Guitar Masters: John Jorgenson Quintet

Tickets available at the Bakersfield Music Hall of Fame and BakersfieldMusicHallofFame.com

John Jorgenson creates a unique musical experience that equally enthralls the most discerning and the casual music fan. The group’s style has been called “gypsy jazz” after the dynamic string-driven swing created by Django Reinhardt and Stephane Grappelli in 1930s Paris, but Jorgenson’s compositions draw in elements from Latin, Romanian, Classical, Rock and Greek music, so “21st Century World Music” is perhaps a more apt description.

Guitarists (and folks like me who read liner notes) will be well-acquainted with John Jorgenson as his career has already spanned more than three decades and diverse musical styles. First coming to national attention in the mid ‘80s as co-founder of successful country-rock act The Desert Rose Band, an eclectic array of artists such as Bonnie Raitt, Bob Seger and Barbara Streisand were drawn to add Jorgenson’s artistry to their own recordings.