A Double Guitar Tribute for Bucky Pizzarelli's Centenary

Bucky Pizzarelli (b. Jan 1926, d. Apr 2020) is still held in high regard as a patriarch of jazz guitar. “Pizzarelli was revered for the technical aplomb that enabled him to combine intricate runs, full chordal accompaniment and even his own walking bass lines. His rock-solid rhythmic footing and broad harmonic understanding were hallmarks of a warmly understated style that always drew attention to the song he was playing, rather than the playing itself.” Bucky played on hundreds of recordings — including some landmarks, like Roberta Flack's "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" and Ray Charles' "Georgia On My Mind."

Bucky regularly played with his oldest son, John Pizzarelli. They appeared on a number of albums together and played countless engagements, starting with a four-week booking at the Pierre Hotel in 1980. Because of Bucky’s prolific duo playing, we have decided to recreate the duo format as well with Clint Dadian and Sean McGowan performing together for this joyful celebration of Bucky, here at the Muse!

Jazz guitarist Clint Dadian is fluent in a variety of styles. He plays with warm tone and flowing improvisational style. He holds a BA in jazz performance from Long Island University in Brooklyn, NY. Dadian is comfortable in small ensembles as well as in big bands, and composes original music for his quartet. Dadian has performed throughout the United States, Canada, Europe and Japan with artists such as Houston Person, Etta Jones and Bobby Watson.

Sean McGowan is a fingerstyle jazz and acoustic guitarist, and currently serves as Professor of Music at the University of Colorado Denver - one of the largest contemporary music programs in the country. Sean has been a featured soloist and ensemble player and numerous guitar festivals including the GFA convention (2021), Rocky Mountain Archtop Festival, Novi Sad International Jazz Festival, Pacific Lutheran Guitar Festival, Chet Atkins Convention in Nashville among others. His most recent recording is Portmanteau (2023), which features timeless jazz standards & songs from great American composers arranged for solo guitar.

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