Sal Salvador

A versatile guitarist who once chaired the guitar department at the University of Bridgeport, Sal Salvador excelled as both a soloist and an accompanist. His single-string approach, rooted in an early fascination with Charlie Christian’s music, gained added depth through rigorous technical study. Years of research, performance, and analysis prompted him to author instructional volumes, among them Sal Salvador’s Chord Method for Guitar and Sal Salvador’s Single String Studies for Guitar, released during the 1950s and 1960s. Jazz captured his attention while he was still in his teens, leading to his first professional engagements in Springfield, MA, beginning in 1945. By the close of the decade he was collaborating in New York with Terry Gibbs and Mundell Lowe, and in 1952 he became a member of Stan Kenton’s orchestra. He remained with Kenton through the conclusion of 1953, contributing to the New Concepts of Artistry in Rhythm album. Salvador subsequently directed bebop ensembles that spotlighted Eddie Costa and Phil Woods. He appeared in the documentary Jazz on a Summer’s Day and led his own big band throughout the late 1950s and early 1960s. In the early 1970s he performed as half of a guitar duo alongside Alan Hanlon, then resumed recording under his own name toward the decade’s end. During the 1980s he reassembled his big band and received his appointment at the University of Bridgeport. His discography as a leader includes sessions for Blue Note (1953), Capitol, Bethlehem, Decca, Jazz Unlimited, Dauntless (1963), Bee Hive, GP, and Stash. Salvador died on September 22, 1999, at the age of 73.