FRANK VIGNOLA with VINNY RANIOLO IN CONCERT

FRANK VIGNOLA with VINNY RANIOLO IN CONCERT

The Six String Social Club Concert Series is excited to present the internationally acclaimed jazz guitar duo Frank Vignola and Vinny Raniolo, Sunday, September 7, 2014. Please join Frank and Vinny for a fun and entertaining afternoon of music at the Woodstock Community Church, 237 Rope Mill Rd., Woodstock, GA 30188. Showtime is 3:00 pm. Tickets are $30 in advance and $35 at the door. Advance tickets are available at www.sixstringsocialclub.com. Call (770)365-7738 for concert information.

“There is little in this world so awe-inspiring as witnessing total mastery of a musical instrument. Like seeing Yo-Yo Ma play the cello or Placido Domingo belt out an aria – sometimes a performer’s perfection can elevate a piece of music to heights beyond the realm of imagination. By all accounts, Frank Vignola conjures just that sort of magic with his acoustic guitar.” – Matt Cauthron – Intermission Magazine

Frank Vignola is one of the most extraordinary guitarists performing before the public today. His stunning virtuosity has made him the guitarist of choice for many of the world’s top musicians, including Ringo Starr, Madonna, Donald Fagen, Wynton Marsalis, Tommy Emmanuel, the Boston Pops, the New York Pops, and guitar legend Les Paul, who named Vignola to his “Five Most Admired Guitarist List” for the Wall Street Journal. Vignola’s jaw-dropping technique explains why the New York Times deemed him “one of the brightest…stars of the guitar”.

The duo of Frank with guitarist Vinny Raniolo tackles a unique, high-energy repertoire featuring contemporary tunes by The Police, Frank Zappa, and Black Sabbath; not-so-contemporary numbers by Bach and Mozart; and of course jaw-dropping, lightning fast gypsy jazz originals. Their high-octane performances and good-time vibe never fail to bring astonished fans to their feet, making each appearance an unforgettable experience.

Born on suburban Long Island on December 30, 1965, Vignola was raised in the New York area. The Italian-American started playing the guitar at the age of six and grew up admiring a variety of guitarists. Far from a jazz snob, Vignola never listened to jazz exclusively and was also a major fan of classical, rock, R&B, and pop. The guitarists that he admires range from Django and Les Paul to rock icons like Frank Zappa and Eddie Van Halen. As a young adult, Vignola studied at the Cultural Arts Center of Long Island and went on to enjoy an enormous amount of sideman gigs in the 1980s including recording and touring with the likes of Madonna, Leon Redbone, Ringo Starr as well as coming into his own as a leader in 1988 with his famed Hot Club of France tribute which was hailed in the NY Times as one of the top ten acts in New York City in 1988 and forged the way for the many Django Hot Club groups that followed.

The New Yorker was 27 when, in 1993, he signed with Concord Jazz and recorded his first Concord session as a leader, Appel Direct. Many more Concord releases followed in the 1990s as well as 3 releases for the Telarc label as co-leader of the group Travelin’ Light. The early 2000′s found Vignola recording a solo guitar CD for Acoustic Disc as well as performing regularly with guitarist, Les Paul. This also marked the time that Frank began working with record producer Joel Dorn as well as making featured appearances on Atlantic, Sony and Warner Brothers Records with the likes of Donald Fagen, Queen Latifah, Mark O Connor and Wynton Marsalis. He also recorded a collection of Gershwin pieces for Mel Bay Records titled, “Vignola Plays Gershwin” which was number 2 in NPR radio airplay charts. In recent years, Vignola has recorded two important collaborative CD’s, “Just Between Frets” with Tommy Emmanuel on Solid Air Records and “Frank-N-Dawg, Melody Monsters” with mandolinist David Grisman on Acoustic Disc Records.

Frank has written 18 guitar instruction books for Mel Bay Publications and has recorded 6 Educational DVD’s for Truefire.com. He has performed hundreds of clinics and master classes at major universities and colleges throughout the world including Julliard and Boston University. Currently, Vignola is touring worldwide.