Azica Records, Inc.
Recording Artist Profile...

Frank Potenza

Frank Potenza was raised in a musical family of six children in Providence, Rhode Island. After taking accordion lessons for two years as a child, Frank's interest shifted to the guitar. He began playing and experimenting by ear, and, at age 12, was helped by a cousin who already was playing professionaly. Formal lessons began at age 13 and continued sporadically throughout high school. He received a bachelor's degree from the Berklee College of Music four years after finishing high school.

Frank met Joe Pass in 1974 during a solo engagement at the Jazz Workshop in Boston. After the performance, he introduced himself to Joe and asked if a private lesson would be possible. The following day they met in Joe's room at the Hotel Lenox. This began a twenty-year friendship and Frank's tenure as his protege. During these years Frank was gaining journeyman experience, playing with a variety of groups on the East coast and teaching part-time at several incarnations of the Rhode Island School of Music. By 1979 he was well-established in New England and playing in a band led by Rhode Island multi-instrumentalist and legend Diamond Centofanti. One year later he moved back to Los Angeles.

One important contact made in the early goings was drummer Sherman Ferguson, who is well-known to many guitarists for his seminal recordings with Pat Martino and Kenny Burrell. Sherman sent Frank to sit in at a club in Long Beach called the Jazz Safari, where Dr. George Shaw was a member of the house band. In the months that followed, George hired Frank to teach in the Commercial Music program (of which he was the director) at Long Beach City College. It was the beginning of a 15 year association which also resulted in their co-producing Frank's four contemporary solo albums for TBA Records of Los Angeles and many other projects. During that time, Frank performed in concerts produced at LBCC with Dizzy Gillespie, Joe Pass, Bill Watrous, Ernie Watts, Wilton Felder and Joe Sample, and Ronnie Laws and toured for a year with Laws as a result.

Today Frank is an Assistant Professsor on the Studio/Jazz Guitar faculty at the University of Southern California School of Music. His more recent concert credits include performances with George Van Eps, Bud Shank, Joe Diorio, Mose Allison, Eddie Harris, Red Callender, Buddy Collette, Jack McDuff, Jimmy Smith and many others. Frank currently tours as a member of Grammy award-winning pianist Gene Harris' Quartet. Frank lives in Los Angeles with his wife, Miki.

Azica Releases

In My Dreams AJD-72212
Frank Potenza, guitar

FlutopiaAJD-72211
Holly Hofmann, flute
Bill Cunliffe, Hammond B3 organ
Frank Potenza, guitar
Duncan Moore, drums

These and all other Azica jazz releases are featured in the Jazz Library.