I don’t track the popularity of happy hours, but I have a suggestion on late afternoon relaxation that could include a business conversation in the mix: As the day winds down, and perhaps business carries you into the evening, take time to enjoy the awesome talents of jazz guitarist Robert Conti, now appearing
OC Register – Lounge Guitarist Is Pleasantly Different
By Paul Hodgins Special to the Register if the term “lounge music” conjures up images of mint-green tuxes and renditions of “feelings” that make you grind your molars, the Irvine Marriott has a pleasant surprise for you : guitarist Robert Conti . Conti has been a Marriott regular for almost four years, alternating between bars in its Irvine and Newport Beach hotels. Currently he holds court in the Skylight Lobby Lounge, a busy but intimate room with a comfortable sunken terrace in the middle for serious listeners. It’s a pleasant enough space, but previous experience with hotel lobby music has conditioned us to expect the worst …
LA Times – Conti Checks In Alone
JAZZ REVIEW : Conti Checks In Alone : Solo Guitarist Uses Seven Strings to Fill Hotel Lobby With Strains of a Trio
September 24, 1992|BILL KOHLHAASE | SPECIAL TO THE TIMES
IRVINE — You wouldn’t expect to find a world-class guitarist playing in a hotel lobby. But any weeknight, that’s where you’ll find Robert Conti, a musician who certainly fits that description. The place is the Skylight Lobby Lounge in the Irvine Marriott, and more than once during Conti’s Tuesday session, guests checking in at the front desk turned from their registration duties to see who it was filling the air with sumptuous chord clusters or swift, sure strings of notes. At times, the sheer density of Conti’s sound recalled Joe Pass.
Pick Of The Month – Comin’ On Strong!
Robert Conti Quartet: Comin’ On Strong! Hold on to your hat! This is an outstanding guitar player. “Robert’s fingers are faster than the speed of light, yet they never stray from his tremendous melodic touch.” -Duncan Blaine MUSIC/NH A truly brilliant performance.
Comin’ On Strong CD Review in Jazz Link
Robert Conti Quartet
Comin’ On Strong
Time Is TI 9802
Dec, 1990
Robert Conti, g; Pete Jolly, p; Andy Simpkins,
b; Carl Burnett, d; Charlie Clark, vcl on “Westbound”
Despite the growth of mass communications, most jazz critics rarely take any musicians seriously who do not play regularly In New York, particularly those writers who just happen to live in New York! Guitarist Robert Conti owes his anonymity to his having resided in Jacksonville, Florida during 1968-89. His recent move to Southern California is a step in the right direction, although this area is already overloaded with continually underrated players, neglected by lazy East Coast critics.
Comin’ On Strong CD Review
ROBERT CONTI
Comin ‘On Srrong!
(Time Is Records)
Nov, 1990
Guitarist Robert Conti is not an overnight success, but this debut shows great promise. Honing his skills in Florida and California, Conti has not adapted to the laid-back styles associated with those states. He’s a pretty aggressive player with his own style and this CD should get him such well deserved attention.
The Jazz Quintet CD Review
ROBERT CONTI
Jazz Quintet
Conti, gtr; Mike Wofford, p; John B.Williams, b; Herman Riley, sa, as, ts, fl;Jim Plank, perc.
Rotation, The Agony of Ecstacy; Hollywood and Sunset; In Memory of; The Street Life of South Philadelphia; The World Today; String Fever.
Jan 08, 1988 Robert Conti isn’t well-known since he spends most of his time in a small beach community near Jacksonville Florida, but he’s a whiz of a bebop guitarist and
Robert Conti Debuts Hot New Band At All That Jazz
Robert Conti’s performance at last years Jacksonville Jazz Festival was one of the high points of the event. Indeed, Conti is a jazz guitar master, and along with contemporaries like Joe Pass and Kenny Burrell, he has maintained a high level of artistry over the years. . .
Conti treats small audience to major performance
If he was a typist, he’d be reaching the 250-300 words a minute mark. If he could move knitting needles that fast, he’d be able to make a giraffe a turtle neck sweater in less than a couple of hours. If he were to play any faster, they’d have to invent a new musical notation to describe the sound. The fluidity of his technique is what is so amazing. Just as you think he couldn’t possibly make a more intricate run, his left hand dazzles the strings and caresses the ear.
