JAZZ: MASTERS AND LEGENDS                                                                                By Maximillien de Lafayette, Syndicated Columnist

 

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

Photo: Encore with Jack Wilkins at  the Shepard's Town Concert.

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