Guitarist DRAA HOBBS was born
in Chicago, IL in 1953. He he now lives in Southern Vermont. Draa
studied guitar with
jazz greats Attila Zoller and
Jimmy Raney. He has also taken private lessons with Gene
Bertoncini and Peter Leitch. Draa’s first exposure to jazz guitar
was through the recordings of Wes Montgomery
and
Jim Hall. His understanding of music broadened
considerably through his twenty-three year association with the great
Hungarian guitarist Attila Zoller.
After four years studying with Attila at his Newfane home, Draa went on
to perform
with Attila in a variety of settings, ranging from a unique quartet
appearance with noted classical composer
David Amram, to a duo performance broadcast live on WRNX
in Amherst, Massachusetts. Draa was one of three guitarists
honoring the late Zoller in a concert held at the
Vermont Jazz Center in Brattleboro, Vermont. Along with
Draa was the wonderful Russian guitarist
Andre Ryabov, and the great New York guitarist, Vic Juris. The
rhythm section included former Chick
Corea Trio drummer, Barry Altschul.
Recent collaborations have included duo performances with master
guitarist John Stowell; gigs
in NewYork and Newfane with tenor saxophonist Jed
Levy; and a
recording session for Grammy nominated singer songwriter Lisa
McCormick which included Allison Miller on drums and T-Bone Wolk on
bass. In November of 2007 Draa played guitar for a recording
session in New York City with the great bassist Tony Garnier (Asleep At
The Wheel; Lucinda Williams: musical director and bassist for Bob
Dylan) and the powerful drummer James Wormworth. Draa is also featured
on a CD performing the music of classical composer Erik Satie, a
project by award winning producer (Joey Defransisco, Danny Gatton),
engineer, and guitasrist Ed Eastridge.
Draa brought his trio to the Vermont Jazz Center where he honored the memory of his long time mentor and friend, Attila Zoller, the founder of the VJC. Attila's birthday is celebrated each year by a different guest. Some of the guest artists in the past have included guitarists John Abercrombie, Gene Bertoncini, and Jack Wilkins. Performing with Draa were Jamie MacDonald on bass and Claire Arenius on drums, Draa presented several of Attila's original compositions for this Birthday Tribute Concert at the VJC.
Draa enjoys an active performance career in the New England
area. Thursdays, Draa is at Ricks Tavern
for Jazz Night in a group led by Steve Sonntag. The various
groups have been performing at Rick's for over three years. Check the
'Schedule' page for more information on Draa's current schedule.
Draa has also appeared on a number of regional CDs, including trumpeter Steve Sonntag's , "Not a Day Goes By". Draa's playing has been enthusiastically reviewed in "CADENCE " magazine. He is the author of numerous original compositions and recently worked on a soundtrack for a corporate training film. In addition to his work on other’s CDs, Draa has produced a CD of his solo guitar improvisations, Draa Hobbs Solo Guitar which includes standards by Rogers and Hart and classics from Duke Ellington.
He is now at work on a "Draa Hobbs Quartet" CD project.
Currently the Draa Hobbs Quartet is receiving acclaim in regional
concert appearances. The "Brattleboro Reformer" called a recent
concert " Jazz performance at its finest"
Draa is currently running the Jazz Program at The Putney School in
Putney Vermont, and teaches guitar at his Grafton home.
JUNE 15 TRIBUTE
TO CLAIRE ARENIUS AT THE VERMONT JAZZ CENTER
Please join us to honor long time friend and fellow musician,
drummer Claire Arenius. Draa will be performing Claire's original music
in a concert to raise funds to help Claire, who suffered a pulminary
embolism and was in the hospital for weeks. Draa will perform with
sax virtuoso Scott Mullet, the great Boston pianist Harvey Diamond,
Jamie Macdonald (who organized this event) on bass and Bob Weiner
on drums and percussion. For more information call The Vermont Jazz
Center 802-254-9088.
AUGUST 24 CONCERT AT THE OLD TAVERN IN GRAFTON, VERMONT:
THE DRAA HOBBS QUINTET
Draa will be bringing a great group to Grafton on August 24
featuring Michael Zsoldos on tenor sax, Fred Haas on alto sax and
keyboards,
special guest the incredible New York bass player Thomson Kneeland , and from
Berklee College of Music in Boston, drummer Jon Hazilla. The
concert - free and open to the public - begins at 8:30. For more
information call 802.843.6706
PLEASE NOTE: I do not use a capo! I
have never used a capo and don't intend to start using one. If you have
a need for a guitarist to play music which requires a capo, please be
advised I do not use them. Any and all music which I need to read must
be in concert key. Any key any tempo.... but NO CAPOS!!
Thanks!