Gilmer Arts BEST Series Announcement

Appearing March 28th as a part of Gilmer Arts BEST Series performing arts series will be Grammy Award winning guitarist John Jorgenson. More information is available at www.gilmerarts.org.Nashville, Tenn.— Music virtuoso John Jorgenson, known for his blistering guitar licks and mastery of a broad musical palette, has earned a reputation as a world-class musician and guitarist who has collaborated with the likes of Elton John, Luciano Pavarotti, Bonnie Raitt and Bob Dylan. In addition to acoustic and electric guitars, he is also regularly featured on saxophone, clarinet, bouzouki, pedal steel, mandolin, vocals and has garnered recognition for contributing to numerous platinum-selling and GRAMMY-winning albums. Recently, Jorgenson has been touring with his various collaborations as well as recording new albums. Jorgenson will be performing with the his celebrated Quintet at the Ellijay Elementary Auditorium, Ellijay, Ga. Tickets are available at www.gilmerarts.org.

Jorgenson’s latest creative cycle continues to expand his dynamic range of musical offerings, exploring new elements of world music, bluegrass, rock and classical as he captivates and enlightens fellow musicians and listeners along the way. Touring in multiple musical configurations such as the Desert Rose Band, the John Jorgenson Quintet, the John Jorgenson Electric Band and the John Jorgenson Bluegrass Band, Jorgenson will play dates across the US and Europe and each permutation allows him to make prodigious use of his mastery of many instruments. No matter which band Jorgenson is playing with, his brilliant guitar work leads the way with music that is a combination of groundbreaking playing full of soaring melodies and driving rhythms. His contribution is utterly one of a kind.

Jorgenson won the ACM’s “Guitarist of the Year” award three consecutive times when he first came to national prominence in the mid 1980’s with The Desert Rose Band. Co-founded with Chris Hillman, the band earned five #1 singles and garnered several awards. Audiences can still catch The Desert Rose Band on the road during select dates throughout the year, but Jorgenson has most recently been focused on his famed gypsy jazz style of playing. Known as The U.S. Ambassador of Gypsy Jazz, the John Jorgenson Quintet is the only American act to ever headline the prestigious Django Reinhardt Memorial Festival in France, and has been featured at other “Djangofests” in the U.S., UK, Germany and Canada. For the films, Gattica and Head in the Clouds, Jorgenson was tapped to recreate Django’s music, and in the latter had the privilege of appearing onscreen as Django alongside stars Charlize Theron and Penelope Cruz.

Jorgenson is in the process of recording new albums this year while keeping a packed touring schedule. The debut album for the John Jorgenson Bluegrass Band along with a John Jorgenson Quintet and Electric Band albums were released in August 2014, surrounding the 10th Annual Guitar Town Festival, where Jorgenson is “de-facto” creative director and plays a major role in handpicking some of the world’s most talented virtuoso guitarists to perform at the annual event. These CD releases follow up his 2010 dual CD release of One Stolen Night on J2/FGM Records and Istiqbal Gathering. Jorgenson will also be releasing a DVD that features a live performance from the John Jorgenson Quintet and recorded through a partnership with the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum. The John Jorgenson Quintet performed as the inaugural event for the Museum’s innovative entertainment program, the Oasis Project. Jorgenson also contributed an mp3 benefit single to the effort titled “Sonora Spring.” The proceeds from the single and the live performance DVD will go in-part to support the Desert Museum’s mission of education and conservation.

Additional highlights over this past year included a tour of Norway and the UK with the John Jorgenson Bluegrass Band, a special performance of “La Journee des Tziganes – The Day of the Gypsies” in Chicago, IL and headlining the Guitar Town festival in Copper Mountain, CO. As Jorgenson continues his string of performances throughout 2015, critics and fans alike are sure to be astounded by his mastery of music. Djangobooks perfectly articulates, “If he comes around, don’t miss him. The show is golden. The music soars.”