Album Notes

Barry has been playing the guitar for over four decades and has been playing with pianist and composer, Frank Stagnitta almost as long. Their friendship is as sincere as they come and the jazz on this record is tribute to this friendship.

Barry began playing the jazz guitar when he was 16 years old in 1958. Although he took some lessons with John Latone and studied the Bach lute suites with classical guitar teacher Carl Mano, he learned most of what he knows about music from his experiences playing out on gigs like the ones he did with with Frank at central New York landmarks in the 1950s and 1960s like "The Camelot" and "The Elcid". Today, Barry is the "first call" guitarist in Central New York for more musicians than can be named. It is clear that Joe Pass and Jim Hall have greatly inspired Barry's playing. His guitar playing is serious and profound yet he is terminally humble and self effacing about his abilities.

REVIEW BY MARK BIALCZAK FROM SYRACUSE POST STANDARD

Central New York guitarist Barry Fairbanks and pianist Frank Stagnitta have been playing jazz together for more than four decades.

"Groove Yard" wonderfully captures the friendship and chemistry.

With Fairbanks' silky, sinewy guitar work and Stagnitta's graceful piano, these 10 songs are jazz as it oughta' be. Matthew Vacanti on bass, Dave DeSiro on drums and Tony Joseph on clarinet complete the talented ensemble.

Starting with Clifford Brown's elegant centerpiece "Delilah" and taking their own sweet time with Syracuse native Jimmy Van Heusen's tender "Deep in a Dream," Fairbanks and Stagnitta show love and respect with their talents.

The disc closes triumphantly with Harold Arlen's classic "Over the Rainbow," with Tony Joseph's clarinet gorgeously carrying the lyrical melody line. (A disc from Joseph is in the works on local label Spider Records, and this raises expectations for a very good thing.)