Russ DeFilippis

    Russ' love of music began at an early age of eight, when he convinced his parents to enroll him in guitar lessons under the guidance of local guitar teachers, Joe Amplo and Al Faraldi. Russ started his first band in high school, drawing ideas from the great jazz and blues groups of the time. He was influenced by world class jazz guitarist. Wes Montgomery, George Benson, Pat Martino, Kenny Burrell, Grant Green, Hank Garland and Joe Pass.
    He received a Bachelor of Music degree at Berklee College of Music, where he majored in Applied Performance under three inspiring guitar educators, William Leavitt, Mark French and Mick Goodrick. Upon receiving his degree he went on to study for several years with two of the world’s most renowned jazz educators, Charles Banocos and Dennis Sandole. After a brief stint teaching at Berklee, he returned to New York to expand his performance and session work, playing and touring with an eclectic group of artists including Bob Hope, Dick Clark, Joey Bishop, Martha Reeves, Chuck Berry, Bo Diddley, The Drifters, and ‘Lil Anthony just to name a few.
   In 1988 Russ earned the position of assistant to George Benson, assisting with his Warner Brothers Records releases of "Tenderly," "Big Boss Band," and "Love Remembers." In 2002 he joined forces with fellow guitarist John Tropea and co-founded a jazz trio featuring, at different times, bassists Mike Richmond, Nicki Parrot, Cameron Brown, and Jay Leonhart.
    2003 saw the birth of his own group, a trio of superb musicians known as 'rd3' which produced the CD entitled “Calculations.” The year was 2012 when Russ met composer, pianist Richard Sorce at a rehearsal of Sorce’s latest Latin-Jazz compositions. Russ showed up just to sit in and read through several new charts. What began as an informal read-through, led to a CD of Sorce’s 14 tunes with Russ on guitar. Although this recording was “about the tunes,” Russ decided that Sorce’s material would provide a suitable vehicle for his personal interpretation, and consequently, this new CD, titled, “Russ DeFilippis, the Sorcerer’s Accomplice” was recorded. George Benson's comment was: "Artistry and Taste Combined."
    Russ moved to St. Augustine in 2022 to enjoy the Ancient City and sandy beaches. In the initial years, he played with a variety of local artists under the Soul Pylot name. He is the mastermind of the Ancient City Jazz Coalition (ACJC), and plays with the ACJC Burn Unit at local venues.