Guitar Player Presents is proud to announce our debut collaboration with the Blue Note and thrilled to welcome fusion phenom Mark Lettieri to the fantastic Napa location in the heart of California wine country.
Lettieri is riding a huge wave of momentum. In early January, Los Angeles editor Jude Gold hosted him on a deeply funky edition of his Guitar Player podcast, No Guitar Is Safe. Then Lettieri played a smoking set with his group featuring special guest John Mayer at the PRS Guitars 40th Anniversary Party during the NAMM Show in Southern California.
Now Lettieri is launching into tour mode with an impressive litany of shows that will take him around the globe. He’ll trek from Europe onward to Asia this spring and summer where he’ll be playing several Blue Note clubs, kicking off with run in Northern California including our show in Napa.
Lettieri is a five-time Grammy winner best known for his extensive body of work as the guitarist in perhaps the hippest jazz ensemble in recent memory, Snarky Puppy. Lettieri has been a Pup since 2008 and is still an active member. He’s also a member of the instrumental Fearless Flyers along with fellow groove aficionado Cory Wong on guitar.
Lettieri has released nine albums as a leader and his solo career took a turn towards the stratosphere when 2021’s Deep: The Baritone Sessions, Vol. 2 earned a Grammy nomination for Best Contemporary Instrumental Album, his first nomination as a solo artist. His most recent release is 2024’s Can I Tell You Something? The infectious single “Dragonfly” has over 100,000 plays on Spotify and 64,000 views on YouTube.
Lettieri let us know what we can expect to hear in his current set.
“I will be playing some baritone music on this show,” he says, “but I’ll also be playing what I guess you could call my traditional electric instrumentals. A lot of those will come from the new album, and it does have some baritone tunes on it as well. The new record is very special to me because I feel it’s one of my best, and it’s also a pretty good starting point for those who are new to my solo material.”
The Mark Lettieri Group features longtime players Jason “JT” Thomas on drums (also from Snarky Puppy), Wes Stephenson on bass (Funky Knuckles) and relative newcomer keyboardist Daniel Porter.
Lettieri is a major PRS player and has been very active working with the venerable manufacturer in recent years.
“I’m a signature artist as of 2021,” says Lettieri, “and we put out an electric guitar I worked on called the Fiori, which is a do-it-all modern workhorse with a S/S/H pickup configuration. It’s an amalgamation of some of my favorite instruments, and it’s doing very well. Players seem to dig it, which makes me proud.”
Lettieri also has a signature gain pedal, the Melody EQ/Drive from J. Rockett Audio Designs.
“It’s a medium-gain overdrive with a six-band EQ instead of a tone knob, which is rather unique,” he explains. “The Fiori and the Melody pedal will be on display throughout the gig. I’ll also be playing either a PRS SE 277 Baritone or probably a prototype that we’re working on. I can’t talk about that too much yet, but if you come to the show you can see it.”
Enough said. If you’re planning to be in wine country on the first Friday in March, be sure to drop into the Blue Note Napa and witness Lettieri in action. The early show starts at 6:30 p.m., and the late show starts at 9:30 p.m.. A GP Presents promotion will be in effect on site with free Martin strings.
WIN TICKETS!
For a chance to win a pair of tickets to see GP Presents Mark Lettieri in Napa, California, send an email to gp@jimmyleslie.com and put “Lettieri” in the subject line. Include a sentence about yourself and why you want to go. Phone contact greatly appreciated for confirmation.
The winner must provide their own transportation to the Blue Note in Napa, California, on Friday, March 7, and have his or her own accommodations in the Bay Area.
Best of luck!
EVENT DETAILS
GP Presents Mark Lettieri Group
Friday, March 7. Shows at 6:30 p.m. and 9 p.m.
Blue Note Napa
1030 Main Street
Napa, California 94559
We'll be handing out free packs of Martin Strings.
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