Dick Sisto

Chicago born Dick Sisto began playing jazz vibraphone in 8th grade and while in High School was awarded “best soloist” at the Chicagoland Jazz Band Competition. Shortly after he co-led The Quartet Four with drummer Maurice White who later founded Earth, Wind and Fire. He attended North Texas State Univ. as a freshman Jazz major and transferred to Northwestern Univ. where he studied music and speech. He was a soloist along with David Sanborn in the Lab Band and as a speech major concentrated on radio and tv.

He moved to Louisville in the 60’s playing at jazz clubs and establishing a relationship with Trappist monk and writer Thomas Merton. Subsequently he wrote the music for The PBS documentary Soul Searching, The Journey of Thomas Merton. After 10 years in northern California he returned to Louisville as the music director of the Seelbach Hilton Jazz Bar where he featured numerous jazz greats with his trio. He has recorded 7 Cd’s as a leader, which have all charted nationally, with Fred Hersch, Kenny Werner, Drew Gress, Dennis Irwin, Bobby Broom, Barry Ries, Mike Hyman and many others as a sideman including Mark Colby’s tribute to Stan Getz.

Currently he is the founder, music and artistic director of the Louisville born Lionel Hampton Jazz Project featuring concerts of current prominent jazz artists, ex Hampton band members and up and coming jazz players.

He teaches jazz vibraphone at the Univ. of Louisville and is the author of The Jazz Vibraphone Book published by Hal Leonard.

His radio shows air on Sundays at 11am, called the Inner Ear featuring new releases and Jazz Closeup at noon concentrating on musical histories of Jazz Greats. More info available at dicksisto.com.

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