Bucky Pizzarelli Master Jazz Guitar Solo Collection

I studied with Bucky at William Paterson College in the early eighties. I was so fascinated by his

style of playing, that I bought a seven string from him. I proceeded to transcribe any and every

recording I could find. The story about the first time I went to his house after years of

transcribing is found in Bucky Pizzarelli: A Life in Music. Since then, I've become friends with

the entire family. John and I shared the stage with different groups before he became a megastar.

I've substitued for John and Bucky on occasions, and I've done duet gigs with Bucky over the years.

In short, I believe that Bucky's playing is beautiful, honest, harmonically complex and sensitive.

To this day, hearing him play is one of the true joys of life for me. I love him dearly.

JOHN "BUCKY,, PIZZARELLI IS AN INTERNATIONALLY RENOWNED MAN OF MUSIC. HIS

INSTRUMENT OF CHOICE IS THE GUITAR, AND HIS STYLE IS JAZZ. FOR MORE THAN HALF A CENTURY, "BUCKY,,,

AS HE IS AFFECTIONATELY KNOWN, HAS BEEN A PART OF THE FRATERNITY OF MUSICIANS WHO HAVE KEPT

MAINSTREAM AND TRADITIONAL JAZZ ALIVE. THE LIST OF BIG BANDS AND VOCALISTS WITH WHOM BUCKY HAS

PERFORMED AND RECORDED READS LIKE A

VERITABLE WHo'S WHO OF JAZZ. HE JOINED VAUGHN MONROE'S BAND WHILE STILL IN HIGH SCHOOL AND LATER

PLAYED WITH STUDIO BANDS AT THE MAJOR NETWORKS. THERE HE DISTINGUISHED HIMSELF AS ONE OF THE BEST

RHYTHM GUITARISTS IN THE BUSINESS. NOT CONTENTED WITH STUDIO WORK ALONE, HE JAMMED WITH AND

ACCOMPANIED THE BEST IN THE POP AND JAZZ WORLD INCLUDING GEORGE BARNES, STEPHANE GRAPPELLI, SLAM

STEWART, ZooT SIMS, FLIP PHILLIPS, AND HIS SONS MARTIN AND JOHN PIZZARELLI. DEDICATED TO SWING AND

AMERICAN POPULAR SONG, BUCKY IS ONE OF THE MOST SOUGHT-AFTER GUITARISTS IN THE BUSINESS, AND

CONTINUES TO ENCHANT AUDIENCES WORLDWIDE.

Jerry Sims graduated from Berklee College of Music in 1979 and with his return home to South

Carolina, opened Sims Music, Inc., which is now one of the south's leading music retail and

education centers. In 1982, after several years of teaching and performing on the six-string

guitar, Sims heard jazz guitarist Bucky Pizzarelli play a seven-string guitar. The encounter

inspired him to travel to New York to consult directly with the acknowledged seven-string master.

Sims strengthened his command of the new instrument by transcribing many of the recorded solos by

Pizzarelli and pioneering seven-string jazz guitarist George Van Eps.

Sims has performed for many different companies at the NAMM conventions, including Ibanez and D'

Angelico as they introduced their seven-string guitars.

His first book, The First Chord Book/or Seven-String Guitar, is published by Mel Bay Publications.

Additionally, he has arranged tunes for a joint project between Mel Bay and Warner Bros., entitled

Fingerstyle Jaz;z. Sims also contributed to Mel Bay's Master Anthology of Jaz;z Guitar Solos Volume

I. He is a regular columnist for Just Jaz;z Guitar Magazine and performs regularly with

accomplished seven-string players, Howard Paul and Richard Maxwell. Sims has an extensive

collection of seven-string guitars from Benedetto to D' Aquisto, but he primarily performs with a

custom made Comins 7th Avenue seven-string guitar.

Jerry Sims can be reached via email at [email protected] or by phone at Sims Music: (803) 772-1185

www.sevenstringjazz.com and www.simsmusic.com

Richard Maxwell has been playing guitar for over 25 years and while his "day gig" lies in the

computer industry, his jazz guitar studies with Terry Rosen at the University of South Carolina as

well as with seven-string guitarist Jerry Sims have ultimately brought him to a very active playing

career with local groups in the southeastern United States. His articles, artist transcriptions,

arrangements and music engraving work have appeared in Just Jau Guitar Magazine, Mel Bay books and

the Guitar Sessions webzine.