Acknowledgement

Thanks to Wilbur Wittemann and the Lakewood Big Band for giving me the opportunity to perform two concerts with trumpeter Randy Brecker at the 20th Annual Music Spectacular Jazz Festival at the Strand Theater in Lakewood, New Jersey May, 2 2006.

About Skip Grasso

SKIP GRASSO has been passionate about jazz guitar for over twenty-five years. He has studied privately with numerous renowned educators and musicians including jazz guru Charlie Banacos, guitarist Paul Bollenback, the legendary Danny Gatton and Dr. Asher Zlotnik.

After completing his Masters of Music in Jazz Studies at the prestigious University of North Texas, he returned to Maryland where he has performed with Project Natale, Mood Swings, and the Eubie Blake Big Band.

Skip has performed at the most important jazz venues in the Baltimore-Washington Area including The New Haven Lounge, Twins, 49 West, and Louies Café. Last year was an exciting one for Skip's group Quartet Zero which performed at venues including the Sowebo Festival, the Mount Vernon Park Concert Series. Most significantly, Quartet Zero was invited to participate in the summer concert series at the Swirnow Theater at the Mattin Center of Johns Hopkins University.

Skip is an accomplished composer whose work Sideslipper was performed by the Johns Hopkins University BigBand. His recent composition River Songs has received radio play. This is a 4-part suite, based on the idea of the movement of water, and is inspired by the book The Prince of Tides by Pat Conroy.

Skip has also had two books of guitar transcriptions published. Skip currently serves as a Professor of Music at Mount Saint Marys College as well as teaching privately.