Frank Vignola may be the next great guitarist to watch. His newest album is a tribute to Django Reinhardt.

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"100 Years of Django," Frank Vignola (Azica); "Just Between Frets: Groovemasters Vol. 11," Tommy Emmanuel and Frank Vignola (Solid Air Recordings)

Frank Vignola is an amazing artist who has flown just below the radar for years. He's worked with Mark O'Connor, Les Paul, Donald Fagen and David Grisman and, for those in the know, Vignola's own albums have been treasures. However, 2010 should be the year he emerges to the rest of the world. With two terrific albums released within just a few months of each other, Vignola proves to be a master.

The most recent disc, "100 Years of Django" celebrates the music of French gypsy-jazz master guitarist Django Reinhardt. Reinhardt, with violinist Stephane Grappelli, developed a style of acoustic swing in the 1930s and '40s that captivated fellow musicians. Beyond Reinhardt's virtuosity he wrote gorgeous songs.

Rather than emulating Reinhardt's original recordings, Vignola and his band, Vinny Rainolo (guitar), Gary Mazzaroppi (bass) and Julien Labro (accordion) go for their own interpretations. The result is pure delight. "Rhythm Futur," featuring Labro's accordion, lets you imagine that Argentine tango-master Astor Piazzolla might have been a Reinhardt devotee.

Throughout the disc, the musicians sound inspired and Vignola's guitar work can be dizzying. Yet, the real charm of the disc is that it isn't about wowing you with technicality. It's about presenting great songs.

That's the same idea when Vignola pairs up with guitar master Tommy Emmanuel. The two are precision pickers, but they never lose their sense of swing or sacrifice a song just to show off. The two (again with Mazzaroppi providing some great bass work) blow out the stops on a rendition of "How High the Moon" and follow with a sweet and relaxed medley of "I've Got a Crush on You" and "Young at Heart."

At its best, it sounds like two masters just getting together to have fun. Emmanuel (one of the most staggeringly entertaining guitarists on the planet) scats and comments here and there when he's obviously having a good time. The two don't go for the fireworks that each is capable of. Instead, "Just Between Frets" simply sounds like great musicians having a good time.

"I've Never Seen a Straight Banana - Rare Moments: Volume 1," Tiny Tim (Collector's Choice Music)

In 1976 fledgling musician and teenage music fanatic Richard Barone and some friends showed up at a Tiny Tim show in Tampa, Fla. When the singer found out that the little group had been too young to get into the show, he presented it again, just for them, in his hotel room. Barone returned the next night with a tape recorder and, later, booked some studio time to record the singer.

While Tiny Tim is best-remembered for his disturbingly falsetto version of "Tiptoe Through the Tulips" in 1968, Tim, who accompanied himself on ukulele, was a human musical library with the ability to remember thousands of songs from the early 1900s onward. He also had an old-fashioned baritone voice that almost sounded as if it contained the pops and scratches of a 78-rpm record. His fans included Beatle George Harrison and comedian Lenny Bruce.

These curiously casual recordings rank among Tiny Tim's most lovable. Most are simply the singer performing obscure vintage tunes and a few surprising originals, including two written for a young woman who called herself "Miss Snooky" that Tim met at a lesbian night club in Greenwich Village.

Tim's best albums remain his first two Richard Perry-produced albums and his terrific 1996 album with Brave Combo, "Girl." But, this album captures Tim at his most casual and unproduced state. For those of us who consider Tiny Tim an underappreciated great, it's a real treasure.

Wayne Bledsoe may be reached at 865-342-6444 or bledsoew@knoxville.com. He is also the host of "All Over the Road" midnight Saturdays to 4 a.m. Sundays on WDVX-FM.

© 2010, Knoxville News Sentinel
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