Craig Gildner
Guitar, Vocals
With a love for the masters like Van Eps, Ellis, Montgomery, Burrell and Kessel plus an appreciation of all music old and new, his trio is able to do both. He's been a fixture of DC jazz and swing for 20 years. The focus on guitar is recent and for many reasons. "The guitar is perfect for jazz. It's portable. It's intimate all alone, but can also fill a room with drums and bass. Notes can bend and slur like a horn's...a perfect tool for limitless expression." The content for expression? Porter, Gershwin. Van Heusen, Berlin...but also Lennon-McCartney, Bacharach, Jobim and even Nora Jones. Add silky smooth vocals to this trio, and you have an extremely versatile and accessible group.
Craig plays a Moll John Pizzarelli 7 string arch top guitar, a Gibson L7 or ES175 depending on the mood.
Amy Shook
Acoustic Bass
Amy Shook is one of the most in-demand acoustic bassists in the mid-Atlantic, coveted for her huge sound and infectious, driving groove. In addition to being a premier performing and recording artist, a multi-instrumentalist (acoustic bass, electric bass, violin, viola, and cello), she is an accomplished composer, and her personality truly comes through in her writing. Amy co-leads the Shook/Russo 4tet, a band she started in 2004 with her husband, tenor saxophonist Pat Shook, and drummer Frank Russo.
Amy has performed with Maurice Hines in Maurice Hines’ Tappin Thru Life, Sherrie Maricle and the DIVA Jazz Orchestra, Lionel Hampton, Larry Willis, Greg Gisbert, George Mesterhazy, Wessell Anderson, Ali Ryerson, Walt Weiskopf, Tim Warfield, Wycliffe Gordon, the Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra, Hubert Laws, Kurt Elling, Steve Nelson and Lewis Nash, to name a few.
Frank Russo
Drums, Percussion
Raised in the NYC area, Frank Russo was steeped in a rich musical heritage and carriers on the legacy of a musical family. Frank is an in-demand performer, recording artist, and educator who teaches at Towson University and AACC. He is an artist/educator for Sabian Cymbals, Baltimore Drums, and The Vic Firth Education Team performing clinics around the globe. Frank also completed a distinguished career with the prestigious Naval Academy Band. An incredibly adaptable musician, Frank has performed with Wessell Anderson, Hal Crook, Denis DiBlasio, George Garzone, Greg Gisbert, Tim Hagans, Jimmy Haslip, Fred Hughes, Donny McCaslin, Dr. Lonnie Smith, Frankie Valli, Walt Weiskopf, among others. Highlights of his performances include Festivals in the US, Mexico, Canada, Asia, and Europe. Frank proudly endorses and performs with Baltimore Drums, Sabian Cymbals, and Vic Firth sticks & brushes.