by Doc Dosco
Today we feature a wonderful player and one of my Los Angeles guitar friends, Brad Rabuchin. Brad smokes, folks. Check him out!
Online Bio:
Born in Dec 1955, Brad Rabuchin grew up in Pasadena, Ca oblivious to the classic rock era of the 60s until one night on TV catching Mason Williams playing his guitar instrumental “Classical Gas” on a guitar with fish swimming around inside of it! He then delved into playing, first mostly acoustic finger style and later getting into electric. Brad studied music at Pierce Junior college but his musical identity was more drawn from self study and several excellent private teachers including Derol Coraco, Ted Greene and Joe Pass.
Brad began playing as a sideman throughout the Southwest. Not limiting himself to the mainstays of Jazz, Rock & Blues, he found outlets for his eclectic musical tastes. This included gigs playing Balkan Gypsy, Flamenco, Indian, Punk, Atonal/Free, Persian, Turkish, Brazilian and African music.
Some of the Brads' credits include: Bonnie Rait, Al Kooper, Steve Wonder, Buddy Miles, Lean-to, Diane Shurr, David “Fathead” Newman, Ta Ta Vega, Willie Nelson and even Mr. Tom Jones. Brad also spent 5 years as the last guitarist with Ray Charles including tours on 6 continents. All the while, though, Rabuchin has also been honing his own unique musical voice, just left of center.
Guitarist Brad Rabuchin is not one to paint by the numbers, musically speaking, or play by a given set of rules. That much is clear on his debut album on Household Ink Records. “When Smart Dogs Go Bad” is a smart mongrel of a project, a jazz album with liberal doses of other, mutually compatible influences, from rock to funk to ethereal aesthetics, and back.
Rabuchin now spends his time between leading his LA based band, various sideman projects and teaching at the LA Music Academy and MI.
Rabuchin's band is no guitar dominated blowfest, but a musical outing accenting the leader's compositional sensitivity and the delicate-yet-feisty textures of a carefully-conceived ensemble. His Los Angeles-based band is fueled by the flexible rhythm section of bassist Dean Taba and drummer Kendall Kay, and tastefully inflected by reedman Andy Suzuki, sometimes augmented by saxist Tom Buckner and Bass Clarinetist Chris Bleth.
Brad's slightly quirky website:
Doc Dosco is a jazz guitarist, composer and audio consultant living in Los Angeles, CA. His website is located at http://www.docdosco.com, where you can find more information on the 'What's Hot with Jazz Guitar' columns, audio clips of Doc's playing, and many additional features. Doc now endorses Peerless Guitars and has the website Jazz Guitar Zone to help promote Peerless jazz guitars in the US. He also endorses the new Pignose Valve Tube Amps — great for jazz (and anything else!)