by Doc Dosco
http://www.docdosco.com

Mitch Holder finally has a website so without further ado, we are going
to feature him. Mitch is a brilliant player and has been a fixture in
the LA music scene for as long as I can remember (and I have been here
30 years). He was the busiest guy around for years and years doing 3 and
4 sessions a day. Now that session work in LA has slowed down (for
everyone) he is out playing jazz again …and that’s right where he should be
with his enormous talent!

Of special interest:
Mel Bay Presents The Jazz Guitar Stylings Of Howard Roberts by Mitch
Holder

New release for 2006. This definitive book on the noted jazz and studio
guitarist, Howard Roberts, includes nineteen transcriptions covering
twenty years of Howard’s recordings. Positions and Howard’s fingerings
are included. Also featured is a foreword by Lee Ritenour and a
dedication by Jeff ‘Skunk’ Baxter. There is a bio of Howard and personal
quotes about HR from some of the many musicians, composer/arrangers,
fellow guitarists, students, friends and family which will give you an
idea of the impact Howard had on their music and lives.

Read on: http://mitchholder.com/discography/index.php

Online Bio:

Mitch was born in Los Angeles, California and started playing the guitar
at age eight after getting intrigued with the electric guitar sound of
Link Wray and Duane Eddy, both popular instrumentalists of the late
’50’s. His first teacher, William Pellegrini of Los Angeles, started
Mitch learning to read music and shortly after starting lessons, left
Mitch with two albums, both jazz artists, Barney Kessel and Johnny
Smith. This was Mitch’s introduction to jazz and his lifelong pursuit of
this American music art form.

After a couple of years with Pellegrini, Mitch’s father decided that a
balance of both single string playing and chordal harmony was needed, so
he got him a new teacher, John Frisco, a native of Philadelphia who had
taken up residence in LA after a stint in the Marines in the Korean
conflict. Through John, Mitch got the foundation in harmony and chords
that Mitch’s dad was looking for.

Through a friend of Mitch’s dad, who was a studio violinist in LA,
Marvin Limonick, it was suggested that noted studio and jazz guitarist,
Howard Roberts, was teaching and it would be a good idea to get Mitch
with him to give Mitch the insights in what it took to become a
professional guitarist, something Mitch aspired to early on after
starting to learn the instrument. Howard became Mitch’s mentor and right
from the day they met, took Mitch on a TV call at Universal and
subsequent sessions going on in LA that Howard was involved with.
Unaware of this musical line of work, Mitch became interested in
following in Howard’s footsteps as a studio musician.

Mitch began playing around town, with his own groups and others at such
places as Donte’s, which was THE jazz hangout in the San Fernando Valley
for jazz and studio musicians at the time and The Baked Potato, which is
still going strong today. Through meeting people, Mitch toured for a
couple of years, first with Sergio Mendes and then with Peggy Lee. As
his name got around town, in 1974, Mitch got a call from Ed Shaughnessy,
the drummer with Doc Severinsen’s Johnny Carson Tonight Show Band to
partner up with the show’s guitarist, Bob Bain. Mitch took the gig and
alternated with Bob on the Tonight Show, which became a great base gig
to have and helped build his credentials for other gigs.

By 1976, Mitch was starting to get freelance work in the LA studios and
got so busy that he left the Tonight Show in 1977 but appeared as a sub
over a number of years after that when the regulars weren’t available.

For the next several years, Mitch found himself in the mainstream of
session work, sometimes doing 3 or 4 sessions a day and not having much
time to do anything else. Through the ’80’s and ’90’s, music technology
became the rage and session work gradually dwindled to the point where
Mitch had time to pursue other musical interests, teaching and playing
more for the enjoyment.

Having an avid interest in the history of guitars and after hooking up
with the Gibson Guitar Co. in the ’70s, Mitch got involved with guitar
design and eventually worked for Gibson as the Western US Product
Specialist. He was the Gibson rep as well for a period of time and then
got involved with Guitar Center as the electric guitar and bass buyer.
Still hankering to play, Mitch left GC to actively pursue playing again
and is enjoying pursuing his first love, jazz, once again.

Wanting to pay back his friend and mentor, Howard Roberts, who passed
away in 1992, Mitch has recently had a book released featuring
transcriptions of many of Howard’s recorded works for Mel Bay
Publications entitled, The Jazz Guitar Stylings Of Howard Roberts, which
was published in 2006. Having participated in many guitar workshops over
the years, Mitch has done two successful workshops focusing on the HR
book since it has come out and hopes to do many more in the future.
Music education is of high concern to Mitch as music programs continue
to be dropped around the country in our school systems. That is just one
of many interests in keeping music a vital part of our culture. Mitch is
very definitive about doing as much as possible to keep music, which is
traditionally defined as, melody, harmony and rhythm, at the forefront
of music in the world. With all the technology and ease of producing and
recording music, now a mass consumer industry, it becomes harder and
harder for some musicians, who strive to merge the musical past along
with the future, able to ply their craft. Let us hope that enough people
keep the flame going for future generations to enjoy and move yet
farther from there.

Mitch Holder’s homepage:
http://mitchholder.com/

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 endorses Heritage Guitars and is featured artist on their website. He also endorses the new Pignose Valve Tube Amps — great for jazz (and anything else!)