Pioneer Of American Gypsy Jazz Movement
Aurora University To Host John Jorgenson Quintet Oct. 20

AURORA, Ill, September 21, 2007—Aurora University will host the John Jorgenson Quintet, a pioneer of the American gypsy jazz movement, at 8 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 20.

The performance is free to the public in Crimi Auditorium at the Institute for Collaboration, 407 S. Calumet Ave. in Aurora. The event is the third of 13 in the 2007-2008 Celebrating Arts and Ideas series.

The quintet features Jorgenson, a guitarist and a founding member of the Desert Rose Band, the Hellecasters, and a six-year member of Elton John's band.

Artists ranging from Barbra Streisand to Bonnie Raitt to Earl Scruggs have sought out Jorgenson's guitar work. Recently, Jorgenson was chosen to portray Django Reinhardt in the feature film Head in the Clouds.

Jorgenson Quintet performances feature his dazzling guitar work and his mastery as a clarinet player and vocalist. Whether playing his own accessible compositions or classic standards, Jorgenson and his band make music that is equally romantic and ecstatic, played with virtuosity and soul.

Known as a pioneer of the American gypsy jazz movement, Jorgenson has performed as a solo artist as well as collaborated with other musicians all over the world. His articles and lessons on gypsy jazz have appeared in prominent guitar magazines, he has given master classes around the country, and he has performed with some of the most respected European proponents of this style, Bireli Lagrene and Romane.

Jorgenson's playing has been included on a CD with Babik Reinhardt and Jimmy Rosenberg, and on another featuring Angelo Debarre and Moreno.

In 1988 Curb Records released Jorgenson's After You've Gone CD, a collection of Reinhardt- and Goodman-styled 30's wing, featuring guest artists Darol Anger and David Grisman.

Growing up in Southern California, Jorgenson was playing both the piano and the clarinet by age eight. At 12, he got his first guitar and practiced voraciously while continuing to study classical music on woodwinds. By age 14, he was playing professionally.

Learning first to play rock guitar, Jorgenson absorbed other guitar styles as quickly as he discovered them. This broad musical palette has enabled him to play with artists as diverse as Elton John, Luciano Pavarotti, Bonnie Raitt, and Benny Goodman. He is an "A-List" session player working in LA, Nashville and London and has appeared on numerous platinum-selling and Grammy-winning CDs.

Jorgenson first came to national prominence in the mid 1980's with The Desert Rose Band, which he co-founded with Chris Hillman. The band earned five No. 1 singles and garnered several awards. During this time, Jorgenson won the ACM's "Guitarist of the Year" award three consecutive times.

Following the Desert Rose Band, he formed another award-winning group, the virtuosic guitar trio The Hellecasters. Originally conceived as a "one off" gig for fun, the group went on to produce three acclaimed CDs and a live video, winning both "Album of the Year" and "Country Album of the Year" from the readers of Guitar Player Magazine for the stunning debut effort Return of the Hellecasters, released in 1993.

In 1994 Elton John called and invited Jorgenson on an 18-month world tour. The 18 months stretched into a six-year period that included not only sold out world tours, but also recordings, television appearances, and collaborations with many other artists including Sting and Billy Joel.

In addition to acoustic and electric guitars, Jorgenson was featured on saxophone, pedal steel, mandolin and vocals. Although he is renowned in the pop, country and rock world, gypsy jazz is the style of music closest to his heart.

Because of his international reputation as a gypsy jazz player, he was twice asked to recreate Django Reinhardt's music for feature films, Gattaca and Head in The Clouds. The latter, released in early 2005 and starring Charlize Theron and Penelope Cruz, features Jorgenson on camera as Django Reinhardt, complete with burned hand and gypsy moustache.

2004 also marked the release of Franco-American Swing on J2/FGM Records. As John Jorgenson's latest creative work, the CD is full of infectious gypsy jazz music.

The Nashville Chamber Orchestra joined him in this collection of original compositions and gypsy jazz classics, pushing the boundaries as it adds to the tonal palette of traditional gypsy jazz. Beautiful melodies and soulful virtuosity abound for listeners treated to Jorgenson's dazzling fretwork and sizzling clarinet playing. Additionally, he released two gypsy jazz guitar instruction books and DVDs, and a third instruction book is due to come out later this year.

Currently living in Nashville, Jorgenson tours worldwide playing gypsy jazz with his quintet. He also performs in the United Kingdom with his electric band, John Jorgenson & Friends, and continues to collaborate with other artists live and in the studio.

Other quintet members are Gonzalo Bergara, guitarist; Stephen Dudash, viola; Cesare Valbusa, bass; and Charlie Chadwick, drums. Originally from Buenos Aires, Argentina, Bergara has studied both blues and gypsy jazz, quickly rising to national prominence. In addition to playing rhythm guitar in the JJ Quintet, Gonzalo has his own Argentinian Swing quartet in Los Angeles.

Dudash, a Minnesota native now living in Nashville, plays guitar, bass, congas and mandolin in addition to the five-string viola. He has played with Olivia Newton-John, Dave Brubeck, Shania Twain, and the Nashville Mandolin Ensemble.

>From Italy, <http://www.cesarevalbusa.com> Valbusa started playing professionally at age 18. Recently, he has worked with artists ranging from Luca Olivieri to James Burton, Jerry Donahue, Alan Thomson and Tommy Emmanuel.

Chadwick, an 11-year Nashville resident, has been playing in the studio and clubs with the area's finest musicians, as well as backing several national country artists. He also operates OGM Studio, where he produces music for folk, jazz and country artists.

This presentation also is supported by the Performing Arts Fund, a program of Arts Midwest funded in part by the National Endowment for the Arts' American Masterpieces, which believes a great nation deserves great art, with additional contributions from General Mills Foundation, Land O'Lakes Foundation and Wisconsin Arts Board.

The fall Celebrating Arts and Ideas schedule continues with: Nov. 9, 10, 14-17: "The Real Inspector Hound," a murder mystery, to be staged at 7:30 p.m. in Perry Theatre at the Aurora Foundation Center, 1305 Kenilworth Pl. in Aurora.

Nov. 14-Jan. 4: "Field Sketches Inspired by the Schingoethe Center," an exhibition of paintings and drawings by members of the Guild of Natural Science Illustrators, Great Lakes chapter, is hosted by the Schingoethe Center in Dunham Hall, 1400 Marseillaise Place, Aurora.

Dec. 9: "Christmas Concert: Gloria in Excelsis!" classical and popular holiday selections by the University Chorale, will be at 7 p.m. in Crimi Auditorium at the Institute for Collaboration, 407 S. Calumet Ave. in Aurora.

To register for this free performance, please call 630-844-5486 or e-mail artsandideas@aurora.edu.

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