by Doc Dosco
This week we feature jazz guitarist Joe Diorio. I began my series on “What's Hot with Jazz Guitar' with a feature on Joe Diorio years ago. I feel it is time to do another column, as besides the fact I consider Joe a friend, he is also happens to be one of the finest guitar players on the planet. Joe is mentor to many musicians all over the world, is the 'master' that many of the US west coast guitarists (of all levels of skill) always seem to seek out to sit at his feet and learn.
There are numerous accolades written about the brilliance of Joe Diorio's playing, so I won't go into that here, however I must mention that once Joe begins to play, he drifts into a kind of euphonious trance and the muse seems to takes over. It is amazing to behold this process of musical creation at work.
I went to a seminar of Joe's few years back. Joe's playing was phenomenal as usual and he had a great many gems of wisdom to impart to his audience, especially on how to get in touch with your creative spirit. Joe has a lot of valuable books and learning material available, and I highly recommend him to guitarists of all persuasions.
I myself, have been listening and learning a lot from Joe's recordings lately. The main thing he does for me is get me thinking 'outside the box'. He has a great degree of freedom in how he moves his ideas around the fretboard. I love that about his playing.
Joe has had some health issues that has taken him out of circulation for a while. He seems to be on mend last I heard. I wish him well, and I highly recommend to all of my readers to go find and buy a Joe Doirio CD. They are all good and well worth having in your collection. Joe currently has a Myspace page with several tracks available to listen too. Do go and check him out. (Joe's newest bio is up on his Myspace page)
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Online Biography (from 2002)
With over 30 years experience as a performer and recording artist, Joe Diorio has worked with such Jazz luminaries as Sonny Stitt, Eddie Harris, Ira Sullivan, Stan Getz, Horace Silver, and Freddie Hubbard. Joe tours Europe, Brazil, Canada and the United States regularly promoting his dedication to pure and avant-garde jazz.
Joe's two recent releases on his label Diorio Jazz Records include “Stateside” and “Joe Diorio Trio Live” both with with Bob Magnusson and Jim Plank.
His four most recent releases on CD with Italian Jazz label RAM Records include: “I Remember Wes” a tribute to Wes Montgomery; A solo guitar album “We Will Meet Again” ; “Double Take” with live recordings of the performances with Riccardo Del Fra; and “Rare Birds” a duo album with Mick Goodrick. Other CDs have been released with this label also.
Highly respected as an educator, Joe currently teaches at the University of Southern California, Los Angeles and has conducted Jazz Guitar seminars throughout the United States, Europe and Brazil. Additionally, Joe was one of the three founding instructors for the Guitar Institute of Technology (G.I.T.) in Hollywood California. Joe authors a series of articles entitled “The Right Brain Guitarist”.
Joe has released an instructional video, written articles for Guitar Player Magazine and authored more than eight Jazz instructional books.
What the Critics Say About Joe Diorio
“Considered one of the worlds greatest players, Joe Diorio is a master of the guitar, skilled in mainstream performance and expert in Free-Form Style playing.” – Michael Ricci, All About Jazz
“An undervalued virtuoso.” – Rolling Stone
“Joe Diorio is one of the most mature and uncompromising new lectrists to work the room since Joe Pass.” – Leonard Feather
“…Joe Diorio has been producing beautifully conceived projects carefully crafted and exquisitely played.” – 20th Century Guitar Magazine
“Diorio has long been a legendary figure in modern music amongst guitarists… [he has a] forward thinking approach to music, harmonic and rhythmic sophistication with chops unlike that of any other guitarist of his generation.” – David Dorkin, Fuse Magazine
Joe Diorio's 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!)