SHERYL BAILEY'S "BULL'S EYES" IS SOLID GOLD. A TRIUMPH! Rating: 5 stars out of 5
Once
Sheryl Bailey told the media "Man. Woman. Black. White. Jazz. Rock. These
words only define forms, not experience. Playing jazz is an incredible human
event. Art is about communicating the divine through human activity. We all
possess the divine and the ability to express it and share it. "And this
caught my attention and allowed me to better understand the noble spirit of
this American genius and delightful human being! I am glad, Sheryl Bailey was
courteous enough to send me a copy of her most recent releases "BULL'S EYE",
for I enjoyed it tremendously. This superb jazz guitarist does not need
additional praises and accolades. She has already made her mark on the the
world of jazz as a teacher, a composer and guitarist. To many critics,
musicologists, students and fans, including myself, Sheryl Bailey is
acknowledged as one of America's greatest guitarists. Perhaps, the world's
best female jazz guitar player.
THE SHERYL BAILEY'S STORY: ONE OF AMERICA'S GREATEST GUITAR PLAYERS.
Music plays a major role in her life. At a very early age, she began to study piano. Around 13, Sheryl was already a performing musician at her high school where she joined the school's band and played the trumpet. But her first love was the guitar. She wanted to become a rock star, for she loved hard rock guitar and bands like Humble Pie and Deep Purple. A kid in Sheryl's neighborhood showed me how to play a few barre chords and the guitar never left her hands, since... Her mother was a professional musician. She played here and there to pay the bills. No, she was not a hard-rock guitarist, but a classically trained pianist.
The little Sheryl did not like much going to school. She loved to skip school and stay at home and learn rock solos from records. Her favorites were Eric Clapton and Jimi Hendrix. Yep! Heavy stuff. And she kept listening to their records day and night, and night and day. This little girl just adored the guitar. And her life changed for ever, when John Maione, a music teacher opened her eyes on the records of Wes and Jimmy Raney. On the hands of her new teacher, the young Sheryl Bailey began to work on pieces by George Van Eps, Joe Pass, Charlie Christian and Carl Kress. Those giants were her first and major influence in her musical life and key to understanding the guitar. One day, the little Sheryl Bailey will reach her childhood dream and create a small music band, a sort of trio. And her dreams came true. She created a formidable trio, and this is how she did it "I met drummer Ian Froman through the great tenor saxophonist, George Garzone. We did a series of trio gigs (no bass) at The Cornelia Street Cafe in NYC. Ian is amazing. He is really a master modern drummer. He has the deepest understanding of the style of Elvin Jones that I’ve ever heard, and the most unbelievable linear concept. I knew then that I wanted to do a project with him, but was missing the third person.
Months later, I kept hearing about this great Hammond player, Gary Versace. I’ve worked a lot in the organ trio format and have always wanted to explore it from a freer 60’s perspective ala the Grant Green/Larry Young/Elvin Jones band. I’m particularly fond of the writing and improvising styles from the late 50’s to mid-70’s. Gary really knows the tradition of the Hammond B-3, but also is very fluent in modern harmony and time feels. After playing with him I knew I had the missing piece of the puzzle. I was supposed to leave on a 6-week tour on September 12, 2001. Well, that didn’t happen, so to fill the space and to try to find some sanity and healing from music, I called Gary and Ian for a session. It was pure magic and great fun. Everything has since fallen into place—tunes, gigs, recording and a special friendship.
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