Bob Patterson

Bob has played the guitar since he was seven years old. He has never really had a desire to play any other instrument. "I wish I could play upright bass from time to time," he confesses. "But then, I would miss the things I can do on the guitar."

While Bob didn't discover jazz until he was in high school, he was always drawn to music with a groove. "While my cousins and friends listened to Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin, I became interested in stuff like the Commodores, Parliament and the Average White Band. Bob's musical tastes are not surprising, given the proximity of Detroit and the varied music scene there. "You could hear anything you wanted in those days, back in the 70s. Funk, R&B, soul, plus all the rockers that were active then, like Grand Funk and Mitch Ryder."

Bob's musical path opened to him in high school, the day he first played a certain album. "My mother bought me a record player with an 8-track tape. So I joined a record club and had to choose some records. I had heard 'This Masquerade' on the radio and thought that would be a cool record to get. But I was not prepared for what I heard on that record!" The record, of course being George Benson's hit "Breezin'", changed Bob's musical landscape forever. "I knew instantly... that's what I wanted to do on the guitar. Nothing else would satisfy me ever again."

The long musical path on which Bob has traveled has led him here - and we are better for it.

Nuances. Just as the title says, this is jazz guitar played with nuance, taste and elegance. With influences ranging from Wes Montgomery to Antonio Carlos Jobim, this recording will take you to places where city streets and island breezes live happily together.