| Originally released in 1980 on Zdenek Records and now available on CD for the first time ever! Includes the original album cover artwork and liner notes exactly as they appeared on the original LP release in addition to new liner notes written by the album's original producer, Dale Zdenek. Joe is joined by acoustic bassist Bob Magnusson and drummer Jim Plank on all tracks with pianist Carl Schroeder joining the trio on "Bonita", "Spring Can Really Hang You Up the Most" and "Hello Young Lovers". The CD also features one previously unreleased bonus track, Joe's solo guitar arrangement of "Send in the Clowns". All tracks have been digitally remastered from the original analog master tapes using 24-bit digital technology. "Bonita" is Joe's personal favorite of all of his recordings as a leader and Art of Life Records is proud to make this long out-of-print recording available to the world once again. Stay tuned for more releases from guitar master Joe Diorio!!
Liner Notes
When Joe Diorio arrived in California from Florida in the early 1970s he was already well known among guitarists. Joe Pass was instrumental in hooking me up with Joe in 1975. Shortly thereafter I published Joe's educational book "Fusion: Tonal and Avant-Garde Music Combined in Melodic Guitar Solos". On the heels of "Fusion" we recorded "Bonita" in 1980. We're excited to be re-releasing this album now with the addition of a bonus recently discovered track, "Send in the Clowns."
Joe's a great guy all around and I have been fortunate to know and work with him. His accomplishments speak for themselves. He's a master guitar player who has published a number of educational books and magazine articles for guitarists. He is presently Lecturer of Studio/Jazz Guitar at USC's Thornton School of Music. Diorio is honored on the USC School of Music website as "the figurehead of the USC Studio/Jazz Guitar department and its formidably talented teaching staff."
Amazingly, it took only four hours to record "Bonita" which should give you an indication of the high caliber of supporting musicians we brought together for this studio session. The approach was simple: Diorio and the musicians played every song twice and then Diorio picked the better of the two versions. Since every version was so good there were few easy decisions. The album was then mixed over two additional days.
Joe typically plays in a trio. On "Bonita" however, three of the songs were performed as a quartet. Since that time twenty-five years ago Joe has never again played professionally in a quartet.
"Bonita" is a one-of-a-kind album for an artist who has been associated for much of his career with an Avant-Garde, Coltrane-inspired style. While Diorio's signature envelope-stretching style is unmistakable on "Bonita", it is fused with a more traditional and more melodic approach. The result is an up-tempo Jazz album that masterfully and subtly appeals to a range of musical styles and tastes.
In 1990 I re-mixed "Bonita" and saved it to digital audio tape (DAT). Recording quality had improved since 1980 and the resulting re-mix is cleaner (no tape noise) and hotter (louder) compared to the original.
Recently, Paul G. Kohler of Art of Life Records asked me to provide the original recording date for "Bonita" so I went searching for the old master tapes in our warehouse and stumbled onto a track that Diorio had recorded on the original session date but was not included on the original release of "Bonita". We're pleased to be able to include on this re-release of "Bonita" Diorio's never-before-released chord melody solo of "Send in the Clowns."
"Bonita" is a master work by a master guitarist in a melodic style that is uniquely his own. If you're new to Diorio's spirited artistry or already a fan you're going to love this album.
Dale Zdenek ~ Publisher |
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