Frank Vignola – The Most Incredible Jazz Music Guitar Player Ever!
Guitar player Frank Vignola is considered to be among the top rank of guitar performers on the jazz guitar music scene today! Born on December 30, 1965 on Long Island, New York, he began performing on guitar at the age of 5. As his proficiency grew, he devoted a lot of hours listening to the songs of legendary jazz guitarists Django Reinhardt, Joe Pass, and Johnny Smith. Frank gained a spiritual kind of inspiration from these guitar performers albums whilst also making an intricate examination of the complexities of these guitar virtuosos’ styles – slowing down his vinyl record albums to evaluate quite a few solos.
Frank’s initial teacher was his father, a semi-professional banjo player. Later, Frank became the super star student of guitar player Jimmy George, who was one of the original Dion and the Belmonts. At age twelve, Frank took up the tenor banjo and swiftly burst upon the music scene in a way that would portend a lot of the accolades and milestones to come in his career as a jazz guitar performer and educator who would later publish collection books of jazz guitar tabs and jazz guitar tablatures.
Though obviously steeped in the traditional schools of jazz songs, especially in his formative years, Frank would eventually receive inspiration from la arge arc of the musical spectrum. Guitar performers such as Django Reinhardt, Charlie Christian, Wes Montgomery and Lonnie Johnson are obvious influences, but one might be astonished to discover that rocker Jimi Hendrix has also received the close investigation of Frank’s inquisitive ear. Louis Armstrong, Lester Young, Thelonius Monk, Charlie Parker, Sonny Stitt, Antonio Carlos Jobim, Thad Jones and Duke Ellington have all had inspirational impact on his guitar compositions. Frank attended the Cultural Arts Centre on Long Island, New York and graduated from there with honors. Whilst he was there he performed in numerous progressive rock bands and at the age of fifteen Frank won a competition sponsored by the McDonalds Corporation to play in their State Jazz Band.
Even though still in his teens, Frank acquired the most important musical training possible – right on the bandstand as a working musician! Soon named amongst the top ranked musicians in New York, Frank played and traveled with such headliners as Max Morath and Leon Redbone. At age 23, he decided to head up his own group and created his variation of the famed Quintet of the Hot Club of France. Their debut at the New York cabaret, Michael’s Pub, was a smash success and launched his career as a guitarist “in the spotlight.” Concert tours of Europe, record sessions, and an exclusive recording contract with the Concord Jazz Record Company label would all follow in rapid succession in a few short years. Frank would go on to perform and/or record with such varied musicians as Chet Atkins, Madonna, Jon Faddis, Woody Allen, Ringo Starr, The Manhattan Transfer, Frank Wess, Elvin Jones, Lionel Hampton and numerous other legends from the golden age of jazz.
More recently, Frank Vignola has been the guitar performer with the Mark O’Conner Trio’s tribute to Stephane Grappelli and was additionally playing each and every Monday night with the Les Paul Trio at the Iridium in New York City till Les Paul passed away. Frank has also been playing with John Lewis’ band Evolution. Thankfully for aspiring guitarists, Frank has gone on to release a lot of instructional guitar tab book/CDs and DVD programs which teach his harmonic and melodic ideas and the guitar techniques that he uses when he plays.
Peabody Conservatory trained guitarist Steven Herron helps guitar players become better guitarists. His company ChordMelody.com features an enormous selection of jazz guitar tablatures
as well as instructional DVDs by Frank Vignola himself. Find out more and claim Steven’s popular free monthly guitar lesson e-course available at: =>
Frank Vignola guitar tabs
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