Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Frank Vignola: Deja Vu

Frank Vignola: Deja Vu

By Jim Santella
June 1, 1999
View read count

Songs by Cream, Carole King, Bob Marley, Isaac Hayes, Elvis Costello, David Crosby, Sting, and John Lennon make up much of Frank Vignola's latest album. The guitarist treats them with respect, offering familiar melodies and standard rhythms while stepping up occasionally to improvise. Vignola's smooth guitar sound embellishes each favorite tune; he's supported by drums, electric bass, keyboards, and group background vocals. Vignola, whose improvisation has a mild Country & Western quality, studied banjo, and at age 14 won the Grand National Banjo Championship in Canada. Deja Vu is the New York native's fourth album as a leader.

Chick Corea's "Spain" sits atop Joe Ascione's mechanical programmed drum pattern and a throbbing electric bass counterpoint, as Vignola's guitar provides the melody. John Lennon's "Imagine" is all melody with a backbeat; Vignola treats them right. His improvisation isn't fiery or flashy; rather, the guitarist prefers to maintain an adult contemporary, soft rock approach. The restrained emotion and attention to lyrical melodies makes D'j' vu pleasurable.

Personnel

Frank Vignola

guitar

Album information

Title: Déjà Vu | Year Released: 1999 | Record Label: Original Jazz Classics

PREVIOUS / NEXT

Interview with Tom Varner
< Previous

Mnemosyne
Next >

Frank Vignola Concerts

Oct 1 Wed

Frank Vignola's Guitar Night

Birdland Theater
New York, NY

Oct 11 Sat

Frank Vignola

Center For The Arts Bonita Springs
Bonita Springs, FL

Jan 10 Sat

John Jorgenson Quintet With Frank Vignola

Smothers Theatre, Pepperdine University
Malibu, CA

Support All About Jazz

All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who make it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

Go Ad Free!

To maintain our platform while developing new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity, we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for as little as $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination vastly improves your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.