Guy Tortora Band
From Pasadena, USA, now resident in London - combination of blues, jazz, folk and country music.
He is a songwriter, vocalist, guitar player -- a musical artist who may confound expectations; combining in his work elements of jazz, folk, blues & country music, both in his original compositions and in the songs he chooses to "cover". In solo or duo performances, or with the Guy Tortora Band he is carving out a singular niche on the Roots 'n' Blues scene in the UK & Europe. Some describe his music as postcards from a personal Storyville, delivered with conviction and passion.
"Jefferson Drive" is the title of his latest album on the Turtledove Records label. Recorded at the Tonezone Studio in Kent, UK, & just released in 2004, it's a set of thirteen original songs & standards, a great mix of the old and new, ranging from blues to blue-grass. Like other American contemporaries, Guy refuses to be cooped up in any box, blue or otherwise.
G T plays both acoustic and electric guitars, with a fine line in bottleneck playing. His guitar work has been compared at one time or another to players from the well-known likes of Ry Cooder, to the more obscure such as Rainier. But, as one writer has said: "Comparisons are un-necessary: He is simply Guy Tortora". At live performances he is accompanied by the accomplished UK musicians who are members of the Guy Tortora Band: Janos Bajtala, Keyboards; Brendan Canty, Bass; and Neil Littman, Drums. Lucky audiences are sometimes treated to backing vocals by the "UK Family Jewels" of Frankie & Bex. He changes effortlessly between his Taylor acoustic six string, a "Style N" resonator guitar, and a Fender Strat or Tele, in both standard & open tunings.
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