Live At The Rendezvous by Gerry Beaudoin Trio

Both Grover and Don are over a decade older than myself ( how many years I'm not saying ) and had played with some of my hero's including jazz guitar greats ,Tal Farlow, Herb Ellis, Charlie Byrd and the late great Cal Collins. Don Saviano is one of the original up right bassists who made the switch to Fender electric bass in the late 1950's and never looked back. A pioneer on electric jazz bass he is also a master of all kinds of music and was in the original Chris Duarte Blues Band in the late 1980's and early 1990's. Grover was the drummer in the original Cal Collins Trio with Michael Moore on bass. I can never thank Don and Grover for the confidence they had in me as a young musician to play in my trio. Please enjoy this recording as much as I do.

GERRY BEAUDOIN BIOGRAPHY

Jazz guitarist Gerry Beaudoin has carved out a career as a leader, arranger and guitarist. Called, "One of New England's premier jazz guitarists " by Just Jazz Guitar Magazine. Gerry has appeared on over twenty two recordings in his career since his first national release in 1990. His award winning group the Boston Jazz Ensemble which featured percussion legend Alan Dawson on drums and vibes, alto saxophonist Fred Lipsius from the seminal jazz -rock group Blood Sweat and Tears, and Dick Johnson who leads the Artie Shaw Band on clarinet, received rave reviews and critical acclaim.

Gerry has been the recipient of national music industry awards including a 1992 National Association Of Independent Record Distributors award for best jazz recording and a 1993 and 1995 Cadence Jazz Magazine Editors Choice Award.

In 1992 Gerry teamed with mandolin titan David Grisman for the all acoustic recording Minor Swing, which became an acoustic music cult favorite and paved the way for Gerry's 1998 recording, Just Among Friends. This recording featured Gerry and David, again in an acoustic setting, with jazz guitar legend Bucky Pizzarelli. Just Among Friends received wonderful reviews and was "submitted for consideration for a Grammy Nomination."

A chance meeting in 1994 with rock guitar legend Jay Geils from the J.Geils Band was an event that Gerry remembers fondly. In his own words, " I was playing a set at the Boston Guitar Show and after I finished a gentleman came up to me and said, Hi, I'm Jay Geils and I have some of your records. After I got over the shock of who he was we chatted for a while and I found out he had always been into jazz and blues since he was a kid in New Jersey. A few weeks later a promoter put us together for a show that was mobbed with lines outside in the pouring rain. I was truly amazed that a superstar rocker could play jazz standards and had such depth to his playing." After that first gig Jay became a frequent guest with the Gerry Beaudoin Trio in concerts across the country. In 1997 Jay came by to sit in on a gig with Gerry and his longtime friend Duke Robillard and the three guitarists decided it was so much fun they should do it more often. Since that night they have been performing together as the New Guitar Summit in concerts and festivals. Their first recording in 2000, Retrospective was released to rave reviews and a second recording by The New Guitar Summit will be out in 2003. They have appeared on the PBS TV show CD Highway and have a DVD of that concert is coming out in 2004. Gerry is also a featured performer on the Mel Bay Productions DVD Café Benedetto which features Gerry alongside fellow guitarists Howard Alden, Jack Wilkins Jimmy Bruno and Frank Vignola. Gerry is currently writing a book/CD project for Hal Leonard Publications on acoustic jazz guitar.

The award winning guitarist is a graduate of The Berklee College Of Music and is an adjunct professor of music at Quincy Community College. As an in demand clinician and educator, Gerry has done clinics at many schools and colleges. In 2001 Gerry was chosen as the clinician for the award winning New Jersey All Star High School Jazz Band.

Truly a guitarist's guitarist, Gerry has appeared or recorded with the elite of the jazz and blues guitar world including John and Bucky Pizzarelli, Howard Alden, Jimmy Bruno, Frank Vignola , Ronnie Earl, Duke Robillard, J. Geils, Hubert Sumlin, Jimmy Vivino, and Andy Summers from the rock group the Police. He has also performed or recorded with a host of jazz and blues luminaries including Jay McShann, Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson, Dave McKenna, Levon Helm from The Band, Rich Latielle and Greg Piccolo of Roomful Of Blues, Carol Sloan, Cercie Miller, The Woody Herman Orchestra, Bob Hope, Scott Hamilton, and harmonica legend from the Muddy Waters and Eric Clapton Bands, Jerry Portnoy.

QUOTES ABOUT LIVE AT THE RENDEZVOUS

"...Gerry Beaudoin's flair for chord melody and his swinging approach to jazz guitar make this an enjoyable evening of jazz guitar." -DUKE ROBILLARD

" A virtuoso guitarist,composer and arranger, Gerry's music evokes the style and sophistication of the era when melody reigned supreme." -RANDALL KREMER

Smithsonian Institution

" Gerry Beaudoin's guitar playing combines the raw emotive power of the blues,the irresistable energy of swing with the intelligence and innovation of bebop. The resulting mixture is consistently exciting."

-Jim Fisch 20th Century Guitar

"...Showcasing his old trio and their jazz and blues roots. "LIVE AT THE RENDEZVOUS " can best be described as B.B KING meets the BENNY GOODMAN SEXTET. A great recording. -A.J.WACTEL-BOSTON BLUES MAGAZINE

" Gerry Beaudoin has been a prominent member of the jazz scene in and around the New England area for over twenty years playing with such artists as Duke Robillard and Bucky Pizzarelli as well as doing clinics at the Berklee College Of Music. In this trio setting,recorded live at The Rendezvous in 1996 ,in Waltham Massachusetts Gerry works his way through a familiar selection of standards such as " TAKE THE A TRAIN," "OUT OF NOWHERE," and "BODY AND SOUL" as well as four originals. Gerry's 7-string Benedetto guitar evokes a Van Eps like quality when listening to "HERE'S THAT RAINY DAY" and a bluesey feel on " BLUE BENEDETTO." Combine Gerry's feel for the music,sense of taste and fine chops and you have an enjoyable CD." -ED BENSON-JUST JAZZ GUITAR

"LIVE AT THE RENDEZVOUS" is an amplified acoustic set. This is jazz guitar played with verve and panache. Beaudoin has been playing blues and jazz for over twenty years and is a past recipient of the NAIRD award in 1992 and the Cadence Editors Choice Award in 1993 and 1995. Here , his 7-string Benedetto eases its way through a great variety of jazz standards backed by excellent bassist Don Saviano,( a special mention)and drummer Grover Mooney.Beaudoin gets a nice cutting acoustic tone from his Benedetto and has a lovely harmonic sense,a good deal of lyricism and probably most important of all, he swings like crazy. This is a fine jazz guitar CD from a gifted player. -Chris Burden-String Jazz, UK

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