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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.