Today's column is on 3 jazz guitarists, Pat Kelley, John Stowell and Frank Potenza who have teamed up to do a live CD. The CD is simply called '3 Guitars', and was recorded live at the Jazz Bakery here in Los Angeles last January. All three of these guys are excellent players and the CD contains a nice collection of standards. There is no bass or drums, only the guitars weaving melodies, chord accompaniment and bass lines amongst themselves.

This is an impromptu live recording, so it is unrehearsed and unpolished (like a studio date would be), however the interchange between the 3 guitars works nicely, and the playing comes from the heart, so it makes for a charming CD. (especially for guitar players to listen to...)

In addition, I checked out Pat Kelley's CD called 'The Road Home'. Very impressive. Pat plays a mix of styles, Some funk, some 'Smooth Jazz', several smoking straight ahead numbers, a Bossa Nova and even a Blues, and manages to nail all of these divergent elements into a highly listenable CD.

Pat Kelley:
Los Angeles guitarist Pat Kelley has recorded seven CD's as a leader, toured in more than thirty countries, worked as a studio guitarist on more than 2,000 sessions for records, television, and motion pictures, and composed nearly a hundred songs that have been commercially recorded.

In addition to working with George Benson, Tom Scott, David Benoit, Dave Brubeck, Rick Braun, Jeff Lorber, Richard Elliot, Dave Koz, Al Jarreau, B. B. King, Ronnie Laws, Hubert Laws, Jose Feliciano, Eric Marienthal, and Burt Bacharach, Pat played guitar for several years on the Merv Griffin, Pat Sajak, Joan Rivers, and Carol Burnette Shows and has performed with symphony orchestras in San Francisco, San Diego, Houston, Atlanta, Tulsa, Denver, San Antonio, and Toledo.

Pat currently holds a full time teaching position in the Studio/Jazz Guitar Department at the University of Southern California while continuing his busy schedule as a guitarist, composer, producer, and engineer.
Read on:
http://www.patkelley.com/

John Stowell:
John Stowell began his successful career with guitar lessons in his native Connecticut from guitarist Linc Chamberlind, and from John Mehegan, pianist and respected jazz educator at the Julliard School of Music and Yale University. Several years later he met noted bassist David Friesen in NYC and launched a critically acclaimed touring and recording associate that lasted 7 years, included 6 albums, and perfomances in Europe, Canada, USA and Australia.

During that time, John moved to Oregon where he met renowned flutist Paul Horn. This association led to an invitation for Paul Horn, John Stowell, David Friesen and Paul's son, Robin, to perform in the Soviet Union. It was the first time in 40 years that American jazz musicians had been invited to play public perfomances in Russia, paving the way for many others to follow.

In the summer of 1993 John returned to Russia, playing in Moscow, St. Petersburg and Kursk. His two sold-out performances in Kursk maybe the first appearances there by an American jazz musician.

In the last ten years John has pursued a solo career which includes a dizzying touring and teaching schedule around the world. Audiences have delighted in duo concerts by Paul Horn and John Stowell, as well as John's accompaniment of vocalists or other artists in small ensembles. In June of 1991, John served as assistant director and performer in Oregon Public Broadcasting's PDX JAZZ SUMMIT, a 9 week jazz special, televised in the fall of 2001.

Read on:
http://www.johnstowell.com/

Frank Potenza:

Azica recording artist and educator Frank Potenza is a protege of the late Joe Pass and an active educator, composer, and performer with five solo albums to his credit. In addition to his extensive freelance recording experience, he has performed in concert with Dizzy Gillespie, George Van Eps, Joe Pass, Bud Shank, Mose Allison, James Moody, Harry "Sweets" Edison, Jack McDuff, Red Holloway, Peter Erskine, and many others.

Frank toured and recorded as a member of the Gene Harris Quartet from 1996 through 1999 and is a featured soloist on Alley Cats, Gene's last recording for Concord Records. He currently leads his own groups in support of his latest Azica release entitled In My Dreams and has recorded a new quartet project entitled The Legacy that is scheduled for release in Spring, 2002.

He is an Associate Professor on the Studio/Jazz Guitar Faculty at the Flora L. Thornton School of Music, University of Southern California. He holds a Bachelors degree from the Berklee College of Music in Boston Massachusetts, and a Master of Arts degree from California State University, Los Angeles.

Read on: http://www.frankpotenza.com

Sound clips for 3 Guitars:
http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/3guitars

Sound clips for The Road Home:
http://www.patkelley.com/road.html

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 in Jazz Guitar' columns, audio clips of Doc's playing, and many additional features. Doc plays Heritage guitars and endorses the new Pignose Valve Tube Amps -- great for jazz (and anything else!)