Guitar –

Jon Dalton is a consummate jazz guitarist.

After a successful career as an international touring session musician, Jon returned to the UK to form his first jazz-based outfit, the Latin tinged Dit-Da. BBC radio recorded numerous sessions of their original music for national and international radio broadcast.

The band’s relaxed sound pre-dated the commercial acceptance of Smooth Jazz by almost a decade.

At the same time, in common with artists like George Benson and Chuck Loeb, Jon did not neglect his passionate study of more mainstream jazz styles and is equally at home burning up on a classic standard like “Stella By Starlight” as he is composing radio-friendly tunes like “The Gift,” which reached number one on the New York-based CIM jazz radio chart.

Jon relocated to Southern California in 1999.

A recent and ongoing UK project is a swinging Guitar & Organ-based trio featuring the amazing John-Paul Gard on Hammond and top London session player Andy Roger on Drums. Their classic trio CD “Warm Ghosts (in a) Cold World” was released in the US in 2009 to critical acclaim. Jazzreview.com called it: “a fine example of strong group interaction from three exceptional performers.”

Jon’s style has been compared to Wes Montgomery, Pat Metheny and even Johnny Smith, but his style is unique and instantly recognizable. Also a prolific writer, his compositions have been featured on BBC Television and Radio, The Weather Channel in the United States, and countless broadcast and internet radio stations worldwide. Jon is a contributing composer to Carlin Music Libraries.

In 2013 at the request of the Unity Foundation, Jon recorded a jazz version of John Lennon’s classic “Imagine” for broadcast on the United Nation’s International Peace Day Global Webcast. The piece was reselected for the 2014 event where it was chosen to open the ceremonies.