Denny Jiosa

JIOSA On The Edge

About Me

Denny Jiosa, best known for his success in contemporary jazz both as a guitarist and producer, is stepping into a new world! With 6 chart topping contemporary jazz CDs of his own and 4 Grammy nominations for Gospel artist Yolanda Adams and Polka queen Lynn Marie, he is no stranger to diversification.

His musicianship has been compared to guitar greats Wes Montgomery, Eric Clapton, George Benson, Jeff Beck, and Santana! With quotes such as:

* ”If Eric Clapton played jazz he’d be Denny Jiosa ” /Jazziz Magazine

* “Take the classic cool jazz of the late Wes Montgomery,stretch it with the contemporary sounds of jazz masters like Pat Metheny and Larry Carlton, add a dollop of B.B. King blues and Eric Clapton blues rock, and temper it with Latin-tinged, soaring, fluid solos like Carlos Santana, shake it and bake it, and you have Denny Jiosa!” / Steppin’ Out Magazine -

Jiosa stands out in today’s field of instrumental musicians as one who refuses to compromise and always surprises. This project is indeed a long awaited musical venture for Denny. It is not a jazz record. It just plain rocks! Simply called “JIOSA”, “it represents melodic, passionate rock that contains elements of Jeff Beck, Steve Vai, and Eric Clapton. It is with bassist Jon von Boehm and drummer John Toomey, both of Nashville and both with progressive rock backgrounds.

“It is a project I have always wanted to do”, says Jiosa. “Toomey and Boehm have been inspiring to work with. I realized I missed that feeling of getting with great players and creating. Like my teenage years, finding players of common ground, rehearsing in my parent’s basement, and hearing new ideas develop on the spot is exciting! Even though I am no longer in my parent’s basement, we are we creating awesome tracks!”

VINTAGE GUITAR MAGAZINE / John Heidt

JIOSA On The Edge

Fans of Denny Jiosa's elegant smooth jazz recordings are in for a shock with his new trio effort. Jiosa, bassist Jon von Boehm, and drummer John Toomey crank up the volume with efforts solidly rooted in rock, blues, and jazz. The stylistic sidestep is evident immediately on the in-your-face opener,”Dynamite,” with its heavier tone, very aggressive attack, pinched harmonics, and plain old volume. That said, Jiosa still proves to be an incredibly melodic player. On most of the record, the musical hooks stand out and stay with you. Funk and rock dominate “Blue Line to Largo,” with jabbing 9th chords and stinging harmonics. Jiosa also fills a middle section with some straight rock and blues riffing before heading back to the funk. “Night Train to Marakesh” is an evocative piece with slinky, sitar-like guitar. Anyone familiar with his past work won't be surprised to hear the immediately memorable ballad “Redemption,” which is more Jeff Beck than smooth jazz. A solo over a string section adds melodic flavor. “Spytime” is a straight-ahead boogie that gives Jiosa room to show off his nasty side with surprisingly tough chord changes and deft tremolo bar work. Every cut except “Afraid of the Dark” is an instrumental. On the soul/pop cut, Jiosa's vocal is pleasant enough, but it's his melodic, bluesy solo that dominates the song. Whether it's a stylistic move to escape a genre that appears to be sinking slowly or a move toward what he wants to do doesn't matter. Jiosa and his trio have fashioned a record that has great songs and skillful guitar playing aplenty. http://dennyjiosa.com/music.html http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/jiosa

QUOTES Dirk Sutro, the author of JAZZ FOR DUMMIES states, �While some of the players are a little too smooth for my taste, some other artists in the contemporary jazz category make more challenging music.� He lists Denny Jiosa among his favorites in the company of such stellar musicians as Fourplay, Spyro Gyra and Joe Sample.

LIVE PERFORMANCE QUOTES �An incredible jazz ensemble and delightfully entertaining� Fred Puglia,Decatur Celebration

�An electrifying show!� Peter Woolfolk,Tennessee Jazz & Blues Society

�Stunning performance...just fabulous!� Jane Olds,Clearwater Jazz Festival

�His performance was a great blend of contemporary and traditional jazz, with improvising reminiscent of Wes Montgomery! Music Boulevard