Joe Negri is a legendary jazz guitarist from Pennsylvania. He came into limelight after he was featured in television shows. Most notable of them were Paul Shannon’s Adventure Time and Handyman Negri’s Mister Rogers' Neighborhood.

Joe Negri - Legendary Jazz Guitarist
Joe Negri - Jazz Guitarist

When he was a child, Joe Negri started performing on the radio and also in theatrical productions. When he was just sixteen years old, Joe Negri got selected to perform with one of the country’s top swing band. His main inspirations were Charlie Christian, Les Paul and guitarist Django Reinhart. He regards Tal Farlow, Barney Kessel, Jimmy Raney, Johnny Smith, Wes Montgomery, Herb Ellis, Joe Pass, and Kenny Burrell.

Joe Negri was honored as the “Established Artist of the Year” on 1999 by the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust. Joe Negri has also worked on several instrumental music albums and makes his living as a professor at University of Pittsburgh, Duquesne University, and Carnegie Mellon University.

Joe is currently working on a guitar instruction guide book called “A Common Sense Approach to Guitar Improvisation”.

Joe Diorio is one of the legends in Jazz guitar and is held in high regard by his students and his fans. Joe Diorio preformed extensively in the 1960s and the 1970s making him one of the busiest Jazz session guitarists of his time.

Joe Diorio - Jazz Legend
Joe Diorio - Jazz Guitarist

Joe Diorio started playing the guitar after hearing his uncle play. His uncle was a accomplished guitar player and also played the mandolin and banjo. His family does have the music influence as his dad also was a guitar player and had a good collection of records with him like Benny Goodman, Artie Shaw, Boogie-Woogie and Django Reinhardt. Diorio grew his interest in guitar listening to his phonograph. He then started improving himself by sitting with professionals in New Haven and Hartfort. He also started attending Jazz gigs every Friday and Saturday. Though he was not paid initially, he joined them as he was learning a lot about jazz. Using a fake ID, Joe got into major gigs like Bud Powell, Sonny Rollins trio, Art Tatum, Phineas Newborn, Count Basie and Bird.

He started playing for a circus band and toured with them. It was this time that he entered Chicago through his cousin a guitarist in Chicago. Joe Diorio soon became famous in Chicago and started playing with jazz greats like Von Freeman, Billy Wallace, Jodie Christian, Harold Jones, Bill Yancey, Ira Sullivan, Sonny Stitt, Bennie Green and Willie Pickens.

After a long guitar carrier he got into teaching music at the University of Miami and then at the University of Southern California and the Guitar Institute of Technology.
Diorio’s first album “Solo Guitar” in 1975 followed many albums. Joe Diorio has written many inspirational and tutorial books on Jazz guitar. His recent book “Intervallic Designs” teaches about pentatonic playing using fourths and fifths. Joe has also released videos on guitar playing.

Joe Baiza is a jazz guitarist who also plays punk rock. Joe started playing when he was 26. He is the founding member of bands like Universal Congress of, Saccharine Trust and The Mecolodiacs.

Joe Baiza - Jazz and Punk Rock Guitarist
Joe Baiza - Jazz Guitarist

Joe Baiza’s grandparents are from Mexico who later settled in California. He currently plays for Saccharine Trust and Unknown Instructors. He has also contributed to Minutemen tracts and has played with Greg Ginn, Nastassya Filippovna and October Faction. Joe likes free jazz and late sixties rock. He has also been featured as the 11th greatest rock guitarists of all times by Piero Scaruffi’s list.

Joe Bonamassa is an blues guitarist and singer from New York. He started playing guitar at a tender age and at the age of 11 was tutored by Danny Gatton, country musician, who taught him country and jazz styles. Joe Bonamassa was also influenced by Jimmy Page, Eric Johnson, Buddy Guy, Stevie Vaughan and B.B King.

Joe Bonamassa - Blues Guitarist
Joe Bonamassa - Blues Guitarist

Bonamassa released his first solo albumn in 2000 titled “A New Day Yesterday” after which he toured for the album with Kenny Kramme the drummer and Eric Czar as the bassist. After two years, they sat for the second album, “So, It’s Like That” produced by Clif Magness which topped the Billboard Blues Chart. Followed by the success of “So, It’s Like That”, Bonamassa released “Blues Deluxe,” where he wrote three songs. This album also topped the Billboard Blues Chart. This followed  “Had to Cry Today” and “You & Me”, the later appearing No.1 at the Billboard Blues Album Chart again.  Joe traveled extensively amongst these studio recordings.

Bonamassa’s recent release has been “Sloe Gin” in August 2007 which has been in the top of Billboard Blues Chart from the day of release moving from No.1 position to No.5.

2000 – A New Day Yesterday
2002 – So, It's Like That
2002 – A New Day Yesterday, Live
2003 – Blues Deluxe
2004 – Had To Cry Today
2006 – You & Me
2007 – Sloe Gin

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