The Weekenders are a raw rock n’ roll band.  Fuzz, groove and soul.

In the classic tradition of the jazz masters, guitarist/composer Adam Smale tells stories with his music. His “pen” is a personally designed 7-string guitar, wielded with both virtuosity and creativity. His tales are woven from his rich imagination stoked by a wide variety of musical influences and his latest CD,
Out of the Blue fully attests to his compelling artistry. It’s his first CD since the release of his critically acclaimed Canadian release, Fun City.

Born in 1967 in a small working class community in Northern Ontario, Adam’s musical journey been at
the age of 7 when, inspired by Country and Bluegrass styles he began playing guitar. By the age of 12 he was a professional, performing in clubs, bars, community events, weddings and private parties until he left for Humber College.

During these formative years, the young guitarist immersed himself in a wide variety of musical
influences, but it wasn’t until his college years that he discovered jazz, and his path took a profound turn. Rather than abandoning his roots - or his earlier influences like Chet Atkins, Albert Lee, Eddie Van Halen, Flatt & Scruggs – Adam began to forge a new direction for himself in the classic tradition of true jazz expression. Discovering a goldmine of jazz guitar masters, including Pat Martino, Pat Metheny, Tal Farlow, Jim Hall, and John Scofield, along with Charlie Parker and Bill Evans, a new world of possibilities opened up for him.

But it was the music of the legendary Lenny Breau that had the greatest impact, not only in the direction of his music, but in the physical means by which he would choose to express it. Returning to the thumb-pick of his early years to employ a fingerstyle technique, Adam found his sound. To complete the process, Adam designed his own 7-string guitars and now primarily uses his specially built electric and classical guitar as his two instruments of choice.

In 1992, Smale’s public career began in earnest. Covering all genres from country to Latin, Jazz to
World, over the next 15 years Adam performed all over the world, including South America, India and the Middle East, as well as numerous cross-Canadian tours. Based in Toronto, he performed consistently with his own trio and quartet featuring outstanding Canadian musicians (sometimes including renowned bassist and drummer Don Thompson and Terry Clarke) and was a regular presence at the acclaimed Toronto Downtown Jazz Festival, and was featured at the prestigious
Grand Prix du Jazz at the 2002 Montreal Jazz Festival. 
In 1996 Adam co-founded the experimental ensemble Camarillo, which performed together until 2007.

The educational realm is an important part of Adam’s focus. He has conducted master classes and seminars throughout the U.S. and Canada for Guitar Workshop Plus and the National Guitar Workshop. He received his Masters Degree in Jazz Performance from Western Michigan University in 2009.

That same year Adam moved to New York City where he is now focusing primarily on his quartet. He
is currently arranging to tour behind the release of Out of the Blue, ready to establish his own place in
the forefront of today’s guitar masters.
For more information, visit adamsmale-jazz.com

Adam has written, and self-published a book for guitarists, New Approach to Scales for Guitarists: A Practical Modern Direction, that he feels will change the way guitarists organize, and how they think and implement music scales on guitar. The book is available in a print version as well as several eBook versions for most popular tablets and devices today. Visit NewApproachToScales.com for more information.




From fresh interpretations of jazz standards, to lyrically evocative originals, New York City based guitarist Rick Stone is an artist with a clear musical vision. His fluid, full-bodied sound pays homage to the great jazz guitar masters of the past while maintaining a personal style with a contemporary edge. 

“This is no-nonsense jazz with a classic dark tone and killer chops."
-Dave Walker, davewalkermusic.com

Rick Stone has been called “one of the finest straight-ahead guitarists on the current NYC jazz scene” (Robert Silverstein, MWE3.com). From fresh interpretations of jazz standards, to lyrically evocative originals, Rick’s fluid, full-bodied sound pays homage to the great jazz masters of the past while maintaining a personal style with a contemporary edge.  

Rick’s latest CD Fractals with bassist Marco Panascia and drummer Tom Pollard reached #5 on the JazzWeek charts and made the Top-100 for the year 2011. His trio can be heard regularly at the Garage, the Bar Next Door and other NYC venues. For the last few summers he has toured Italy extensively as a guest artist and clinician. 

Rick began playing guitar at age nine in his hometown of Cleveland. His passion for jazz was sparked by a live performance of saxophonist Sonny Stitt. This marked the beginning a musical quest that led him to Berklee College of Music and then to New York where he found a fertile and stimulating environment in Barry Harris’ Jazz Cultural Theatre. While studying with the legendary pianist, Rick honed his craft sitting in with veteran players like Tommy Flanagan, Lionel Hampton, Clarence “C” Sharpe, and Junior Cook. Then, under the tutelage of jazz masters Jimmy Heath, Ted Dunbar, Donald Byrd and Hal Galper, he earned his M.A. in Jazz Performance at Queens College.  

Soon Rick was developing a reputation in his own right. With performances at the Blue Note and Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall, he began leading all-star groups with musicians like Kenny Barron, Eric Alexander, Vernel Fournier, Richard Wyands, Ralph Lalama, Dennis Irwin and Billy Hart. He presented a series of NEA funded concerts entitled “A Tribute To The Masters Of Modern Jazz Guitar” and led a guitar series at the Swing Street Café where his duo mates included Peter Bernstein, Mark Elf, Roni Ben-Hur, Peter Leitch, Michael Howell and Freddie Bryant. He toured South America and played regularly at Sette MoMA with his trio, followed by a stint with swing clarinetist Sol Yaged.  A sought-after sideman, Rick has worked with Irene Reid, Ronny Whyte, Vince Giordano and Eric Person, and many others. He has released five recordings as a leader and is a featured sideman on recordings by Carol Sudhalter, Mary Ann Hurst, Carol Leven and Al Ashley with Dave Leibman.  

A respected educator, Rick teaches at Hofstra University, Jazzmobile and the Brooklyn Conservatory of Music, and has presented clinics at IAJE, MENC and numerous colleges and universities. He writes for Just Jazz Guitar, Jazz Guitar Life, and Mel Bay Publications and has received IAJE Awards for Outstanding Service to Jazz Education and NEA performance fellowships. Rick recently launched the educational website JazzGuitarLessons.com where students can learn through video lessons, and printable study materials, as well as one-on-one instruction via Skype.

jberretta2000 is following