Music virtuoso John Jorgenson, known for his blistering guitar licks and mastery of a broad musical palette, has earned a reputation as a world-class musician and guitarist who has collaborated with the likes of Elton John, Bonnie Raitt, Luciano Pavarotti, and Bob Dylan. In addition to acoustic and electric guitars, he is also regularly featured on the mandolin, saxophone, clarinet, bouzouki, pedal steel, vocals and has garnered recognition for contributing to GRAMMY-winning and numerous platinum-selling albums.
Jorgenson, who currently is touring in four distinct, separate configurations – J2B2 (John Jorgenson Bluegrass Band), John Jorgenson Quintet (gypsy jazz), John Jorgenson Electric Band, and The Desert Rose Band—creates a unique musical experience that equally enthralls the most discerning and the casual music fan.
Jorgenson’s newly-formed bluegrass band, featuring the legendary Herb Pedersen, Jon Randall and Mark Fain is creating quite a buzz; his Electric Band is a whirlwind tour-de-force; and his dynamic Quintet’s authentic gypsy jazz—the string-driven swing created by Jean “Django” Reinhardt and Stephane Grappelli in 1930s Paris—is recognized internationally. One of the elite gypsy jazz players in the world, Jorgenson portrayed Django Reinhardt in the Hollywood feature film Head In the Clouds.
The John Jorgenson Quintet is comprised of Jorgenson (acoustic guitar, bouzouki, clarinet, vocals), Jason Anick (jazz violin), Jon Jarvis (piano), Simon Planting (bass) and Rick Reed (percussion).
All About Jazz has described the John Jorgenson Quintet’s performance as “a mix of soulful romance and rollicking celebration, with Jorgenson’s fingers a blur that created avalanches of notes and chords, his dazzling prowess often caused listeners to gasp at the speed and sound…” A concert review by Djangobooks also gives the Quintet’s live performance high marks, noting the compositions are “strong in a variety of styles” and the arrangements are “fresh, complicated and compelling) while adding “the show is golden and the music soars.” And NPR has observed that “John Jorgenson has insanely fast fingers – they’re nothing but a blur when he’s notes-deep into a song.”
