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, Luciano Pavarotti, Bonnie Raittand Bob Dylan.
In addition to acoustic and electric guitars, he is also regularly featured on saxophone, clarinet, bouzouki, pedal steel, mandolin, vocals and has garnered recognition for contribuing to numerous platinum-selling and GRAMMY-winning albums. Recently, Jorgenson has been touring with his various collaborations as well as recording new albums.
Jorgenson will be performing with his Bluegrass Band at Oneida High School Auditorium in Oneida, Nov. 5, in support of Divertuoso, his new 3-CD box set of three separate all-new full lengths albums featuring three of Jorgenson’s band configurations (gypsy jazz, bluegrass and electric) released via Cleopatra Records Oct. 16, 2015. Tickets available here.
Jorgenson’s latest creative cycle continues to expand his dynamic range of musical offerings, exploring new elements of world music, bluegrass, rock and classical as he captivates and enlightens fellow musicians and listeners along the way. Touring in multiple musical configurations such as the Desert Rose Band, the John Jorgenson Quintet, the John Jorgenson Electric Band and the John Jorgenson Bluegrass Band, Jorgenson will play dates across the US and Europe and each permutation allows him to make prodigious use of his mastery of many instruments. No matter which band Jorgenson is playing with, his brilliant guitar work leads the way with music that is a combination of groundbreaking playing full of soaring melodies and driving rhythms. His contribution is utterly one of a kind.
Jorgenson won the ACM’s “Guitarist of the Year” award three consecutive times when he first came to national prominence in the mid 1980’s with The Desert Rose Band. Co-founded with Chris Hillman, the band earned five #1 singles and garnered several awards. Audiences can still catch The Desert Rose Band on the road during select dates throughout the year, but Jorgenson has most recently been focused on his famed gypsy jazz style of playing.
Known as The U.S. Ambassador of Gypsy Jazz, the John Jorgenson Quintet is the only American act to ever headline the prestigious Django Reinhardt Memorial Festival in France, and has been featured at other “Djangofests” in the U.S., UK, Germany and Canada. For the films, Gattica and Head in the Clouds, Jorgenson was tapped to recreate Django’s music, and in the latter had the privilege of appearing onscreen as Django alongside stars Charlize Theron and Penelope Cruz.
Additional highlights over this past year included a tour of Norway and the UK with the John Jorgenson Bluegrass Band, a special performance of “La Journee des Tziganes – The Day of the Gypsies” in Chicago, IL and headlining the Guitar Town festival in Copper Mountain, CO. As Jorgenson continues his string of performances throughout 2015, critics and fans alike are sure to be astounded by his mastery of music. Djangobooks perfectly articulates, “If he comes around, don’t miss him. The show is golden. The music soars.”