Jazz journeyman
Gypsy jazz guitarist John Jorgenson applies his award-winning touch at the Fret House
By John Sollenberger 01/07/2010
During his long career, guitarist John Jorgenson, a pioneer of the American gypsy jazz genre playing at Covina’s Fret House Wednesday night, has collaborated with countless musicians the world over.
A founding member of The Desert Rose Band (along with Chris Hillman) and the Hellecasters, Jorgensen also performed for six years with Elton John, and he’s contributed guitar work for such musical luminaries as Barbra Streisand, Bonnie Raitt, Luciano Pavarotti, Benny Goodman and Earl Scruggs. He even portrayed gypsy jazz icon Django Reinhardt in the feature film, “Head in the Clouds.” In addition, the award-winning Jorgensen’s written numerous articles in various guitar magazines and conducted master classes on the genre around the country.
The Southern California native started out playing clarinet (which he still does in his performances) and studied piano starting at age 8. He got his first guitar at 12 and began performing professionally at 14. Jorgenson started out playing rock guitar, but absorbing various other styles has led to his collaborations with a diverse array of artists.
Jorgenson has released numerous CDs over the years, his latest being “Franco-American Swing” on J2/FGM Records. His releases are available on his Web site, johnjorgenson.com.
Music starts at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Fret House, 309 N. Citrus Ave., Covina. Call (626) 339-7020.
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