Bruce Dunlap
Bruce Dunlap - Press Quotes
“Evocative and spellbinding.” -The New York Times
“Acoustic jazz guitar played stunningly well... fascinating new compositions. -Jim Hall
“Best Contemporary Instrumental Record of the Year.” -Pulse
“His beautifully constructed originals are harmonic in conception, brimming with colorful altered chords that catapult the music into new expressive heights. In the process Dunlap comes up with some unforgettable melodies... The guitarist himself has impressive chops, but you always get the distinct feeling that his virtuosity is in service to the music... Dunlap has created a stirring, intellectually satisfying collection of pieces that have the grace and emotional import of fine poetry.” -JAZZIZ
“Dunlap sculpts a dazzling set of originals. Bringing to bear a supple technique and a gently arcing melodicism, Dunlap evokes shimmering portraits... His sound whether on 6,7,9 or 10 string acoustic guitars is likewise mellow and singing, yet always intense. In sum a tour de force, which should put Dunlap in heady company with the likes of Abercrombie, Metheny and Scofield.” -Jazz Times
“He’s a disciplined player with a strong melodic sense and has a wonderful technique but uses it with discretion.... focused compositions with swinging rhythms and tricky chordal patterns... Dunlap’s playing has an easy flow and a “singing” quality with a lot of heart.” -Downbeat
“10 out of 10... On acoustic guitars of six, seven, nine and ten strings, the guitarist weaves a filigreed fabric of sound... Baffling richness of soundscape and nuance.” –Stereoplay
"Jazz guitarist Bruce Dunlap has achieved unmatched technical and improvisational abilities via a thumbpick and three fingerpicks, primarily on nylon-string guitar." Wikipedia
"Bruce Dunlap's personality is uniquely expressed through the symbiotic compositions that create About Home. The music's complexities simmer below the serenity of its surface, leaving sophisticated, strikingly original material both simple to digest while never being less than accomplished work by a true jazz virtuoso. Bruce enthralls listeners, exploring new boundaries on guitar with fresh ensemble playing." Elusivedisc.com
“Bruce Dunlap’s fleet fingered, introspective and evocative guitar playing was to me mesmerizing... Elegant and understated... a joy to hear.” -Stereophile
“A modern day Villa Lobos.” -Albuquerque Journal
“... Flipped for his fantastic technique and musicianship... A wonderful musician with a new voice of his own.” -Bob James
“A most amazing guitarist... Dunlap blew the audience's collective mind with a startling display of virtuosity, technical wizardry, and clarity.” Jazz Now
Bio
Bruce Dunlap has played the guitar for 45 of his 48 years. He has captured audiences worldwide with his facile command of the technique and poetry of the acoustic guitar. Having recorded several critically acclaimed CDs (Chesky Records) and a recent CD with the group Medicine Show, Bruce's "shimmering portraits" as Jazz Times called them, often sound like they are being played by more than one guitarist. Bruce draws on jazz, classical and ethnic traditions to create what Jazziz Magazine called "a stirring, intellectually satisfying collection of pieces that have the grace and emotional import of fine poetry".
Bruce was born into a family of classical musicians. His father was a conductor and his mother was a dancer and musician. He began playing guitar at the ripe age of three and taught himself to play by listening to records. At 13 Bruce entered the Interlochen Arts Academy and studied composition, theory and played in the studio orchestra for 4 years while teaching himself guitar. Upon graduation he spent two years in Detroit then moved to New York where he started performing and recording with Bob James, Grover Washington, Airto, Mel Lewis and many others. He also composed music for several nationally syndicated television shows (One Life to Live, All My Children etc.) In one especially horrifying moment he found himself acting on the TV show One Life to Live.
After moving to Santa Fe in the late 80s Bruce released a series of critically acclaimed recordings for his own label and for Chesky records in New York. At this time he was touring and recording with Bob James, Eddie Daniels, Herbie Mann, Medicine Show, and recording with Fred Hersch, Sara K and many others.
In 1999, while maintaining a full touring schedule, Bruce founded the Open Arts Foundation to present the Santa Fe Jazz & International Festival. The first season presented 24 concerts of world-renowned jazz and world music artists over the course of 3 weeks. The ensuing 5 years saw the Festival develop into one of the one of the premier artistic venues in the United States and was focused on building international awareness of Santa Fe as an important center for Jazz and World Music. The idea of music as an important focal point for community building has been central to many of Bruce’s projects.
In February 2005, as “phase 2” in Open Arts’ ongoing efforts to expand the music scene in Santa Fe, Bruce opened “GiG Performance Space”. GiG is a small, elegant state-of-the-art performance space presenting events 4-5 nights a week. GiG is dedicated to promoting the finest local, regional and national artists, assisting in artist development and developing the performance culture of Santa Fe.
Bruce has performed and/or with: Kenny Werner, Fred Hersch, Paul McCandless, Howard Levy, Glen Velez, Gary Willis, Eddie Daniels, Herbie Mann, Claudia Villela, Simon Shaheen, Kevin Hayes, Sara K, Dave Grusin, Bob James, Gil Goldstein, Scott Colley, Jamey Haddad, Harvey Mason, Eddie Harris, Grover Washington, Mel Lewis, Airto Moriea, James Newton, Ernie Watts, Alan Pasqua and many others.
As a concert promoter, Bruce has presented Gary Burton, Dave Holland, Michael Brecker, Kenny Werner, Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Paul McCandless, Art Lande, The Paul Winter Consort, Oscar Castro-Neves, Marc Copland, Kurt Elling, Luciana Souza, Romero Lubambo, Dori Caymmi, Robben Ford, Claudia Villela, Kevin Mahogany, Tuck and Patti, Eric Johnson, Cyrus Chestnut, David Sanchez, Raul Midon, Bill Frisell, Howard Levy, Howard Levy, Fred Hersch, Fred Hersch, Simon Shaheen, Trio de Paz, Eliane Elias, Adam Rogers, The Yellowjackets , George Butler, Herbie Mann, Eddie Daniels, Ravi Coltrane, Airto Moreira, Flora Purim Dave Liebman, Danilo Perez, Marc Johnson, Mark Turner, Claudia Villela, Kevin Mahogany and many others. Bruce is currently Executive Director of the Open Arts Foundation and Gig Performance Space.