Vic Juris and Marc Mommaas

Teaches at New York Jazz Workshop

Vic Juris: FROM THE WILDS OF MANHATTAN to the shores of Japan and Germany, jazz guitarist Vic Juris has covered an impressive range of territory, musically as well as geographically. Inspired by rock and roll legend Chuck Berry, the Jersey City native first picked up a guitar at the age of ten. With no musicians in the family, he taught himself to play and was soon appearing with rock and R&B bands throughout the tri-state area. But the young rocker's taste soon changed. In his late teens Vic discovered jazz and classical music. He was hooked. From there it was on to a career with the likes of Dizzy Gillespie, Phil Woods, Jimmy Smith, Sarah Vaughan, Chico Hamilton, Dave Liebman, Richie Cole, Mel Torme, Eddie Jefferson and Nancy Wilson. From the beginning Vic's voracious appetite for new musical experiences led him to explore any and every jazz artist he could hope to learn from. He drew on other idioms as well: blues, swing, bebop. In a less sensitive and technically accomplished musician this expansive vocabulary might descend into cacophony. But Vic's highly developed sense of composition, his skill at fusing traditional jazz guitar with other forms of expression, has made him an eloquent and popular conversationalist. Eagerly sought out by his fellow musicians, he has provided accompaniment for numerous recordings. In the mid eighties Vic teamed up with the phenomenally talented guitarist Bireli LaGrene during an engagement at Fat Tuesday's, a New York City jazz club. Vic and LaGrene, a young gypsy whose spirited style recalls that of legendary guitarist Django Reinhardt, began playing together regularly. Their popular performances were charged with the intensity of two masters challenging each other to new heights. One thing led to another. Vic and LaGrene toured Europe together. They recorded Bireli LaGrene Live, featuring Vic Juris for the German label Jazzpoint. It was during this time that Vic started spending a lot of time on the continent. He toured with alto saxophonist Richie Cole; pianist and composer Michel Legrand and then again as part of a guitar trio with Bireli LaGrene and Englishman John Etheridge. Vic found a warm welcome in Europe, where audiences are somewhat more sophisticated in their appreciation of jazz. European promoters were quick to book him, confident that he would draw a crowd. While spending much of his time in Europe, Vic nevertheless managed to keep busy back in the states. He often teamed up with guitarist Larry Coryell playing festivals and Jazz Clubs throughout the country. He also traveled with Gary Peacock in duet throughout the European circuit. Vic has been a member of the David Liebman group since 1991. This band has recorded 10 CDs, traveled throughout Europe, Japan, Israel, and the United States throughout the 1990s and is still going strong till this day. He was a member of the Gary Peacock Quartet and musical director of the Charles Mingus Guitar Quintet. Vic performed at George Wein's J.V.C. Festival, in duets with John Abercrombie and Russell Malone. He performs with Jeremy Steig, James Moody, Charlie Mariano to name a few. As a leader Vic Juris is performing in the U.S. and in European venues. Marc Mommaas: Marc Mommaas (b1969) comes from an artistic background. His mother is an opera singer/pianist and his father a well known painter in the Dutch art scene. During Marc's study in Amsterdam NL he combined his musical development with a university education (Masters in Comm.Science/Business). After being awarded with two Dutch grants (Stichting Podium Kunsten, Prins Bernard Fonds Anjer Fondsen) in 1997, he moved to New York City. amsterdam Once in New York, Marc received a full scholarship to attend the Manhattan School of Music where he pursued his Masters in Jazz Performance. Upon graduating he was awarded the William H. Borden Award, given to only one student selected from the graduating class for outstanding achievement. Marc made his debut as a leader in 1999 recording Global Motion Trio with Nikolaj Hess (piano) and John Hebert (bass). In 2001 the acclaimed drummer Tony Moreno joined the group which now has become Global Motion. After an extensive tour in Europe including a 5 day hit at the Pompoen in Amsterdam, the band returned to NYC and recorded Global Motion, released by Sunnyside Records in 2003. This release earned critical praise in Downbeat, Jazztimes, Jazzimprov, All About Jazz and numerous online platforms. This record was followed by another well received Sunnyside release titled Balance (2006), a long anticipated duo recording with pianist and longtime friend Nikolaj Hess. In 2005 Marc had begun a guitar project titled Landmarc together with Tony Moreno, Nate Radley, Vic Juris and Rez Abbasi, which will yield its 1st release on March 2010, by Sunnyside Records.