Description:
The Frank DiBussolo Group ~ Songs to Write Home About
Since 1965, guitarist Frank DiBussolo has been gracing concert halls and studios alike with his technical proficiency and smooth, emotionally astute style across the fretboard throughout a fortuitous career that includes collaborations and appearances with such greats as Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, and Dizzy Gillespie. The eight-time Grammy-nominated artist has also developed a wide reputation as an expert educator with a genuine interest in the up-and-comers of the jazz world. Thus the Frank DiBussolo Group was born.
Hailing from Allentown, Pennsylvania, the band’s members share a likeminded vision for cutting across generation gaps, proving those gaps arbitrary in the process by turning the tried and true into freshness incarnate. It was in this spirit bassist Steven Liu and drummer Bryan Tuk were recruited when, after hearing them play together in another group, the veteran performer approached them about being his new rhythm section. With rising-star vocalist Tiffany Grochowski’s talent on board, the picture was complete. The group quickly became aware of a shared affinity for WWII-era swing, of which many gems inevitably made their way onto the debut album, Songs to Write Home About.
For its debut album, the Frank DiBussolo Group has assembled a well-chosen program of standards from the swing era that best showcases each member’s strongest colors. From the cool greens of the bandleader’s picking and vocalist Tiffany Grochowski’s swatch of lavenders to bassist Steven Liu’s earthen tones and drummer Bryan Tuk’s cobalt timekeeping, there is much to soak in along the album’s 12-song spectrum, which is a model of economy and grace in jazz arranging.
The group’s approach exemplifies what is already inherent to these songs, an inner soul that adapts to any configuration and context. And it’s no wonder, for human connections are what this intimate cabaret for the new millennium is all about.
