Jack Jezzro

Jack Jezzro - The Beatles On Guitar - 1999 - Green Hill

An internationally recognized guitarist and composer, Jack Jezzro is a multifaceted and successful studio musician. He has produced over 100 albums, earned a Grammy nomination and five Dove award nominations. Starting out as a member of Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra and attending the Eastman School of Music, Jezzro eventually moved to Nashville where he now resides. Also an accomplished double bassist, Jezzro performs regularly with Nashville String Machine, an in-demand studio group recording with many top artists. As a studio musician, Jezzro's recording credits include work with Faith Hill, Matchbox Twenty, Randy Travis, and many others. His work can also be heard on numerous motion picture soundtracks including Con Air, Pocahontas, and The Green Mile. © Matt Collar © 2011 Rovi Corporation. All Rights Reserved http://www.allmusic.com/artist/jack-jezzro-p6823/biography

A beautifully orchestrated recording of Beatles classics by the West Virginian record producer and multi-instrumentalist , Jack Jezzro. The album is in the "smooth jazz"/classical pop/easy listening style, but the music is not boring or bland. At times The Nashville String Machine tends to overpower Jacks's delicate playing, and the occasional "James Last" type lush stringwork may not please everybody, but these are minor quibbles. There are thousands of Beatles covers albums in every musical genre, and many of these albums do not do justice to John Lennon and Paul McCartney's work. Jack does not fall into that category. Jack's playing is not as technically complex as guitarists like Laurence Juber, or Stephen Bennett who are both solo acoustic players, but nevertheless, his subtle and very accomplished fingerstyle technique lends something "new" to these classic songs which is no easy achievement. If you want to hear some superb guitar artistry, give this a listen. If you are into Iron Maiden, AC/DC, or Black Sabbath....don't! (LOL)! Listen to Jack's "Jazz Elegance" album [All tracks @ 320 Kbps: File size = 94.8 Mb]

TRACKS

1 Hey Jude 4:59
2 In My Life 4:19
3 Here, There & Everywhere 3:56
4 Eleanor Rigby 4:33
5 I Will 3:39
6 Yesterday 3:14
7 If I Fell 4:05
8 And I Love Her 3:52
9 Michelle 4:44
10 Let It Be 4:47

All songs composed by Lennon & McCartney

MUSICIANS

Jack Jezzro (acoustic guitar, nylon-string guitar)
Craig Nelson (acoustic bass, electric bass)
Pat Coil (piano)
Bob Mater (drums)
Eric Darken (percussion)
Mark Douthit (alto saxophone, tenor saxophone)
Jeff Bailey (piccolo trumpet)
George Tidwell (flugelhorn)
Mary Alice Hoepfinger (harp)
The Nashville String Machine (strings)

BIO

DIVERSITY best describes the artistry of guitarist, bassist, and producer Jack Jezzro. His recordings and productions have sold well into the millions, and he surely ranks high in formal education, knowledge of his instrument, and sheer musicality. But even more than that, Jezzro has a style and taste that are all his own—qualities that are a breath of fresh air to the music of today and qualities that breathe new life into the music of yesterday. ::: The Early Years Jazz is a natural expression for this West Virginia native, who seems to have been born musical. Jack Jezzro grew up in the small town of Rivesville, starting on piano and accordion when he was very young. "I would go to the piano and start banging out tunes when I was four or five," he recalls. His remarkable skill at simultaneously fingering melody and chord changes came naturally to him as a young listener. "I had a stack of Chet Atkins records, and that’s how I learned to play," Jezzro reports. "As a kid, I’d want to play all the parts. I’d listen to a tune by James Taylor, The Doobie Brothers, Simon & Garfunkel, or whomever. I’d play the bass part, the piano, the vocal—and I’d want to do it all right there on the guitar." ::: Education For his bass-playing skills, Jezzro earned a scholarship to West Virginia University in nearby Morgantown. "I still kept playing guitar, but they didn't have a guitar program," he says. "I wanted to go to school there because it was close by, so I picked the bass and really got into it." The year was 1976. "That fall, the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra came to Morgantown, and I got to meet the principal bass player, Sam Hollingsworth. We immediately hit it off." Hollingsworth took Jezzro under his wings, preparing him for a professional career. By 1978, Jack knew that if he wanted to become a professional, it was time to move on. So he took the year off from school and began playing in the Charleston Symphony Orchestra (CSO). After a year with CSO, Jezzro won a scholarship and sailed into the sophistication of the prestigious Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York. While a student at Eastman, he won an audition for and subsequently played in the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra for two years. Meanwhile, he continued developing as a guitarist by absorbing the sounds of George Benson, Joe Pass, and Jim Hall. After graduation, "it was either New York, Nashville, or Los Angeles, and Nashville felt more like home" where he landed a job with the Nashville Symphony Orchestra and began breaking into the studio scene. ::: The Jezzro Style For an instrumentalist, speed and flash are often yardsticks. Innovation and technique unquestionably enter into play. Rhythmic invention, tonal dynamics, repertoire selection, or sophistication of arrangement are also called into the discussion. But Jack Jezzro has something more; and that something is taste. His latest guitar projects combine those elusive qualities instantly recognized when you hear them—discrimination, polish, grace, and artistry. In addition to sheer taste, another element of Jezzro’s unique style is that he’s a contrapuntal guitarist, integrating chordal harmony and melodies into one distinct sound—clean, lucid, and smooth––often performing on a nylon-string guitar. "I like to be true to a song," Jezzro begins. "At the same time, I try to do something fresh with a tune. My own sound or style—that's the freshness. I guess we all try to find our unique voice. That's what we're all striving for. I'm always going to be working for it." A lot of guitar trio records sound a little thin, so the challenge is to accompany yourself. "One of the things that’s always been there naturally is being my own accompanist," Jezzro says of his special fingerstyle playing. "I was sort of developing this accompanimental thing before I knew what it was." [This biography was provided by the artist or their representative.] © 1996-2011, Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates http://www.amazon.com/BEATLES-GUITAR-JACK-JEZZRO/dp/B004VS92SI