been nominated eight times for The Grammy Award in various categories. He is published in Guitar Player, The Educator, and Just Jazz Guitar magazines as well as in the Groves Dictionary. His current recording is Average White Cats on the Lost World label. To learn more about Frank, visit his website: https://frankdibussolo.com/ DM: How long have you played the guitar? FD: 58 years DM: Who are your major influences? FD: My greatest influences are Tony Mottola, Tal Farlow, Kenny Burrell, Wes Montgomery, Joe Pass, Pat Martino and, Andres Segovia. DM: Why Jazz? FD: I was drawn to the jazz guitar first by the sound, timbre of the traditional archtop, and the freedom of interpretation and improvisation both in the melodic and harmonic components of the genre. DM: How do you feel about the use of electronic effects with guitar? FD: I believe that the use of electronic effects has a place in certain situations, but that the essence of the sound of the electric jazz guitar is created by the hands of the player. The touch, attack, nuance, and phrasing are as individual as a fingerprint. Truly great players are recognized first by the sound they produce and then by the content they play. DM: Where do you think jazz is headed? FD: I think that the evolution of jazz will continue to assume the new styles that emerge in the pop field. The assimilation of elements like hip-hop, ethnic and cultural icons will bring change overall. However, I also see younger players reverting to more traditional playing. Standard tunes, blues-based forms, and a solid grounding in the masters that came before them. One thing is certain, one cannot master the instrument without mastering the Craft! Vinnie Zummo



Vinnie is a guitarist, drummer, producer, writer, arranger, sound designer, custom hip-hop drum loops, accordion,

chromatic harmonica, and top call session player and composer in NYC. He is best known for his eclectic approach and genre-hopping which is always bop-based. Vinnie has also recorded with many other artists. His bop trio has performed in NYC frequently as well as appearances in Santa Fe, Florida, and many, many more. At various times his trio has featured Janice Zummo (his wife and an amazing singer/composer in her own right), Yasushi Nakamura, Mike Clark, Cameron Brown}, Gerald Cannon, Adam Nausbaum, Ray Marchica, Terry Silverlight, Rick Cutler, Ron McClure, Chip Jackson, and Bettenelli. Vinnie has played with Bob Mover, Kenny Baron, Chet Baker}, Dom Minasi}, Kenny Washington, Rick Cutler, Will Lee, Frank Gravis, Dave Katzenberg, John Abercrombie, and many more. To learn more about Vinny go to his website: https://vinniezummo.wordpress.com DM: How long have you played the guitar? VZ: I started on guitar when I was 14. DM: Who are your major influences? VZ: Bach, Beethoven, Handel, Stravinsky, Miles Davis, John Coltrane, John McLaughlin, Jeff Beck, Allan Holdsworth, Cecil Taylor, Bill Evans,Wayne Shorter and, Dave Liebman . Why jazz? VZ: Because it's based on improvisation DM: How do you feel about the use of electronic effects with guitar? VZ: I feel good about it. I have been using guitar-synthesizers and effects for many years, but at the moment I mainly use an acoustic guitar. DM, Where do you think jazz is headed? VZ: I feel jazz is moving into a more world-music approach, mainly because of globalization, which allows easy access to different cultures and instant interaction and inspiration for all musicians and artists in general.