WEST MILFORD Music at the Mission in partnership with WFUV 90.7, New York's Rock & Roots Public Radio, presents Frank Vignola with special guest Renee Lando on Saturday, March 17, at 8 p.m.
Vignola will also present a guitar workshop that same day from 2 to 4 p.m. So bring your guitar and learn from the best. All levels are welcome.
Vignola is one of the most extraordinary guitarists performing today. 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, the Boston Pops, the New York Pops, and guitar legend Les Paul, who named Vignola to his "Five Most Admired Guitar 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".
Born on Long Island, Vignola was raised in the New York area. He started playing the guitar at the age of six and grew up admiring a variety of guitarists. Far from a jazz snob, Vignola never listened to jazz exclusively and was also a major fan of classical, rock, R&B, and pop. The guitarists that he admires range from Django and Les Paul to rock icons like Frank Zappa and Eddie Van Halen.
As a young adult, Vignola 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 Madonna, Leon Redbone, Ringo Starr as well as coming into his own as a leader in 1988 with his famed Hot Club of France tribute. He was 27 when, in 1993, he 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 three releases for the Telarc label as co-leader of the group Travelin' Light.
The early 2000s found Vignola recording a solo guitar CD for Acoustic Disc as well as performing regularly with guitarist, Les Paul. This also marked the time that Frank began working with record producer Joel Dorn as well as making featured appearances on Atlantic, Sony and Warner Brothers Records with Donald Fagen, Queen Latifah, Mark O Connor and Wynton Marsalis. He also recorded a collection of Gershwin pieces for Mel Bay Records titled, "Vignola Plays Gershwin" which was number 2 in NPR radio airplay charts.
In recent years, Vignola has recorded two collaborative CDs, "Just Between Frets" with Tommy Emmanuel on Solid Air Records and "Frank-N-Dawg, Melody Monsters" with mandolinist David Grisman on Acoustic Disc Records.
Vignola has written 18 guitar instruction books for Mel Bay Publications and has recorded six educational DVDs for Truefire.com. He has performed hundreds of clinics and masterclasses at major universities and colleges throughout the world including Julliard and Boston University.
Ringwood's Renee Lando opens Opening the show is Ringwood resident, Renee Lando. The family photo album features a shot of a knee-high Renee Lando perched atop the coffee table playing along to her dads collection of country and rockabilly records, with a toy guitar bigger than her slung over her shoulder. Renees first CD, a gathering of guitar instrumentals entitled, Winter Collection, was released to favorable reviews in 1994. But since that time, Renee has explored new techniques and alternate tunings in search of interesting tonal textures to underscore her strong melody lines. Renee has just released her second CD, entitled Heartstrings. The 15-piece collection of original instrumentals features Renee on both 12 and 6-string acoustic guitar, often with a keys and mandolin backdrop.
Music at the Mission is an all volunteer run, non-profit organization dedicated to presenting great live music locally and affordably. Shows are presented at 1452 Union Valley Road in West Milford at the West Milford Presbyterian Church.
Tickets are $22 in advance and $25 at the door. Tickets are available online at www.MusicattheMission.org, at Harvest Moon Health Food Store in West Milford, or at the door.
Visit the Web site or call 800-613-1455.
Upcoming shows include Sierra Hull and Highway 111 on April 21.