MUS 0530 — Jazz Guitar

John Maione has been teaching, performing, and recording professionally since the early 1970’s, and has been an Adjunct Professor of Jazz Guitar at the University of Pittsburgh since 1981.  One of jazz icon and educator Joe Negri’s first jazz guitar student graduates with a Bachelor of Arts from Pitt, he is also proficient in all styles of playing, and can be seen playing in local venues in band settings; as a jazz guitar soloist; and in theatrical productions, locally (CLO, PMT, numerous high school productions) and touring (Chicago @ Heinz Hall). His post-graduate studies include Theory, Jazz Composition, and Arranging from Duquesne University, and Conducting from Juilliard. His Jazz Chords for Rock Guitarists textbook is published by Mel Bay. Since 2000, he has released well-received CDs of mostly original compositions – Midlife Blessings, A Christmas Peace, The Kind of Gray Project, Heartsongs I and II, Come To Me As Children – available in hard copy and on most digital platforms. His original song tribute to Charlie Parker, Some Assembly Required, was a winner in the Jazz category in the 2002 John Lennon Songwriting Contest. His songs Festivale and CKP having been performed by the University of Pittsburgh’s own Jazz Band, Ralph Guzzi director/arranger. His notable former students include Jazz Guitarist, Recording Artist and Associate Chair of Guitar Studies at Berklee, Sheryl Bailey, co-founder/bassist/songwriter of Rusted Root, Patrick Norman, first call LA session musician, Bart Samolis (Despicable Me, The Orville, X-Men, Family Guy), guitarists and educators Dr. Scott Seifried, Dr. John Marcinizyn, and Dr. Jack Bishop, internationally-known Grammy-nominated rapper and hip hop artist, the late Mac Miller, and numerous other guitar educators and performers.

Mr. Maione is also the full time music electives and instrumental ensembles teacher at the neighboring Winchester Thurston Upper School, where he has developed electives in Songwriting, The Music of the Beatles, World Music, Music Theory and Appreciation, and others. He has been involved as conductor/arranger/guitarist of the school’s Gene Kelly Award-winning musicals (2002 – 2008). He is the Director of the Jazz Band, which performs numerous original compositions of his, and the Orchestra, which has performed at Heinz Hall with PSO Principal Horn, William Caballero as soloist, with Maestro Honeck present; and given recitals in the foyer of Carnegie Music Hall for Chamber Music Pittsburgh. In 1996, he began a Guitar Ensemble at WT, which has been a love of his since beginning one at Pitt as a student in 1974.  Playing, composing, and teaching music, and keeping up with his two grandchildren keeps Mr. Maione, in Dylan’s words, “forever young.”

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