John Pisano, Pt. 1

John Pisano is an influential jazz guitarist and studio musician, known for his mastery as an accompanist.

He can be heard on recordings with artists including Joe Pass, Herb Alpert, and Chico Hamilton, and live at his weekly Guitar Night in Los Angeles.

Bio

Pisano was born in 1931 on Staten Island, New York. His father and uncle played banjo and guitar, and would often perform popular standards around the house.

Pisano got his own musical start at the piano, but eventually switched to the guitar at age 14. During his formative years, he briefly studied with the famed guitarist/teacher Chuck Wayne, and was heavily influenced by the music of Django Reinhardt.

Pisano's first professional gigs were with the Johnny Long Orchestra, where he played swing rhythm guitar. The parts were very simple harmonically, so he came up with ways to add more movement to the chords while still keeping good time.

At age 20, he enlisted in the Airforce and played guitar in a sextet called the Crew Chiefs. This was an important experience for Pisano, as he got the opportunity to perform live in military clubs, and record for recruitment advertisements.

Pisano left the service in 1955, and was about to start his studies at the Manhattan School of Music when he got a call for an audition with Chico Hamilton. He got the gig (taking the place of Jim Hall), and moved out to California, where he still remains today.