Randy Stark, trombonist, composer and conductor working and living in Sacramento, California.

I'm a jazz guitarist, composer and recordist. I also taught jazz at the University Of The Pacific and Consumnes River College. I own a recording studios - Henry's Place a tracking facility out of my home. My band is The Henry Robinett Group, which has been in existence in one form or another since 1985. We released 5 CDs.  The latest, "I Have Known Mountains" is the 5th in the series but without the group. I also play with The Capital Jazz Project.  In addition I'm active in producing various artists across the stylistic spectrum. 

I've taken a lot of my inspiration from my late cousin,  jazz great Charles Mingus. I lived and studied with him briefly in the mid-late 70s.

On this site I will put things up, all unfinished works in progress, unless I indicate otherwise, to either show what I'm working on or to give an overview.  We're working on a couple of CDs.  There's a wide variety of material, so I don't know whether it will become two or three different CDs, straight ahead jazz, my more accessible material or what. Many of the pieces here I have no plans to release on a CD. But it's good to get some feedback or just a feel for what folks are listening to. 

On another note, as I'm sure there's enough music here to upset everybody. Part of the pleasure of being a guitarist who plays jazz is being exposed to a wide variety of music in the popular idiom.  And frankly I love all genres. Part of my uniqueness, if there is any,  is being willing and able to play at most styles.  I don't consider my more "accessible" elements selling out, because I really like them, and I still play everything in my own style, rather than trying to cop anyone else either compositionally or guitaristically. What's more what personally drives me crazy is the narrow minded, musical fascism; almost a form of musical bigotry, that an artist has to stay within the confines defined as X or that anything but X is invalid as an art form worthy of ones attention.  The timbre of guitar and music has changed over the years. I like to explore it all. 

I believe part of an artists responsibility to is write what he hears and play what he imagines, if he likes it, regardless of other peoples considerations or pressure, one way or the other. If I only did straight ahead jazz or only did funk or only rock, I'd be dishonest.

Been on bandstand for 57 years....more information/gigs 916 501 6085  or direct email. pianoguitarzan@hotmail..Looking forward to discussions

Barry Finnerty is an internationally known guitarist, having played with such jazz luminaries as Miles Davis (The Man With The Horn), the Crusaders (Street Life) and the Brecker Bros. (Heavy Metal Bebop). He is also the author of two acclaimed "Serious Jazz" educational books. He now lives in Oakland, California with his wife Clarita and several dogs. "START" is his first literary work.
Synopsis:
In New York City in the mid-1990's, internationally known guitar player Barry Finnerty found himself in a very bad place. His glory days of the 70's and 80's, when he was recording with Miles Davis, flying first class around the world with the Crusaders, making legendary records such as "Heavy Metal Bebop" with the Brecker Bros, banging beautiful groupies and partying non-stop - all of that is a distant memory.
As he reminisces about the past and laments what might have been, he has no choice but to make a living as the rock singer in a high society tuxedo band, a job with no artistic satisfaction whatsoever, which he finds highly depressing to say the least. Self-medication with booze and cocaine is continuous, and he becomes so unhinged at one point that he actually believes he can escape his predicament by getting into a relationship with Yuvana Crump (the ex-wife of the notorious New York real estate tycoon Ronald Crump) because she smiles at him while he is onstage at a tuxedo gig at the Waldorf. When that brilliant idea doesn't work out so well, he starts thinking that maybe becoming a stand-up comedian might be his way out.
The often hilarious narrative, told in the first person (from Barry's own perspective) and in the present tense (except when recalling past memories), blurs the barriers between memoir and fiction. "There's a lot of reality in it," says Barry. "although many of the names have been changed to protect the guilty. And a lot of it sounds like it really could have happened... although most of it didn't. But some of it did!"

CenterPeace is the creation of music producer & songwriter Dave Haddad, also a professional drummer in the Los Angeles area. CenterPeace music is groove music; innovative drum and percussion arrangements with simple melodies, dynamic passages and lush textures. The music is a byproduct of Dave's experience in multi-cultural music further enriched by his extensive travels abroad. It would be impossible to categorize CenterPeace into any one genre, the sound is unique & universal.

CenterPeace is groove music; Innovative drum and percussion arrangements with simple melodies, dynamic passages and lush textures. It would be difficult to choose any one genre which could describe the entire CenterPeace music catalog.

Pianoguitarzan is following