Guy Strazz

Guy Strazz
Guy Strazz at his Central Coast studio
Background information
Also known as	Guy Strazzullo
Born	Gaetano Strazzullo
Origin	Sydney, Australia
Genres	Jazz, Indo-Jazz fusion, Afro-Brazilian jazz, world-jazz, western classical
Occupations	Guitarist, composer, educator
Instruments	Acoustic guitar, classical guitar, electric guitar
Years active	1982–present
Website	guystrazz.com

Guy Strazz (born Gaetano Strazzullo, 10 September 1955), also known as Guy Strazzullo, is an Italian-born Australian jazz guitarist, composer, and educator. He won the APRA Music Award for Most Performed Jazz Work in 2000.

Early life and education

In 1982, Strazz graduated with a diploma in jazz studies from the New South Wales Conservatorium of Music. He later undertook postgraduate research into improvisation and composition, completing a Master of Arts (Hons) degree at Western Sydney University in 2003 and a PhD at Macquarie University in 2014.

By 1990, his classical guitar composition "Acacia" was published by the Australian Guitar Journal alongside an article on his work.

Career

In 1984, he joined the ensemble Intersection, led by pianist Roger Frampton, touring the Indian subcontinent with performances at the Jazz Yatra festival. His work in the Sydney post-traditional jazz landscape was documented in 1987 by Oxford University Press.

Strazz subsequently toured from 1989 to 1990 with jazz vocalist Vince Jones. In 1992, he led the trio Australian Creole with bassist Keith Manning and drummer Craig Walters. They recorded the albums Travelling On (1994) and Passion Fruit (1997) through Tall Poppies Records. In 1995, he was profiled by music critic John Shand in the magazine Australasian Jazz & Blues.

The Guy Strazzullo Trio toured Indonesia in November 1997, performing at the Jakarta Jazz Festival and collaborating with musicians Dwiki Dharmawan and Ade Rudiana, alongside conducting workshops at the Farabi Music School. In 1998, ABC Jazz released The Riddle by the trio; the track "Creology" received an APRA nomination in 1999. His follow-up album with the Guy Strazzullo Quartet, Blue Phoenix (1999), won the 2000 Jazz APRA Award for his composition "Mandela".

Following Indian classical music studies with Pt. Ashok Roy, Strazz performed with him at the Sydney Opera House Festival of Asian Music & Dance in 2000. In the same year, he collaborated with Indian slide-guitarist Vishwa Mohan Bhatt as part of the Carnivale Festival in Sydney. In November 2003, he performed with the ensemble Con Spirit Oz, premiering Ross Edwards' Tyalgum Mantras at the Sydney Opera House Studio.

Strazz received an Australia Council fellowship from 2001 to 2003, studying with guitarist Pat Martino in Philadelphia and recording with Mike Stern and Slava Grigoryan on the 2003 album Frangipane, which earned an APRA nomination in 2004. Supported by an Australia Council Music grant, Strazz recorded Calcutta Express in India with santoor player Sandip Chatterjee using a customized 8-string guitar. The album was a finalist for the 2006 US Indie Acoustic Project Award in the category for World Music: Eurasia.

Alongside performing, Strazz authored the "World Music Grooves" regular column series for Australian Guitar Magazine. His subsequent releases include the album Colours (2006), and the duo album 2@1 (2009) with pianist Matt McMahon, which was nominated for an AIR Award. The collaboration behind the album was the subject of a video interview feature by Guitar Heroes. His PhD research produced the Silk Road Concerto and the album Eastern Blues, released on Rufus Records in 2012. In 2018, he formed the Acoustic Wonderland Band, releasing the EP All Blues and Beyond. In 2023, he recorded the collaboration album Afrotonic with drummer David Jones, which released in 2024. The 2012 PhD recording of the Silk Road Concerto was subsequently released in 2025.

Discography

Awards

The APRA Music Awards are presented annually by APRA AMCOS to recognize excellence in contemporary music, honoring songwriters and publishers across the industry.

References