Artist Spotlight: Denny Jiosa

This month we are proud to spotlight jazz guitarist/composer/producer Denny Jiosa.  Along with being recognized by his peers for the ability to write songs that continually make it into top song rotation on the radio, Denny’s engineering and production work has garnered him 4 Grammy nominations.  He has the rare ability to combine intricate guitar playing with passionate, melodic lines to produce truly unique music that evokes an emotional response to the listeners.  It is this talent that has gained Denny more than just a niche group of followers.  Through his use of catchy pop and R&B licks blended with guitar chops that makes some of the best players take a step back and show some appreciation, he has created a mainstream sound that only a handful of artists achieve.  On his latest album, Dreams Like This, Denny’s skill at writing thought provoking and emotional music is most evident in “Midnight at the Wall” and “Wounded Warrior”.  However, the whole album is full of hooks that will stay with you for hours after you’ve stopped listening to the record.

The one thing that really sets Denny apart is his ability to translate his studio work into a phenomenal and highly entertaining live performance that exudes so much energy that, by the end of the show, the audience is left with a cathartic experience and hungry for more.  

Denny is currently in the studio working on a new project that captures this raw, more aggressive style of playing that none of his previous work has ever really portrayed.  Though the music is a harder edge to it, the album is still full of the catchy, memorable melody lines that people have come to love about Denny’s work.  This round they get to hear a side of Denny that was previously only available to the audience of his live concert events.  By capturing this energy, he is able to deliver a sonic performance that reaches well beyond contemporary jazz.  In short, this next phase of Denny Jiosa elevates him to be amongst the ranks of some the most creative and inventive guitarists out there while still maintaining a firm grasp on what it takes to create music with mass appeal.

www.dennyjiosa.com