Frank Vignola | |
---|---|
Born |
West Islip, New York U.S. |
December 30, 1965
Genres | Jazz, jazz fusion, swing, pop |
Occupation(s) | Musician, composer, arranger, producer, author |
Instruments | Guitar, banjo |
Years active | 1979–present |
Labels | Concord Jazz, Acoustic Disc, Jazzology, Mel Bay, Azica |
Associated acts | David Grisman, Mark O'Connor, Joe Ascione, Bucky Pizzarelli, Vinny Raniolo |
Website | www |
Notable instruments | |
Frank Vignola Signature Eastman Guitar |
Frank Vignola (born December 30, 1965 in Long Island, New York) is an American jazz guitarist. He has played in the genres of swing, fusion, Gypsy jazz, classical, and pop.
Vignola grew up in Long Island, New York. His father played accordion and banjo and his brother plays trumpet. When he was five, he picked up the guitar, learning from his father and from records by Django Reinhardt, Bucky Pizzarelli, Joe Pass, and Johnny Smith. At 12 he started on the banjo, and two years later he won a national championship in Canada.
In Long Island, he studied guitar at the Cultural Arts Center. Early in his career, he went to used record stores to buy albums by musicians whose work he didn't know, so that he could study their music.
In 1987, when he was 23, he formed the Hot Club quintet, named after the Quintette du Hot Club de France. In the early 1990s, he was in New York City, playing in groups with Max Morath, Andy Stein, Herman Foster, Joe Ascione, and tuba player Sam Pilafian. He formed the Concord Jazz Collective with veteran guitarists Howard Alden and Jimmy Bruno. The roster of musicians he has worked with includes Leon Redbone, Ken Peplowski, Susannah McCorkle, Charlie Byrd, Joey DeFrancesco, Gene Bertoncini, Johnny Frigo, Bucky Pizzarelli, Wynton Marsalis, David Grisman, Jane Monheit, Mark O'Connor, and Donald Fagen.