"Nuages", John Jorgenson Quintet

"Nuages", performed by the John Jorgenson Quintet (www.johnjorgenson.com) in concert at the Institute of Musical Traditions (www.imtfolk.org), Rockville, Maryland, USA on April 16, 2012.

John Jorgenson is known as one of the pioneers of the American gypsy jazz movement. He has performed as a solo artist as well as collaborated with other musicians all over the world. His articles and lessons on gypsy jazz have appeared in prominent guitar magazines and he has given master classes around the country, and he has performed with some of the most respected European proponents of this style, Bireli Lagrene and Romane.

Audiences are amazed by John's dazzling guitar work as well as his mastery as a clarinet player and vocalist. Whether playing his own accessible compositions or classic standards, John and his band make music that is equally romantic and ecstatic, played with virtuosity and soul.

Growing up in Southern California, John was playing both the piano and the clarinet by age 8. At 12 he got his first guitar and practiced voraciously while continuing to study classical music on woodwinds. By age 14, John was playing professionally. Learning first to play rock guitar, John absorbed other guitar styles as quickly as he discovered them. This broad musical palette has enabled him to play with artists as diverse as Elton John, Luciano Pavarotti, Bonnie Raitt, and Benny Goodman.

John Jorgenson first came to national prominence in the mid 1980's with The Desert Rose Band, which he co-founded with Chris Hillman. The band earned five number one singles and garnered several awards. During this time, John won the ACM's "Guitarist of the Year" award three consecutive times. Following the Desert Rose Band, John formed another award-winning group, the virtuosic guitar trio The Hellecasters.

Originally conceived as a "one off" gig for fun, the group went on to produce three acclaimed CDs and a live video. They won both "Album of the Year" and "Country Album of the Year" from the readers of Guitar Player Magazine for the stunning debut effort Return of the Hellecasters, released in 1993.

Although John Jorgenson is well-renowned in the pop, country and rock world, gypsy jazz is the style of music closest to his heart. Because of his international reputation as a gypsy jazz player, John was twice asked to recreate Django Reinhardt's music for feature films: Gattica and Head in The Clouds. The latter, released in early 2005 and starring Charlize Theron and Penelope Cruz, features John on camera as Django Reinhardt, complete with burned hand and gypsy moustache.

Sound: Art Isaacs, Ben Majchrzak, Dave Eisner, Dave Richardson,Stuart Barkley

Camera: Dick Tufts, Emily Whiting, Ralph Lillie

Editing: Ralph Lillie

© 2012, Institute of Musical Traditions