Frank Vignola @ The Ritz

The Ritz Theater and La Bella Strings, in association with the Bardavon, will welcome Frank Vignola’s Hot Club on Saturday, January 29 at 8 pm. The concert is a part of the 2010-11 Tom Humphrey Guitar Series.

In celebration of Django Reinhardt, guitar virtuoso Frank Vignola, a leading proponent of Reinhardt’s gypsy jazz style of playing, has assembled a topnotch trio for a searing tribute to one of his earliest musical influences. Only a musician the caliber of Frank, an accomplished and influential guitarist in his own right, could dare tackle the monumental task of  honoring the legendary Reinhardt. Frank is one of the most accomplished, multi-dimensional players walking the planet today. Monster player, composer and improviser, Frank plays proficiently in every genre, from jazz to bluegrass, and works with everyone and their brother. Frank’s pedigree is a mile long, but a quick Google search will illustrate why he is considered one of the best on the planet. Whether he is featured on a Donald Fagen recording, a jam with David Grisman, as Les Paul’s right hand man or leading his own groups throughout the years, he has proven himself to be in the elite. As a young adult, Frank studied at the Cultural Arts Center of Long Island and went on to enjoy an enormous amount of sideman gigs in the 1980s, including recording and touring with the likes of Madonna, Leon Redbone and Ringo Starr as well as coming into his own as a leader in 1988 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. He was 27 when he signed with Concord Jazz and recorded his first Concord session as a leader.

The concert will be held in the Ritz Theater Lobby at 107 Broadway in Newburgh. Tickets are $25 and can be purchased  through TicketWeb at www.ticketweb.com or (866) 468-7619, via our website at www.ritztheaternewburgh.org, or by calling the Ritz Theater Box Office at (845) 784-1199. All tickets are general admission and include a reception with the musicians immediately following the concert. Seating is limited.

For more information about the series and the historic Ritz Theater, visit www.ritztheaternewburgh.org or call (845)  784-1199.