Jimmy Bruno
Encyclopedia
Biography
Born in Philadelphia, PennsylvaniaPennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
, Bruno started playing at the age of 7. He began his professional career at the age of 19, touring with Buddy Rich
Buddy Rich
Bernard "Buddy" Rich was an American jazz drummer and bandleader. Rich was billed as "the world's greatest drummer" and was known for his virtuosic technique, power, groove, and speed.-Early life:...
. Among his many credits, he is the only guitarist to have ever led Frank Sinatra's
Frank Sinatra
Francis Albert "Frank" Sinatra was an American singer and actor.Beginning his musical career in the swing era with Harry James and Tommy Dorsey, Sinatra became an unprecedentedly successful solo artist in the early to mid-1940s, after being signed to Columbia Records in 1943. Being the idol of the...
band. He played for many years in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
before returning to the Philadelphia area.
He counts Johnny Smith
Johnny Smith
Johnny Smith is an American cool jazz and mainstream jazz guitarist.-Early years:...
, Hank Garland
Hank Garland
Walter Louis Garland , better known as Hank Garland, was a Nashville studio musician who performed with Elvis Presley, Patsy Cline, Roy Orbison and many others.-Biography:...
, Joe Pass
Joe Pass
Joe Pass was an Italian-American jazz guitarist of Sicilian descent. He is generally considered to be one of the greatest jazz guitarists of the 20th century...
, Tal Farlow
Tal Farlow
Talmage Holt Farlow was an American jazz guitarist. Nicknamed the "Octopus", Farlow's extremely large hands spread over the fretboard as if they were tentacles. He is considered one of the all-time great jazz guitarists. Michael G...
, Wes Montgomery
Wes Montgomery
John Leslie "Wes" Montgomery was an American jazz guitarist. He is widely considered one of the major jazz guitarists, emerging after such seminal figures as Django Reinhardt and Charlie Christian and influencing countless others, including Pat Martino, George Benson, Russell Malone, Emily...
, Howard Roberts
Howard Roberts
Howard Roberts was an American jazz guitarist, educator and session musician.-Biography:Roberts was born in Phoenix, Arizona, and began playing guitar at age 8. By the time he was 15 he was playing professionally locally....
, Jim Hall
Jim Hall (musician)
James Stanley Hall is an American jazz guitarist.-Biography:Educated at the Cleveland Institute of Music, Hall moved to Los Angeles where he began to attract national, and then international, attention in the late 1950s...
, and Pat Martino
Pat Martino
Pat Martino is an Italian-American jazz guitarist and composer within the post bop, fusion, mainstream jazz, soul jazz and hard bop idioms.-Biography:...
amongst his influences.
In March, 2011 Jimmy opened up Jimmy Bruno's Guitar Workshop, a website that allows students to learn directly from Jimmy through video lessons. A student can watch video lessons of Jimmy teaching, record a video and send it to Jimmy for his review.
Selected discography
- Hollywood Gypsy (1986) - with the Tommy TedescoTommy TedescoThomas J. Tedesco was an American master session musician and renowned jazz and bebop guitarist.Tedesco's credits include the iconic brand-burning accompaniment theme from television's Bonanza, The Twilight Zone, Vic Mizzy's iconic theme from Green Acres, M*A*S*H, Batman, and Elvis Presley's '68...
Trio - Sleight of Hand (1992), ConcordConcord RecordsConcord Records is a U.S. record label now based in Beverly Hills, California. Originally known as Concord Jazz, it was established in 1972 as an off-shoot of the Concord Jazz Festival in Concord, California by festival founder Carl Jefferson, a local automobile dealer and jazz fan who sold his...
- Burnin (1994), Concord
- Concord Jazz Guitar Collective (1995), Concord - with Howard AldenHoward AldenHoward Alden is an American jazz guitarist born in Newport Beach, California. He has recorded a long series of albums for Concord Records. His performances were dubbed over Sean Penn as 'Emmet Ray' in the 1999 Woody Allen film Sweet and Lowdown...
& Frank Vignola - Like That (1996), Concord - with Joey DeFrancescoJoey DeFrancescoJoey DeFrancesco is an American jazz organist, trumpeter, and vocalist. Down Beat's Critics and Readers Poll selected him as the top jazz organist every year since 2003.DeFrancesco was born in Springfield, Pennsylvania...
- Live at Birdland One (1997), Concord
- Full Circle (1998), Concord - with Howard Alden
- Live at Birdland Two (1999), Concord
- Polarity (2000), Concord - with Joe BeckJoe BeckJoe Beck was an American guitarist who had been notable in jazz for more than 30 years.Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Beck also briefly flirted with rock music in the late 1960s and early 1970s...
- Two for the Road (2000) - with John Leitham, now Jennifer Leitham
- Midnight Blue (2001), Concord
- Heading North (2001) - with Jack WilkinsJack WilkinsJack Wilkins is a guitarist born on June 3, 1944 in Brooklyn, New York. He has played with many jazz greats including Stanley Turrentine, Jimmy Heath, Epitaph , and bassist Eddie Gomez, as well as with singers Mel Tormé, Ray Charles, Morgana King, Sarah Vaughan, Tony Bennett, The Manhattan...
- Solo (2004), Guitar Sessions
- MB3 Jazz Hits, Volume 1 (2006) - with Vic JurisVic JurisVictor E. Jurusz, Jr., known professionally as Vic Juris is an American jazz guitarist.Juris played with Lyn Christie early in the 1970s and made his first recordings with Eric Kloss in 1975. Soon after he joined Barry Miles 's group, remaining with Miles well into the 1980s...
& Corey Christiansen - Maplewood Avenue (2007), Affiliated Artists
Selected bibliography
- Art of Picking, Mel Bay
- Six Essential Fingerings for the Jazz Guitarist
- No Nonsense Jazz Guitar, Mel Bay, DVD