Stephen James Rochinski (born January 20, 1954) is an American

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

guitarist, composer, arranger, recording artist, author, and educator(Professor

Emeritus ''Emeritus/Emerita'' () is an honorary title granted to someone who retires from a position of distinction, most commonly an academic faculty position, but is allowed to continue using the previous title, as in "professor emeritus". In some c ...

) He has worked and performed with

Tal Farlow Talmage Holt Farlow (June 7, 1921 – July 25, 1998) was an American jazz guitarist. He was nicknamed "Octopus" because of how his large, quick hands spread over the fretboard. Early life and education Talmage Holt Farlow was born in Greensb ...

Attila Zoller Attila Cornelius Zoller (June 13, 1927 – January 25, 1998) was a Hungarian jazz guitarist. After World War II, he escaped the Soviet takeover of Hungary by fleeing through the mountains on foot into Austria. In 1959, he moved to the United Sta ...

Jimmy Raney James Elbert Raney (August 20, 1927 – May 10, 1995) was an American jazz guitarist, born in Louisville, Kentucky, United States, known for his work from 1951 to 1952 and then from 1953 to 1954 with the Red Norvo trio (replacing Tal Farlow) a ...

Pete Candoli Walter Joseph "Pete" Candoli(June 28, 1923 – January 11, 2008) was an American jazz trumpeter. He played with the big bands of Woody Herman and Stan Kenton and worked in the studios of the recording and television industries. Career A native ...

Conte Candoli Secondo "Conte" Candoli (July 12, 1927 – December 14, 2001) was an American jazz trumpeter based on the West Coast. He played in the big bands of Woody Herman, Stan Kenton, Benny Goodman, and Dizzy Gillespie, and in Doc Severinsen's NBC Orc ...

, Tim Hagans,

Joe Lovano Joseph Salvatore Lovano (born December 29, 1952)"Joe Lovano." ''Contemporary Musicians''. Vol. 13. Farmington Hills, MI: Gale, 1994. Retrieved via ''Biography in Context'' database, May 5, 2017. is an American jazz multi-instrumentalist. T ...

, Greg Hopkins, Gary Foster, Pat Harbison, Jeff Sherman, Hal Melia, Chip Stephens,

Hank Marr Hank Marr (30 January 1927 – 16 March 2004) was an American jazz musician known for his work on the Hammond B-3 organ. Career Natives of Columbus, Ohio, Hank Marr and tenor saxophonist Rusty Bryant co-led a group that toured for several years, ...

, Brad Goode, Joe Hunt, Scott Lee,

Walt Weiskopf Walt Weiskopf (born July 30, 1959, in Augusta, Georgia) is an American jazz saxophonist, multi-instrumentalist, composer, author and educator. He has released sixteen albums as a leader, and performed on countless other albums as a sideman. He h ...

, Wade Beach, Amy Shook, Jeff Antoniuk, Tony Martucci,

Chuck Redd Chuck Redd (born September 10, 1958) is an American jazz drummer and vibraphonist. Career Redd began touring and recording when he joined the Charlie Byrd Trio at the age of 21. He also joined The Great Guitars (Barney Kessel, Charlie Byrd, an ...

, Richard Evans, Bob Freedman, entertainer and singer Anthony Tillman, as well as numerous studio, concert, club date, and international clinic appearances.

Biography

Rochinski has received numerous grants and awards including a 1993 Jazz Fellowship from the

National Endowment for the Arts The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) is an independent agency of the United States federal government that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence. It was created in 1965 as an independent agency of the feder ...

for private study with

. In 1984, after leaving the road as the music director, guitarist, and arranger for the Tony Tillman Show, he became a professor at his alma mater, the

Berklee College of Music Berklee College of Music () is a Private university, private music college in Boston, Boston, Massachusetts. It is the largest independent college of contemporary music in the world. Known for the study of jazz and modern Music of the United ...

, where, in addition to curriculum development and consulting, he teaches all levels of harmony. He is the author of ''Harmony 4'', (Berklee Press) the last in a series of Berklee's Core harmony curriculum textbooks, ''Reharmonization Techniques'' for Berklee Online, and ''Modern Jazz Theory and Practice—The Post-Bop Era'' (Berklee Press). He also teaches arranging, ear training, ensembles, and improvisation. He is the author of ''The Jazz Style of Tal Farlow: The Elements of Bebop Guitar'' and ''The Motivic Basis for Jazz Guitar Improvisation'' (

Hal Leonard LLC HAL may refer to: Aviation * Halali Airport (IATA airport code: HAL) Halali, Oshikoto, Namibia * Hawaiian Airlines (ICAO airline code: HAL) * HAL Airport, Bengaluru, India * Hindustan Aeronautics Limited an Indian aerospace manufacturer of figh ...

). One of the highlights of his performance career was his selection as one of a handful of guitarists to perform at the 1996 JVC Jazz Festival 75th birthday tribute concert for Tal Farlow at Merkin Hall in New York City. He teamed up with

and Andrei Ryabov to perform Zoller's "Homage to O.P.". Other guitarists who appeared at this historic concert event were

Johnny Smith Johnny Henry Smith II (June 25, 1922 – June 11, 2013) was an American cool jazz and mainstream jazz guitarist. He wrote " Walk, Don't Run" in 1954. In 1984, Smith was inducted into the Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame. Early life During the Great ...

Howard Alden Howard Vincent Alden (born October 17, 1958) is an American jazz guitarist born in Newport Beach, California. Alden has recorded many albums for Concord Records, including four with seven-string guitar innovator George Van Eps. Early life Ho ...

Herb Ellis Mitchell Herbert Ellis (August 4, 1921 – March 28, 2010) was an American jazz guitarist. During the 1950s, he was in a trio with pianist Oscar Peterson. Biography Born in Farmersville, Texas, Ellis grew up on a farm. He was first exposed ...

, John Abercrombie,

Gene Bertoncini Gene J. Bertoncini (born 6 April 1937) is an American jazz guitarist. Biography A native of New York City, Bertoncini grew up in a musical family. His father, Mario Bertoncini (1901–1978), played guitar and harmonica. His brother Renny (1934� ...

, and

Sal Salvador Sal Salvador (November 21, 1925 – September 22, 1999), whose name was originally Silvio Smiraglia, was an American bebop jazz guitarist and a prominent music educator. He was born in Monson, Massachusetts, United States, and began his profession ...

, among others. In 1995, he released his debut album, ''Until Further Notice'', with Grammy-winning arranger/producer Richard Evans. He recorded for Jardis Records, Germany's jazz guitar label. His releases include ''A Bird in the Hand'', ''Otherwise'', ''Jazz Guitar Highlights Vol. 1'', and ''Something Old, Something New'' w/ The Boston Studio Jazz Orchestra, under the direction of trumpeter, composer, arranger, and Buddy Rich veteran Greg Hopkins. In November 2001, he was featured in ''Just Jazz Guitar'' (November 2001). In 2013, Rochinski joined the staff of The Maryland Summer Jazz Camp & Festival in

Rockville, Maryland Rockville is a city in and the county seat of Montgomery County, Maryland, United States, and is part of the Washington metropolitan area. The 2020 United States census, 2020 census tabulated Rockville's population at 67,117, making it the fourth ...

. In January 2014, Rochinski was honored with Berklee's Distinguished Professor Award. In December of 2024, Rochinski formally retired from Berklee, after 40 years. Rochinski's music, in affiliation with Heavy Hitters Music, has appeared in productions for

Hallmark Channel Hallmark Channel is an American cable television network owned by Hallmark Media, a subsidiary of Hallmark Cards. The channel broadcasts family-oriented general entertainment programming, including television series and made-for-TV movies. ...

Showtime Showtime or Show Time may refer to: Film * ''Showtime'' (film), a 2002 American action/comedy film * ''Showtime'' (video), a 1995 live concert video by Blur Television Networks and channels * Showtime Networks, a division of Paramount Global w ...

, and

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. Rochinski's memoir titled ''A Man Of His Time (Secrets From A Halfway World)'' was published and released in 2020 by

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. The memoir made the quarter-finalist list for ''

Publishers Weekly ''Publishers Weekly'' (''PW'') is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers, and literary agents. Published continuously since 1872, it has carried the tagline, "The International News Magazine of ...

'' 2019 BookLife Prize Nonfiction Contest (rating: 10/10). In June 2021, "A Man Of His Time..." won the CIBA (Chanticleer International Book Awards) 1st Place — Best in Category (Journey) for Narrative Non-Fiction.

References

* ''Just Jazz Guitar'' (November 2001) * ''Who's Who in America 2005–2009'' (Marquis Publishing) * ''The Jazz Style of Tal Farlow: The Elements of Bebop Guitar'' (Hal Leonard Corporation) * ''The Motivic Basis for Jazz Guitar Improvisation'' (Hal Leonard Corporation) * ''Legendary Locals of Brookline'' (Arcadia Publishing)

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Rochinski, Steve 1954 births 20th-century American guitarists 21st-century American guitarists American jazz educators American jazz guitarists American jazz musicians Bebop guitarists Berklee College of Music alumni Berklee College of Music faculty Guitarists from Maryland Guitarists from Washington, D.C. Jazz musicians from Maryland Living people