press + awards
Awards
2011 Telluride Bluegrass Festival Band Competition
2nd Place Winners – Wayward Roots
10 Detroit Music Award Nominations
Outstanding Folk Instrumentalist
2005 Bronze Winner for Best Solo Musician
Ann Arbor News
2000 Gamble Rogers Fingerstyle Champion (Florida)
1999 Cammy Award
Best Folk/Bluegrass Instrumentalist
1998 Cammy Award
Best Folk Instrumentalist
1997 Cammy Award
Best Folk Instrumentalist
Testimonials
“Just Enough lives up to its title, with no wasted notes or empty technical displays…deceptively simple in its gentle approach. This is thoughtful, restorative music that stands up to more intense scrutiny as well. A thoroughly beautiful album.” (Larry Nager, Cincinnati Enquirer)
“Each cut on Just Enough is a magical vision of time, place and space, impeccably recorded, and featuring brilliant musicianship. Standouts like “Runaway Horse”, “Highland Dreams” and “An Irish Wake (Part 1)” are impressive, vibrant compositions that draw the listener in for more, still more of Dennie’s infectious style” (Guitar Nine Records)
“Inventive contemporary arrangements…”
(Taylor Guitars)
“Dennie has nailed the sweet spot of what solo guitar should be…”
(Minor 7th.com Webzine)
“Melodic, pleasant tunes that are very impressive…Living On Melody Lane is the kind of tune you want to learn right away…this cd is well put together”
(Mister Guitar, June 2001 Issue Chet Atkins Appreciation Society Newsletter)
“The new CD is excellent…what a tone!”
(Pat Kirtley, 1995 National Fingerstyle Champion)
“Great tone…great chops”
(Pete Huttlinger, 2000 National Fingerstyle Champion)
“I’ve been blessed enough to share the stage with some of the great guitarists of all time: Carlos Santana, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Eddie Van Halen, Joe Satriani, Steve Vai and B.B. King….Jason Dennie, for a number of years, has definitely been included in my list of greats….he’s a flat-out genius.”
(Noah Hunt, lead vocalist for the Kenny Wayne Shepherd Band)
“Dennie shows an engaging, intricate style on his new album, Just Enough”
(Cincinnati Post)
“Jason plays with grace and composes with intelligence – his music never stoops to the flashy ‘see what this tuning will do for me’ trap that so many solo guitarists fall into…every note means something and every chord takes you somewhere. He’s the real deal.”
(Gayla Drake Paul, Internationally acclaimed Composer/Guitarist/Composer)
“I really like the compositions, as well as the playing…”
(Dana Bourgeois, respected builder of Bourqeois Guitars)