Rick Vandivier

Rick Vandivier (born October 18, 1954 in Lima, Ohio) is an American jazz guitarist, composer and educator. He is the spirit and leader of Vandivier and the co-founder and lead guitarist of Primary Colors, a group that evolved from the inspired pairing with vocalist Nate Pruitt.

Biography

Musical Roots and the Path

Like so many of the jazz greats of this era such as Pat Metheny, John Scofield and Mike Stern, Vandivier is a graduate of the prestigious Berklee College of Music in Boston. Vandivier is also a graduate of San Jose State University where he teaches guitar. In his formative years, in addition to private collaboration studies with Pat Metheny and Mick Goodrick, Vandivier took master classes with Christopher Parkening, Rey De La Torre, Michael Lorimer, Michael Hedges, Tuck Andress and Manuel Barrueco. Over the years, Vandivier has evolved a wide ranging style that extends from pushing the limits of jazz guitar to applying his liquid style to the full spectrum of music from raw blues through bebop, Latin music and classical music all the way to the raging soul of Jimi Hendrix. Though known for the crystalline, glass-like purity of sound, Vandivier can also deftly work with the raw “power sound” of Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck and Jimi Hendrix.