New York jazz guitarist Rick Stone has updated his website and has a new CD so we will feature him this week.

Online Bio

The Washington City Paper's Rueben Wilson once wrote "Guitarist Rick Stone is a rarity in the current jazz climate. An artist capable of translating his obvious affection for the straight-ahead jazz tradition into something considerably more than an assemblage of stiffly played musical chestnuts." And Rick's latest CD Samba de Novembro proves those words to be true now more than ever. Featuring the lyrical and fluid interplay of his guitar in duo, trio and quartet settings with long time associates pianist Tardo Hammer, bassist Yosuke Inoue and the addition of the always inventive Matt Wilson on drums, the musical personality of each player flourishes in this thoughtfully assembled set of standards and originals.

Rick Stone began playing guitar at age nine in his hometown of Cleveland. He developed an early affinity for the blues, but it was in the mid-seventies that his passion for jazz was sparked by a live performance of saxophonist Sonny Stitt. Rick studied classical guitar and theory at Cuyahoga Community College and then moved on to Berklee College of Music where he earned his Bachelor of Music in 1980. In 1982 he moved to New York to find a fertile and stimulating environment in Barry Harris' Jazz Cultural Theatre. While studying with the legendary pianist, Rick honed his craft sitting in alongside veteran players like Tommy Flanagan, Lionel Hampton, Clarence "C" Sharpe, and Junior Cook. Then, under the tutelage of jazz masters Jimmy Heath, Ted Dunbar, Donald Byrd, Tony Purrone and Hal Galper, he earned his M.A. at Queens College in 1991.

Rick's recordings Blues For Nobody and Far East have received wide critical acclaim and his group - which has included world-class sidemen like Kenny Barron, Eric Alexander, Vernel Fournier, Richard Wyands, Ralph Lalama, Dennis Irwin and Billy Hart -- has appeared at venues like Carnegie Hall's Weill Recital Hall, The Smithsonian Institute, The Blue Note and Birdland. From 1993-96 he led a series of guitar duos at the Swing Street Café (with guests including Mark Elf, Roni Ben-Hur, Peter Leitch and Peter Bernstein), in 1996 his trio toured South America, and from 1997-2001 his trio played regularly at Sette MoMA (in the Museum of Modern Art). A sought-after sideman, Rick can be heard performing with Irene Reid, Ronny Whyte, Howard Kimbo, David Coss, Carol Sudhalter, Sol Yaged and many others. He is featured on several recent recordings including Carol Sudhalter's It's Time and Last Train To Astoria, and Al Ashley's These Are Them (with Dave Leibman).

An active educator, Rick teaches at Jazz in July (U. Mass./Amherst), the JazzMobile, Hofstra University, City College, and the Brooklyn Conservatory of Music. He is regular columnist for Just Jazz Guitar magazine, and a contributing artist to several jazz guitar volumes by Mel Bay Publications. His clinics have won accolades at numerous colleges and universities as well as the International Association of Jazz Educators and the Music Educators National Conference. He has received two IAJE Awards for Outstanding Service to Jazz Education and several NEA performance fellowships.

In recent years Rick's interests in audio and computer technology have led him to build a recording studio in his home where he produces numerous projects.

Rick's homepage

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Doc Dosco is a jazz guitarist, composer and audio consultant living in Los Angeles, CA. His website is located at 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 endorses Heritage Guitars and is a featured artist on their website. He also endorses the new Pignose Valve Tube Amps -- great for jazz (and anything else!)