Galletto's

Sunday, July 6, 2008 - 7:30 PM!

982 South Westlake Blvd., Thousand Oaks, CA

Tel: (805) 449-4300

Take the 101 Freeway to the Westlake Blvd. offramp and go towards the ocean (west/south) until you reach Townsgate (the first signal with a left-turn only lane). Make a left turn on Townsgate and look for the driveway to the outdoor mall on your right. Make a right turn.

John Pisano's Guitar Night
John Pisano | Mel Bay Records (2007)

By Michael P. Gladstone

In 1997, guitarist and entrepreneur John Pisano convinced a Los Angeles club owner to allow him to promote a series of jazz guitarists, who would perform on a weekly basis, with a different artist appearing each week. The debut of thisseries began at Papashon’s and was later moved to Donte's (now long shuttered). The weekly event is still going strong almost ten years later, currently at Spazio's. Pisano has been providing the guitarists who work in this setting as a cooperative rather than competitive event.

This two disc package from Mel Bay Records is a marvel of mainstream jazz guitar. Recorded over the past ten years live at these Guitar Nights, it offers a fascinating display of talent and collaboration among the players. The very first track is “I'll Never Be the Same,” and was recorded at Papashon’s on the very first Guitar Night. It was fitting that the master of the seven string guitar, George Van Eps, who passed away shortly after this recording was made, plays in duet with bassist Luther Hughes. Guitarist Herb Ellis is then heard with Pisano and a rhythm section on “The Blues,” and then more heatedly on “I Want to Be Happy.”

Subsequent tracks present a series of solo, duo with bass, or trio with bass and drums, for a roster of plectrists, some of whom are well-known, while others are more obscure. In the first category, consider that Anthony Wilson, Frank Potenza and Larry Koonse represent some of the best guitarist from the West Coast, while Peter Bernstein, the able New York guitar slinger, is also aboard. Veteran Joe Diorio performs a splendid “Round Midnight,” while Ted Greene dazzles with his solo version of “When Sunny Gets Blue.” Pat Kelley and Barry Zweig more than acquit themselves, with their respective work on “Minor 6th Sense” and “Falling In Love With Love.”

The bop standard “Wee,” from jazz educator Corey Christiansen, more than ends this package on an up note. The only damper on this fire is the inclusion of fusion guitarist Scott Henderson for his version of Wayne Shorter's “Footprints,” a cold metal take of this jazz standard. In comparison, when Henderson concludes his solo and hands it off to John Pisano, it sounds like the Seventh Calvary has arrived. In the perspective of all of this swinging guitar music, it is a small price to pay.

Through it all Pisano, who appears on many of these Guitar Night selections, maintains the sound of a perfect accompanist, allowing his guests their solos, then responding in a reflective and always melodic fashion in keeping with his role as the perfect host.

Visit John Pisano on the web.
John Pisano at All About Jazz.

Track listing: CD1: I'll Never Be The Same; The Blues; I Want To Be Happy; Good Bait; When Sunny Gets Blue; Rosetta; Whisper Not; My One and Only Love. CD2: 'Round Midnight; Falling In Love With Love; Autumn Leaves; All Of You; I Thought About You; Minor 6th Sense; Footprints; Wee.

Personnel: Peter Bernstein: guitar; Corey Christiansen: guitar; Joe Diorio: guitar; Herb Ellis: guitar; Ted Greene: guitar; Scott Henderson: guitar; Pat Kelley: guitar; Larry Koonse: guitar; John Pisano: guitar; Frank Potenza: guitar; George Van Eps: guitar; Anthony Wilson: guitar; Barry Zweig: guitar; Luther Hughes: bass; Chuck Berghofer: bass; Jim Hughart: bass; Dave Carpenter: bass; John Belzaguy: bass; Colin Bailey: drums; Peter Donald: drums; Dick Weller: drums; Tim Pleasant: drums; Ralph Humphrey: drums; Kendall Kay: drums.

Photo by Bob Barry

JAZZ REVIEW

Guitarists strut their stuff at Spazio

The host's 10th anniversary at Spazio brings out the area's best.

By Don Heckman, Special to The Times
September 20, 2007

In case anyone doubted that the guitar belongs in the foreground, with sax, brass and piano, as one of the jazz world's primary instruments, Tuesday's 10th anniversary celebration of John Pisano's Guitar Nights at Spazio in Sherman Oaks was a vibrant reminder.

From 8 p.m. until midnight, a nonstop parade of the Southland's finest guitarists streamed across the stage. One marveled that on a single night, in a single location, so much first-rate talent could be on hand. Even more, the performances, from lesser-known to established players, took place at a consistently high level.

Pisano's stewardship of these weekly guitar jams undoubtedly had a great deal to do with the turnout. A veteran whose résumé spans stints with Chico Hamilton and Frank Sinatra and duets with Joe Pass and a founding role with the Tijuana Brass, the guitarist balances superb accompaniment abilities with articulate, airily paced soloing.

With nearly 20 guitarists eager to play -- with the steady backing of bassist Jim Hughart and drummer Kendall Kay -- Pisano occasionally stepped aside from his usual duet role, allowing various other pairs to match skills.

Before he did, however, he paired up, first with Pat Kelly, then Frank Potenza, on romps through "There Is No Greater Love" and "And I Thought About You." In each case, Pisano's subtle chording and gently swinging solos provided perfect counterpoint to the assertive lines of his partners.

Next up, Bruce Forman's duets with Potenza and Mike Anthony revealed more inspired improvising, especially from Forman, whose colorful style, with its mix of arching melodies and fast-fingered virtuosity, was one of the evening's highlights.

Other players followed in rapid succession -- Tim May, Dan Sawyer, Barry Zweig and Ron Anthony, with Zweig and Anthony's pairing on "Broadway" an irresistible example of contemporary guitar swing.

Jim Fox and veteran Bob Bain's take on "Crazy Rhythm" was equally propulsive, and Frederico Ramos, working with Pisano, offered a stunning version of "One Note Samba."

Other players -- Ron Eschete, Jamie Rosenn, Mark Towns, Doug MacDonald and Steve Cotter -- made the most of their relatively brief appearances.

The pinnacle of this remarkable night was the duo of Anthony Wilson and Larry Koonse, using "It Could Happen to You" as the springboard for an astonishingly inventive, on the spot set of variations.

Perhaps more than any other pairing, that of Wilson and Koonse revealed why the guitar has become such a definitive jazz voice. Using all the instrument's capacities -- long, single-string solo lines, bent notes, rhythmic strumming, lush chording -- and tossing them back and forth in ever more fascinating musical challenges, the musicians delivered a performance that defined what John Pisano's Guitar Nights are all about: the pleasures of the contemporary jazz guitar.

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