Jimmy Bruno

Bruno has unusual chops, even in the technique-friendly realms of jazz guitar. It's not unusual to see him in the corner of a dimly lit basement club in Philadelphia, cigarette hanging out of his mouth as he blazes away at four times the speed recommended by carpal tunnel specialists -- with a crowd of drooling jazz students eagerly trying to soak up what they see. This is not to say that he sacrifices melody for the sake of speed: when Bruno wants to, he can sit back on a soft, Wes Montgomery-like chordal ballad or deliver a warm-toned melody that sounds like it came from of the 1950s West Coast scene. His Bebop runs are obviously modernist, but they have a raw, swinging feel that exhibits the influence of pioneers like Eddie Lang, Django Reinhardt and Charlie Christian. Working in the bluesy organ trio format with critical favorites like Joey Defrancesco has begun to bring Bruno attention -- but he deserves a lot more.