Guitar Chamber Music Press

Curt Warren

Photo of Curt Warren
Curt Warren is an active jazz guitarist, known primarily in the southwest, who is quickly making a name for himself on the national scene.  The El Paso Conservatory of Music welcomed Curt to its guitar faculty in the spring of 2011. 1963: Curt began his professional career playing the Frankie Laine show in Las Vegas.1968-1970: Curt played shows in Hawaii including Teresa Brewer, Tony Martin and a televised appearance with the Honolulu Symphony Orchestra. 1970-1972: Curt was the leader of the El Paso Sheraton house band where he worked with Della Reese, Billy Eckstein, Fran Jefferies, Jerry Van Dyke, Joanne Summers, etc. 1974-1978: Performed with the United States Navy Band, “The Commodores” (the official Navy jazz ensemble) in Washington, DC. While performing with this band, he was a featured soloist at the Newport Jazz Festival, the Midwest Band Convention in Chicago, and at the National Association of Jazz Educators Convention in Dallas, TX. 1978: Curt began his employment as a Professor of Guitar at the University of Texas at El Paso, teaching jazz guitar and jazz improvisation, and performing at various functions and concerts at the university. He continues to work with his own trio in jazz clubs in El Paso where he has played with such greats as Herb Ellis, Bill Watrous, Carl Fontana, Rob McConnell, Bud Shank, Eddie Harris, Joe Newman, Tommy Tedesco, Al Viola and others. 1984: Recipient of a National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Fellowship Grant. 1986: Again received a National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Fellowship Grant. He has three albums to his credit. The first one, I’ve Got the World on a String , was recorded with legendary jazz bassist Monty Budwig. The second, Jazz Ruined My Life, was recorded in Chicago and features the great Chicago jazz pianist Larry Novak, Rusty Jones on drums, and Nick Tountas on bass.  The third album “Jazz Ruined My Life II” was recorded both in Chicago and El Paso, Texas. It was released in October of 1998 by Innovative Strings Records, and is available online via amazon.com. Curt performs annually at the Texas Jazz Festival in Corpus Christi, Texas. He performs and gives clinics around the Chicago area, and in the Albuquerque, El Paso, and Houston areas. Curt is looking forward to expanding his excellent career even further.

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