2026 John Monteleone, ‘Art of the Guitar’ Festival
THURSDAY, OCT. 15 — SATURDAY, OCT 17
ABOUT
The Annual John Monteleone Art of the Guitar Festival celebrates the artistry, craftsmanship, and innovation of the guitar through multiple days of concerts, demonstrations, exhibits, and workshops. Named for legendary master luthier John Monteleone, the festival brings together some of the world’s most accomplished guitarists and musicians for an extraordinary musical experience.
Past performers have included Tuck & Patti, Martin Taylor & Alison Burns, Frank Vignola & Pasquale Grasso, Russell Malone, Johnny Farina, Jonathan Stout & Erik McIntyre, Laurence Juber, Anthony Wilson, and many others. Audiences not only experience breathtaking performances, but also witness the beauty and craftsmanship of Monteleone’s iconic instruments.
Recognized internationally as one of the finest living makers of archtop guitars and mandolins, Monteleone has spent more than four decades redefining the boundaries of instrument design. A resident of Islip, New York, he is celebrated for creating instruments of remarkable tonal expression and artistic beauty, blending innovation with extraordinary craftsmanship.
2026 LINEUP
FULL SCHEDULE
THURSDAY OCT. 15
6PM | Opening Reception
7PM | Select Performances
Select performances 20-30 minute sets with a backline. Up and coming guitarists.
FRIDAY OCT. 16
5PM | Jocelyn Gould Trio
Jocelyn Gould, guitar
Pat Bianchi, organ
Steve Pruitt, drums
7PM | Ted Ludwig Trio
Ted Ludwig, guitar
Pat Bianchi, organ
Steve Pruitt, drums
SATURDAY OCT. 17
NOON | At the Bench
Workshop with John Monteleone & G.E. Smith
2PM | The Tonebars
5PM | Paul Ricci + Mafalda Minnozi
7PM | Antoine Boyer & Yeore Kim
JOHN MONTELEONE
Recognized as being one of the finest living archtop guitar and mandolin makers in the world today, Monteleone has been at the forefront of innovative cutting-edge archtop instrument making for many years. His uniquely designed instruments are the essence of artistic expression, reflected in the subtle but challenging marriage of form and function.
A resident of Islip, New York, Monteleone has been pushing the luthier envelope for more than 40 years with his refreshing passion for new and elegant designs. Producing instruments of great tonal expression is also one of Monteleone’s missions in life.
Although Monteleone offers a line of standard high-end instruments he is also well known for his one-of-a-kind extravagantly individualized and prized custom works of playable musical art.
Most recently, Monteleone is being honored with an exclusive exhibit of his guitars at the Long Island Museum in Stony Brook. The exhibit, Musical Masterworks: John Monteleone’s Guitars and Other Instruments, runs through October 13, 2024.
GE SMITH
From Hall & Oates and Bob Dylan to Mick Jagger, Roger Waters and Saturday Night Live, G.E. Smith has spent more than five decades at the center of American popular music—building a career defined not simply by the famous artists he has played with, but by the unmistakable sound and personality he brings every time he picks up a guitar.
ARTIST BIOS
JOCELYN GOULD
JUNO Award winning guitarist Jocelyn Gould “has quickly become an international favorite with her hard swinging, imaginative approach and technical mastery” (Joe Lang, Jersey Jazz Magazine). Her joyful energy has captivated music fans around the world and her passion for music is as infectious as her unique ability to connect with audiences. Jocelyn has absorbed the influences of the jazz guitar greats and has woven them into an exciting personal sound, citing Wes Montgomery, Grant Green, Joe Pass, and Kenny Burrell as primary influences on the guitar.
TED LUDWIG
Acclaimed seven-string jazz guitarist Ted Ludwig (b. 1974, New Orleans, LA) has been a part of the jazz scene in New Orleans since 1997. Throughout that time period, he has performed for numerous club performances, festivals, and recordings. He has released 4 albums as a leader and many more as a versatile sideman and co leader.
PAT BIANCHI
Organist Pat Bianchi has established himself as one of the premier organists on the international scene today. Bianchi is the winner of Downbeat Magazine’s 2016 rising star poll, Hot House 2019 poll and nominee of the 2024 Jazz Journalists Association as Keyboardist of the year. Known for fearlessly taking the jazz organ into new and exciting directions, Pat’s playing blends tradition with forward-thinking creativity, drawing inspiration from mentors Dr. Lonnie Smith and Joey DeFrancesco.
STEVE PRUITT
Steve has performed and/or recorded with some of the finest musicians in the world including: Cornell Dupree, Bobby Sparks, Eddie Gomez, Shelley Carroll, Adam Rogers, Miles Okazaki, Alan Jay Palmer, Keith Anderson, Jimi Tunnell, Makoto Ozone, Bernard Wright, Dave Stryker, Blue Lou Marini, Phil Woods, Youngjoo Song, Oz Noy and many others…
Steve was also a member of the Grammy Winning Funk/World music jam band Snarky Puppy. From 2006-2008, he toured with them heavily and can be heard on the records “The World is getting Smaller”, “Bring us the Bright” and the live DVD “Reel to Real.”
THE TONE BARS
John Monteleone is recognized as one of the finest living archtop guitar and mandolin makers in the world, he has been at the forefront of innovative instrument making for more than four decades. His uniquely designed instruments embody artistic expression through the subtle and challenging marriage of form and function.
Steve Salerno has performed throughout Europe, Asia, the Caribbean and North America, sharing the stage with such legendary musicians as Jaco Pastorius, John Abercrombie and Regina Carter. He is a member of the Ray Anderson Organic Quartet, Paul Smoker 4-Tet and Mala Waldron Quartet, among other distinguished ensembles.
Samantha Monteleone brings both musical talent and a distinctive professional background to The Tone-Bars. A board-certified music therapist specializing in early intervention with young children, Samantha is also an active performer and recording artist.
Dean Johnson, a Seattle native who studied with renowned bassist Gary Peacock before attending Berklee College of Music. Since arriving in New York in 1980, Johnson has become one of the most sought-after bassists in jazz.
His eclectic résumé includes performances with Bob Brookmeyer, Randy Brecker, Joe Lovano, Dave Liebman, Ray Anderson, Lee Konitz and Wynton Marsalis. Johnson has appeared on more than 80 recordings and spent a decade as bassist for legendary saxophonist Gerry Mulligan, remaining with Mulligan until his passing in 1996.
PAUL RICCI
Born and raised in New York and a graduate of New England Conservatory, Ricci has studied and performed and various styles of global music that he integrates with his jazz foundation leading to a brilliant career as a guitarist, arranger and producer in the USA and Brasil.
From the 1980’s on, he has performed at some of the most prestigious jazz clubs in NYC sharing the stage or studio with many great names on the scene such as Michael Wolff, Dennis Irwin, Sonny Fortune, David Kikoski, Harold Vick, Victor Jones, Santi DeBriano, Mino Cinelu, Mike Clark, Bakithi Kumalo, Larry Willis and so many others in clubs such as Mezzrow’s, Fat Tuesday’s, Visiones, Birdland, Zinc Bar, Zanzibar, NuBlu, the Iridium and the Blue Note.
MAFALDA MINNOZZI
Italian-born vocalist Mafalda Minnozzi has built a singular international career spanning three continents, blending the musical traditions of Italy, Brazil and the United States into a distinctive style rooted in jazz, Bossa Nova and world music.
ANTOINE BOYER
Antoine Boyer is internationally recognized for his rare ability to master two very different guitar traditions: Gypsy jazz and classical guitar. He began playing at age six and was immersed from an early age in the authentic tradition of Gypsy jazz, studying with masters including Mandino Reinhardt and Francis Alfred Moerman. As a teenager, he entered the conservatory to study classical guitar, eventually developing a musical voice that moves effortlessly between the worlds of Django Reinhardt, classical repertoire and contemporary music. Boyer describes his wide-ranging approach simply as “open jazz.”
KIM YEORE
Kim grew up in a musical household in Korea, where her mother was a piano teacher. She studied piano, cello, trumpet and drums before discovering the harmonica, an instrument she loves for its intimacy and its ability to express emotion much like the human voice. Her influences include legendary harmonica player Toots Thielemans as well as jazz greats Chet Baker and Miles Davis. Kim is particularly admired for the warmth, power and emotional depth she can bring to a single note.