Joseph Frame founded Framework Acoustic Jazz Quartet in the mid 90’s: Video

21.05. – Happy Birthday !!! After many years performing as a solo guitarist, Joseph Frame founded Framework Acoustic Jazz Quartet (initially a drummer-less trio) in the mid 90’s; the quartet has subsequently grown to a Quintet on occasion.

The rather unusual instrumentation of jazz violinist Michael Robbins, saxophone/flutist Dave Wilson, upright bassist Willy Ryan, and Latin percussionist Juan Melendez combines with Frame’s nylon- and steel-string acoustic guitar to result in a unique, but very accessible live sound.

It is this group with which he recorded his most recent project, “Carpe Diem” (2008; recorded at Bioya Studios by Lenny Argese), an exciting “live in the studio” performance of tunes by a diverse list of composers: from Jobim to Django; to Luis Bonfa to Charlie Byrd; to Frame himself and colleague Robbins.

In 2006 Frame began an acoustic “chamber jazz” collaboration with upright bassist Mike Durek called The Dyad; not a duo of a guitarist with a bass accompaniment, rather a true dyad that approaches their performances more like chamber-musicians. Their interpretations rely upon the equal contribution of each voice, with the melody in the bass register as often as it is carried by the guitar. Their commitment is to the melody, harmony, and rhythm of each tune they perform. It is this commitment that informs their rapport; the resulting musical integrity with which their performances are imbued.

Frame has studied with legendary acoustic jazz guitarists Charlie Byrd and Gene Bertoncini. His meticulously developed fingerstyle arrangements emphasize the harmonic content of each piece he performs, either in a solo context or in ensemble with Framework or The Dyad. For repertoire, he frequently draws from the music of the late Brazilian master Antonio Carlos Jobim, whose sophisticated rhythms, memorable melodies, and lush jazz harmonies created that musical genre now known as bossa nova. He also performs original pieces which meld the influences of his various musical interests: Brazilian, Classical, Gypsy-Jazz, the Great American Songbook. Many of these tunes are showcased on his solo CD, “Picture This”.