Victor Edward Jurusz Jr. (September 26, 1953 – December 31, 2019), known professionally as Vic Juris, was an American jazz guitarist.
Vic Juris | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Victor Edward Jurusz Jr.[1] |
| Born | September 26, 1953 Jersey City, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Died | December 31, 2019 (aged 66) Livingston, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Genres | Jazz |
| Occupation | Musician |
| Instrument | Guitar |
| Years active | 1970s–2019 |
| Labels | Muse, SteepleChase, Zoho |
| Formerly of | Dave Liebman |
Music career
editJuris was born in Jersey City, New Jersey, but he moved with his family to Parsippany early in his life.[2] In 1963, at the age of 10, he began learning guitar.[3] At 11, he studied guitar at the home of his teacher, Ed Berg, and got interested in jazz listening to Berg's records of guitarists Django Reinhardt, Jim Hall, Barney Kessel, Jimmy Raney, and Johnny Smith. In his teens he played the rock music of the 1960s. When he was 19, he met blind saxophonist Eric Kloss and they became friends.[2] He made his first recording on Kloss's album Bodies' Warmth (Muse, 1975).[3] Around the same time, he met guitarist Pat Martino, who became a friend and mentor.[2]
Juris recorded with Richie Cole during 1976–78 and released his debut album as a leader, Roadsong, in 1979.[4] In the early 1980s, he turned to acoustic guitar in duos with Larry Coryell and Biréli Lagrène, and in the late 1980s he worked with Gary Peacock's band. Since 1991 he has spent much of his career with saxophonist David Liebman.[3]
During the 1990s, he worked as sideman with Lee Konitz and Peggy Stern (1992), Benny Waters (1993), Jeanie Bryson (1993–94), Gary Peacock (since 1994), Steve LaSpina (since 1995), Judi Silvano (1996), Ken Serio (1996, 2007, 2019) and Joe Locke (1998).[5]
Juris taught at The New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music, Lehigh University, and Rutgers University and wrote instructional books for guitar.[2]
In the summer of 2019, Juris began to experience unusual fatigue while touring. He was soon diagnosed with metastatic liver cancer. Friends launched an online fundraiser to help cover the cost of his treatment, but he died on New Year's Eve.
Discography
editAs leader
edit- Roadsong (Muse, 1978)
- Horizon Drive (Muse, 1980)
- Bleecker Street (Muse, 1982)
- Bohemia with John Etheridge (Jazzpoint, 1988)
- For the Music (Jazzpoint, 1992)
- Night Tripper (SteepleChase, 1995)
- Music of Alec Wilder (Double-Time, 1996)
- Pastels (SteepleChase, 1996)
- Moonscape (SteepleChase, 1997)
- Remembering Eric Dolphy (SteepleChase, 1999)
- Songbook (SteepleChase, 2000)
- Songbook 2 (SteepleChase, 2002)
- Journey with Giuseppe Continenza (Jardis, 2003)
- Seven Steps To Heaven with Giuseppe Continenza, Dominique Di Piazza and Pietro Iodice (Wide Sound, 2003)
- While My Guitar Gently Weeps (SteepleChase, 2004)
- Blue Horizon (Zoho, 2004)
- A Second Look (Mel Bay, 2005)
- Jazz Hits Vol. 1 with MB3 (Mel Bay, 2006)
- Omega Is the Alpha (SteepleChase, 2010)
- Listen Here (SteepleChase, 2011)
- Free Admission (SteepleChase, 2012)
- Walking On Water (SteepleChase, 2014)
- Blue (SteepleChase, 2015)
- Vic Juris Plays Victor Young (SteepleChase, 2016)
- Eye Contact (SteepleChase, 2018)
- Let's Cool One (SteepleChase, 2020)
As sideman
edit|
With David Amram
With Jeanie Bryson
With Richie Cole
With Bill Goodwin
With Jack Kerouac
With Bireli Lagrene
With Steve LaSpina
With Stephen Riley
With Dave Liebman
With Barry Miles
With Judi Silvano
With Mel Tormé
|
With others
|
References
edit- ^ "Victor Jurusz Obituary".
- ^ a b c d Schermer, Victor L. (28 July 2009). "Vic Juris: Tension and Release". All About Jazz. Retrieved 2 October 2016.
- ^ a b c Milkowski, Bill (August 2002). "Vic Juris". Jazz Times. Retrieved 26 December 2016.
- ^ Yanow, Scott. "Vic Juris | Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved 30 September 2016.
- ^ Barry Kernfeld, The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz. 2nd edition. Oxford, 2002, v. 2, p. 467.