Concert & Gear Talk Workshop: 100 BC! Celebrating Barney Kessel & Chet Atkins at 100

FREE, REGISTRATION REQUIRED
Donations Accepted
DOORS: 6:30pm
CONCERT 7PM

Presented by the Northwest Arkansas Jazz Society

All tickets for this concert are general admission, but seated unless otherwise noted. Concerts at the Folk School are an intimate and listening environment.

Bruce Forman and Pat Bergeson play the guitars of American music icons Barney Kessel and Chet Atkins, who were their mentors, bosses, and friends. Along with a recording, the project will also include a musical barnstorming road trip from Lutrell,TN (Chet’s birthplace) to Muskogee, OK (Barney’s).
“To our knowledge, these two masters never spent any time together…but by getting their guitars side by side, making music, we are correcting that historical oversight.”
Expect lots of fun times and rewards, exciting playing, and two historic instruments telling stories that will last another hundred years!

ABOUT BRUCE FORMAN
A hectic touring schedule; twenty-one recordings as a leader, countless sideman recordings including Ray Brown, Bobby Hutcherson, Roger Kellaway; soundtrack performances on three of Clint Eastwood’s distinguished films—most notably Academy Award-winning Million Dollar Baby; raconteur, arranger, acclaimed educator, in residence at USC’s Studio/Jazz Guitar Dept., when does Bruce Forman rest?

Deep immersion in American culture inspires Forman to contribute to the traditions that he draws from. Reunion! (the newest project) revisits the famed Poll Winners sessions with cohorts John Clayton and Jeff Hamilton, playing instruments owned by Barney Kessel, Ray Brown and Shelly Manne; Formanism (his trio project); original works like The Red Guitar; his high-rated podcast, GuitarWank; Cow Bop and the “road challenges” down historic byways like Route 66; JazzMasters Workshop; Junkyard Duo; GrumpsTV (a fifty episode YouTube variety show during the lockdown), the popular ‘first chorus of the day’ series on Instagram…these are only the latest answers to the endless question that underlies Bruce Forman’s creativity. His music and life reflect every step of his journey, and demonstrate the awareness of an artist who’s very much at home in the world, and at the top of his form.

ABOUT PAT BERGESON
Guitarist and harmonica player Pat Bergeson has written, toured, and recorded with many of his musical heroes. Beginning at the University of Illinois in his home state, he moved on to New York City and picked up a Jazz Studies degree at William Paterson University. After playing in New York for ten years, he moved to Nashville upon the request of Chet Atkins who heard Pat on a demo tape. Chet invited him to play on his album “Sneakin’ Around” with Jerry Reed, and later featured Pat’s guitar and compositions on his 1994 release Read My Licks. They were good friends and toured together for several years.

A versatile guitarist as well as chromatic and diatonic harmonica player, Pat’s style incorporates jazz, blues, rock and finger style and he is known for his session work with a variety of artists. He has been in the studio with Lyle Lovett, Alison Krauss, Dolly Parton, Bill Frisell, Martin Taylor, Suzy Bogguss, Bill Evans, Peter Frampton, Michael McDonald and many others. He has toured with Shelby Lynne, Madeleine Peyroux, Wynonna Judd, Suzy Bogguss and then four years with Lyle Lovett and his Large Band. Pat has been a teacher and producer and has appeared on many movie soundtracks.