Bruce Eisenbeilbiography
Biography Photo

bio | brief bio | headphones

BIOGRAPHY | print meprinter friendly | 1 of 5

"About as revolutionary as music can actually get." ~ The Wire

"One of the most unique jazz guitarists to emerge in decades."
~ Harvey Pekar, JazzTimes

"Strikingly original." ~ Downbeat

"Outrageously exciting." ~ Ben Watson

"Disarmingly hypnotic." ~ Derek Taylor

"a matchless voice" ~ Jazzreview.com

"This guitarist often sounds as if he's disassembling the
instrument. He isn't; he's breaking down preconceived
notions of harmony, melody, rhythm, and sound itself -
and the effort can be as exhilarating as the results."
~ FRANCIS DAVIS, VILLAGE VOICE 2006

"Eisenbeil's prophetic voice comes like a streak of light out of nowhere surprising us with his range of intensity and extensive vocabulary of sounds that quickly develop into torrid dialogues with Evans and Robinson building into a fiercely collective conversation."
~ Jazz Improv Magazine

Bruce Eisenbeil is a New York City composer, improviser, and guitar instrumentalist who has dedicated his life to the advancement of modern guitar techniques through the growth and evolution of modern improvised music. He has 7 CD's released and has performed throughout North America, Japan, Germany, Sweden, Denmark, Brasil, and at many festivals. Eisenbeil has performed, recorded and collaborated with some of the best musicians in the world. He has been living in Manhattan since 1995.

Although Eisenbeil was born in Chicago, he grew up in Plainfield, NJ which is where he began playing the guitar when he was 4 years old. He has been performing professionally since he was 15. Mostly self-taught, he studied with a few great teachers including Joe Pass, Howard Roberts, Joe Diorio, and Dennis Sandole (teacher of John Coltrane and Pat Martino).

Critics have compared him not only with guitarists such as Wes Montgomery, Django Reinhardt, Grant Green, Billy Bauer, Sarnie Garrett, Sonny Sharrock, Curtis Mayfield, John McLaughlin, Jimi Hendrix and Jeff Beck but also with saxophonists John Coltrane and Ornette Coleman and pianists McCoy Tyner and Cecil Taylor. His ensemble writing has been associated with the Art Ensemble of Chicago and the Revolutionary Ensemble.

Eisenbeil has collaborated with many fine musicians including:
Cecil Taylor, David Murray, Milford Graves, Evan Parker, Wolfgang Fuchs, Ellery Eskelin, Andrew Cyrille, William Parker, Katsuyuki Itakura, Micheal Manring, Perry Robinson, Peter Evans, Hill Greene, Lisle Ellis Blaise Siwula, Lukas Ligeti, Klaus Kugel, Shiro Onuma and many others.

Eisenbeil has performed at these festivals:

2007 Edgefest - Ann Arbor, Michigan
2006 Montreal Jazz Festival
2006 Silent Art Festival(Bochum)
2005 Cologne Jazz Festival
2001 Vision Festival
1998 CMJ Music Conference
1997 Texaco New York Jazz Festival
1997 Buffalo Interprov Festival
1997 Philadelphia Mellon Jazz Festival
1997 Trenton Avant-garde Festival
1997 Philadelphia Fringe Festival
1997 CMJ Music Conference, NYC
1996 Philadelphia PSFS-Mellon Jazz Festival

2007

Performed at The Edgefest with Carnival Skin
New CD Release September 18 - Inner Constellation (Nemu 007)
Denmark and Sweden - Two week Spring Tour
The Stone in NYC - Two nights with Lisle Ellis' band
55 Bar - concert with Fay Victor Quartet

Concerts with: Andrew Drury, Tom Blancarte, Tom Hamilton, Lisle Ellis, Ellery Eskelin, Blaise Siwula, Fay Victor, Nat Janoff, Kat Hernandez, Dave Fox, Pat Lawrence, Jon Marc Ryan Dale, Ian Ash, Eddy Rollin, Wilbo Wright, Jon Rowan Reitzes, Claudio Rochat-Felix, Michael Attias, Jose Davila, Dan Marmorstein, Peter Brunn, Biggi Vinkeloe, Arne Forsen, Andreas Axelsson, Jim Ryan, Dave Sewelson, DeePop, Eric Deutsch, Gustavo Aguilar



2006

MONTREAL JAZZ FESTIVAL with CARNIVAL SKIN
SILENT ART FESTIVAL - Cologne, Germany
GERMANY TOUR
JAPAN TOUR: 10 cities
The Stone in NYC - premeired new quartet
CARNIVAL SKIN concerts

Concerts with: Klaus Kugel, Perry Robinson, Peter Evans, Hill Greene,
Ute Kaiser, Ludger Schmidt, Kent Carter, Roby Glod, Ellery Eskelin,
Alex Blake, Soon Kim, Nate Wooley, David Chiesa, Blaise Siwula,
Lisle Ellis, Elliott Levin, Fay Victor


Performances in Japan with: Shiro Onuma, Junji Mori, Keiko Komori,
Katsu Itakura, Hiroyuki Eizuka, Kumi Wakao, Yu Wakao, Keigo Iwami

2005

Cologne Jazz Festival

17 City US Tour with Katsuyuki Itakura (p) and Brian Osborne (d)
NPR affiliate WBLV interview with Lazaro Vega with 60 minute in-studio concert
WRCT interview with Matt Merewitz
WRUW interview with Wade Tolleson
CARNIVAL SKIN recording and performances

Concerts with: Perry Robinson, Klaus Kugel, Peter Evans, Hill Greene, Ute Kaiser, Albrecht Maurer, Ludger Schmidt, Roby Glod, Achim Tang

2004

15 City Japan Tour with Katsu Itakura

15 City US Tour with Katsu Itakura and Stephen Flinn
Symphony Space in NYC - Concert and DVD recording with Itakura, Flinn and William Parker
CARNIVAL SKIN performance
VICE VERSA performance
WRPI interview with Mark Dunlea

Concerts with: Peter Evans , Tom Abbs , Klaus Kugel , Charles Cohen, SKFL, Mike Lopez, Ian Ash

performed in Japan with: Yosio Ootani, Tetuzi Akiyama, Keiki Midorikawa, Yuki Saga, Shiro Onuma, Dai Soma

2003

15 City Japan Tour with drummer Stephen Flinn

Goethe Institute concert and recording with Wolfgang Fuchs
CADENCE February cover interview
Goethe Institute concert with CONCIOUSNESS
concert with Chris Kelsey Trio

Concerts with: Damon Smith, Michael Wimberly, Heather Kristin, Octavio Vasquez, Matt Brewer, Rosi Hertlein and Charles Cohen

Performances in Japan with: Bun, Katsuyuki Itakura, Yosio Ootani, Yamamoto Seichi, Toyohito Yoshikawa, Ueno and Takashi Kojima.

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5