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Frank Jolliffe

Frank Jolliffe plays jazz on an Archtop and Warr Guitar.

About Me

FRANK JOLLIFFE - Jazz Artist

“...a master touchstylist”, Bassics Magazine ”...the music is straight-ahead unadulterated jazz”, The Star-Ledger ”...he pays more attention to things like structure, harmony and melody”, JazzTimes

Frank Jolliffe performs jazz standards, original compositions and free improvisation on the Warr guitar. A stringed instrument tapped with the fingers of both hands simultaneously, the Warr guitar combines the ranges of both bass and guitar while maintaining its own unique sound. “I believe the music and technique of touchstyle playing will be elevated to a new artistic level with the Warr guitar”, says Jolliffe. Performing throughout the U.S. and Europe, past and recent appearances include:

Gaume Jazz Festival, Belgium The Jazz Cafe, London Hennessey Cognac Village Jazz Festival, NYC Passage du Nord-Ouest, Paris Cafe Opera, Germany The Knitting Factory, NYC 2nd Rassegna Internazionale “Castelfranco Jazz”, Italy One Thousand Pulses, NJ

After establishing his reputation as a Stick® player, Jolliffe has now expanded his sonic palette with the Warr guitar. His early releases, ”Solo Stick,” “Live on Comcast” and “In the Pocket” with Jim Mason on drums, showcases his jazz style and technique. Jolliffe's new multi- dimensional sound is featured in the electro-acoustic quintet ArtCrime and the avant-garde ensemble “The Flying Particles”. Getting back to his roots, Jolliffe has also become a proficient 6-string archtop jazz guitarist.

As a jazz educator and specialist in touchstyle methods, Jolliffe has taught at the National Guitar Summer Workshop, the European “Tap” Seminar and the Hartford Camerata Conservatory. “When I teach,” remarks Jolliffe, “I incorporate techniques and styles to allow my students to play in different genres, such as pop, rock, world music and of course, jazz”.

Frank Jolliffe wrote a book, “The TouchStyle Songbook™” and published ”The TouchStyle Quarterly™”, a newsletter for tap players. He studied jazz at Berklee School of Music in Boston and classical theory and composition at Mannes College of Music and The New School in New York City and holds a B.M. in Jazz Studies from William Paterson College of New Jersey and a Masters Degree in Library and Information Science from Rutgers University.

Jolliffe studied privately with guitarist Bruce Arnold, a protege of Charlie Banacos and his methods of teaching music. He was a featured performer at the Warr Guitars NAMM booth for three consecutive years.

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