Jazz in SLC

Frank Vignola and the Virtuoso Band – Oct. 24th, 2011


The Salt Lake City audience roared with laughter as Frank Vignola and the Virtuoso band “paused” their performance squeezing together to pose for a fan’s photo in the middle of performing a song on the Capitol Theatre stage. Once the flash went off; Frank and the Jazz band picked up their performance just exactly where they had left off. The musicians were crowd pleasers, performing not only music, but an impromptu comic routine that fit perfectly with the lively, fun Jazz style performed, filled with improvisation and whimsical tangents.

Each band member had a diverse background. The quintet was comprised of violinist Zach Brock from Lexington, Kentucky, Julian Labro, the accordion player from the South of France, the accompanying guitarist was Vinny Raniolo. The string bassist, Jon Burr, was excellent, adding vocal scat singing on top of the instrumental, performing brilliant string bass solos in turn.

The night’s concert began at 7:30 p.m. with a relaxing and inviting rendition of the Hoagy Carmichael song Stardust. The string bass kept perfect rhythm with Frank and Vinny playing the twin guitars as the melody line, the tempo raced at different points in the song. Each musician would rotate through a cameo solo arranged for their instrument. The violin singing along on a romantic note, bending the bluesy notes in a dreamy fashion. The accordion, an unusual instrument to see performing in traditional bands, added a unique feel to the song. It seemed to play the part of the piano at times and the part of the clarinet at other times. The musician’s flying fingers over the keyboard of the accordion were fascinating to watch. Stardust showcased an excellent call and response between the guitars and the violin, the accordion often played the counter melody in the background. Each instrument would pick up the counter melody as the musicians traded off in the solo performances.

The band had a well rounded repertoire including pieces from the Jazz, Classical, Rock, and some gypsy genres. The pieces performed included I’m getting sentimental over you, Swan Lake Scene I, and Beethoven’s 5th Syphony, Stairway to Heaven and some various compositions from Frank Vignola’s mentors Les Paul and Django Reinhardt. All were performed with a different presentation than how one would typically identify the songs, each one made unique by the skills of the Virtuoso Band. A favorite of mine was the rendition of Metallica’s Stairway to Heaven, which they encouraged the audience to sing along. The tempo was slow and the bending notes were mournful sounding, at some points they played in unison, and others they split off in harmony and always they showcased a different instrument as they moved through the song at different places. In I’m getting sentimental over you, the violinist played an amazing solo that was filled with improvisation. Sometimes the violin solo flew along with the notes played in a striding fashion, up and down the scales, at other times the song slowed and the romantic feel was poured into the song through the slow and soulful notes.

The musicians seamlessly transitioned from one genre to the next. Although the string bass hums quietly in the background, it was interesting to see the Jon manipulate its strings in different manners, sometimes slapping and plucking at the strings, sometimes gliding the bow smoothly across them each technique differing the timbre of the sound. The richly low sound was beautiful, sometimes fast and staccato, other times it was slow and melodic.

Frank and the Virtuoso band were entertaining and well skilled musicians. Those seated in the theater were heard saying that it was a wonderful performance, far exceeding the expectations of the crowd that night. I am certain to recommend and attend a performance of theirs again, if the opportunity presents itself.