Guitar superstar Frank Vignola and his sidekick, guitarist Vinny Raniolo, bring an evening of blistering, witty, high-octane guitar to the Mainstay in Rock Hall on Friday December 16 at 8:00 p.m. Admission is $20. For information and reservations call 410-639-9133. Information is also available at the Mainstay’s website http://www.mainstayrockhall.org.
In a world seemingly full of guitar virtuosos, Frank Vignola stands out. His stunning virtuosity has made him the guitarist of choice for many of the world’s top musicians, including Ringo Starr, Madonna, Donald Fagen, Wynton Marsalis, Tommy Emmanuel, Mark O Connor, the Boston Pops, the New York Pops, and guitar legend Les Paul, who named Vignola to his “Five Most Admired Guitarists List” for the Wall Street Journal. Vignola’s jaw-dropping technique explains why the New York Times deemed him “one of the brightest…stars of the guitar,” but it is the way he puts together a set, his sly sense of humor and his friendly stage presence that have made him a favorite with audiences worldwide.
In duo shows like the one at the Mainstay on Friday December 16, he and his talented duo sidekick, Vinny Raniolo, trade licks, some fancy footwork, high-energy original material, new takes on holiday standards, unique renditions of great American popular song, contemporary tunes by the likes of The Police and Frank Zappa and some lively new arrangements of Bach, Mozart and Rimsky-Korsakov.
Born on suburban Long Island, Vignola was raised in the New York area. He started playing the guitar at the age of five and grew up admiring a wide variety of guitarists from Django Reinhardt and George Barnes to rock icons like Frank Zappa and Eddie Van Halen. As a young adult, he studied at the Cultural Arts Center of Long Island and soon was a sideman recording and touring with the likes of Madonna, Leon Redbone, Ringo Starr. He came into his own as a leader in 1988 at the age of 22 with his famed Hot Club of France tribute, which was hailed in the New York Times as one of the top ten acts in 1988 and forged the way for the many Django Hot Club groups that followed.
In 1993, Vignola signed with Concord Jazz and recorded his first Concord session as a leader, Appel Direct. Many more Concord releases followed in the 1990s as well as 3 releases for the Telarc label as co-leader of the group Travelin’ Light. The early 2000′s found Vignola recording for Acoustic Disc and Hyena Records and making featured appearances on Atlantic, Sony and Warner Brothers Records with the likes of Donald Fagen, Queen Latifah, Mark O Connor and Wynton Marsalis. Vignola has also recorded several DVD’s for Mel Bay Records, written 18 guitar instruction books for Mel Bay Publications and has recorded several CDROM educational products for Truefire.com. He has performed hundreds of clinics and master classes at major universities and colleges throughout the country including Julliard and Boston University.
At age 26, Vinny Raniolo has already toured the United States, many Caribbean islands, Europe and Asia many times and performed at some of the top venues in the world. He has recorded with Frank Vignola, Bucky Pizzarelli, Tommy Emmanuel, Tony Trishka, Matt Flinner and Ken Peplowski and has taught classes at Bowling Green University, Kent State University and Asiago Music Conservatory.
This concert is another in the Mainstay jazz series in memory of David Pike. Pike was legal journalist and jazz guitarist with local connections. After working his way through college writing and playing jazz guitar, he chose journalism as a career eventually becoming a highly respected legal journalist covering the Supreme Court. In retirement, he again took up the guitar, playing for himself, improvising on the guitar while listening to radio or CD and at the Open Mike Night at Andy’s in Chestertown. Frank Vignola was one of his favorites.
The Mainstay (Home of Musical Magic) is the friendly informal storefront performing arts center on Rock Hall’s old time Main Street. It is a 501(c)(3), non profit dedicated to the arts, serving Rock Hall and the surrounding region and committed to presenting local, regional and national level talent, at a reasonable price, in an almost perfect acoustic setting. Wine, beer, sodas and snacks are available at the bar. The Mainstay is supported by ticket sales, fundraising including donations from friends and audience members and an operating grant from the Maryland State Arts Council. . For information and reservations call 410-639-9133. More information is also available at the Mainstay’s website http://www.mainstayrockhall.org.
Upcoming Mainstay performances include:
Feb. 5 Pyxis Piano Quartet
Feb. 12 University of Delaware Jazz Ensemble with Zack Smith
Feb. 16 “The Music of New Orleans” discussion with Tom McHugh
Feb. 18 The New Line Brass Band