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| Gray Sargent Jazz Guitarist |
The Concord Band is delighted that jazz guitarist Gray Sargent, who starred with legendary singer Tony Bennett for many years, will perform as a duo with Cindy Scott at our Spring Pops concerts on April 8 and 9. This performance is not to be missed!
By Mark Gorman in Newport this Week
When internationally renowned guitarist Gray Sargent was just 7-years-old in Attleboro, Massachusetts, his mom started him on the living room piano. By the time he was 11, the family had moved to New Jersey and Sargent took up the guitar. Like millions of young people in the 1960s, he was wowed by The Beatles and learned to play many of their tunes. “I played in a band at 12, and we played lots of Beatles’ tunes,” he said. “We loved The Beach Boys, The Beatles and the [surf rock sound of] The Ventures.”
When he moved to Weston, Massachusetts, and attended high school, his older brother started taking him to a small club to listen to music, and it was a turning point in the young guitarist’s life. Sargent moved away from rock-and-roll and found his niche in jazz and blues.
“We started seeing all the great jazz and blues guys in that tiny club,” he said. “We saw Muddy Waters, Dizzy Gillespie, B.B. King, Paul Butterfield, Buddy Rich and Thelonious Monk, among others.” In the 1970s and ’80s, Sargent played and toured extensively with the great jazz tenor saxophonist Illinois Jacquet. After that, he stayed close to home, playing local gigs with the likes of Herb Pomeroy, Dick Johnson and Dave McKenna, and was also called upon to play when some of the greats like Gillespie, Phil Woods, Chet Baker or Marshall Wood rolled into town.
“I was playing some gigs in New York and Boston with [pianist] Dave McKenna and the great singer Donna Byrne,” he said. “Tony Bennett was a big fan of both of them, so he showed up at three of our gigs within a six-month period. Then, two years later, Tony’s road manager called me and asked me to join Tony’s group. The manager said, ‘Tony’s been talking about you for two years.’” Sargent was a member of the Tony Bennett Quartet for 24 years including Bennett's final performances with Lady Gaga.
When’s he not traveling the world or recording with Bennett, Sargent enjoys playing local jazz gigs. Hearing Sargent play is a delightful treat as he weaves his tasteful solos and chord melodies. It’s pure heaven and you’ll be hearing the best of the best.
