Search - Mel Bay Jimmy Bruno Live At Chris' Jazz Cafe on DVD

FINALLY!!!!!!!!!

Bob Kasprzak | phila,pa | 12/04/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I first heard Jimmy play in the early ninetys at JJs Grotto on 21st street in Philadelphia, where I live. It was a truly transformative experience. I'd never seen anyone play like that; and this was before he had a record contract. The owners, Jack and Rick, helped him get a tape together and sent it off to Concord Records and waited for the phone call which we knew was coming. Alas it didn't come and Jack Prince, one of the owners, kept calling them to ask them to listen to it and one day caught the right guy on his way to lunch. Jack pleaded with him to play it in the car on the way to lunch and,low and behold, the next day they called back and a star was born!

Jimmy told me later, after a trip to California to sign a contract, that in the office was a large cardboard box, about 4'x4' with thousands of tapes in it. It's a good thing Jack caught that guy on the way to lunch. I probably spent six or seven years listening to Jimmy play ; some times three nights a week and i wish we had videos from that era but all I have is about two dozen casette tapes that I recorded so you can thank your lucky stars that these DVDs are available. Jim moved to Chris' Jazz Cafe on Sansom Street a few years later.One night, At Chris', I was standing at the bar listening and turned around to find Pat Martino standing behind me, also listening. I never heard them play together but they're both part of a guitar summit this year at the University of the arts where Jimmy teaches so maybe. . .

Anyway I just ordered the DVD and if you like jazz guitar then you owe it to yourself to do likewise. As good as Jimmys playing is on CD there is nothing like hearing him play live. There were nights when I floated home on a magic cloud after listening to Jim and the boys play. Some nights he started off in High gear and others he would build up to a musical frenzy and the audience would explode with applause. Were I a religious person it would have been a real "thank you, Jeezus moment". Imagine, if you will, sitting four feet from Wes or Bird or Charlie Christian. Now you can get a sense of what that's like. Enjoy!"