A fixture on the New York scene since the early '80s, Rick Stone is a respected and talented bop-oriented guitarist. He was originally attracted to jazz after hearing Sonny Stitt play locally. Stone studied at Cuyahoga Community College but was largely self-taught as a jazz player. After graduating from Berklee in 1980, he moved to New York, studied with Barry Harris (1982-1987) and gigged locally. Stone taught at Pace University during 1984-1990 and later at Jazz Mobile. Stone, who has been leading his own combos for years, has recorded a few albums for his Jazzand label, including 1990's Far East (with Kenny Barron), 1994's Steppin' Back, 2004's Samba de Novembro, and 2011's Fractals. ~ Scott Yanow