THE JAZZ WARRIOR: VIC JURIS
BY DAVE LIEBMAN

My first memory of Vic was at a clinic in Germany sometime in the mid
1980s. There were a lot of teachers and students attending but I do
remember taking note that there was something special in Vic’s playing
and importantly his general demeanor. I could tell he was ready, truly
interested in expanding his horizons and a desire to communicate
beyond clichés. After years of meeting musicians far and wide I can tell
certain things….subtle stuff…but basically fueled by a desire to learn
more. When I observe that attitude it rings a bell. Vic was as I could tell,
ready for prime time!!
By 1991 I was ready for a new group using keyboards and guitar. My
band leading experience with a guitar had been the Dave Liebman
Group featuring John Scofield for a few years around 1980. My concept
for this new group was to use the guitar as a quasi-second horn, leaving
the chordal information to the piano. I organized a “jam session” with
my choices for the band, which besides Vic included the perennial Tony
Marino, Jamey Haddad and Phil Markowitz. After a few standards (best
to hear someone playing straight ahead for starters) it felt good and we
started rehearsing. Vic was fine with the role of the guitar at that time
and off we went….for the next 20 plus years doing the dance:
teaching…performing…touring and recording, encompassing a
repertoire ranging from Ornette Coleman’s music to original material
totaling nearly 20 CD releases in the several incarnations of this group.
As well Vic started writing seriously for the band…great and challenging
tunes.
My initial supposition from Germany proved correct. Vic was a sponge
who wanted to learn and was willing to put the time in. When the Dave
Liebman Group became a quartet sans piano by the mid ‘90s, Vic had a
lot on his plate. Besides the eclectic nature of my musical tastes and

constant idiomatic detours, I encouraged Vic to use pedals, incorporate
electronic based effects as well as the acoustic guitar. He was
constantly trying out new sounds….I loved it! And now in a quartet
setting, Vic was the major soloist after me. To put it mildly Mr. Juris
had a lot on his proverbial plate!! The saving grace was that Vic just
“happens” to be the most serious musician I have known. He was
always ready with his cassette machine to tape what he wanted to shed
for the next rehearsal…clarifying a voicing and so on. With my
chromatic stuff it was a challenge to adapt and transplant piano
voicings to guitar, some heavy lifting to say the least. Vic took it to
heart…. going sometimes note for note. I never witnessed such change
and development of a musician over a period of time. And of course
there was the blues part of his playing having spent some time with
organ trios as well as good old rock ‘n’ roll….after all Vic belonged to
that special fraternity of New Jersey guitarists.
That’s the musical side, but with Vic there’s more. Besides having an
incredible desire to go ANYWHERE (we toured a lot), he loved to play.
In New York Vic worked all the time as well as teaching (students loved
him). His books on voicings and other guitar issues were inspiring.
There were semesters where he was teaching at three schools each
week in the New York area.
As a man Vic was one of the sweetest, most caring and generous
people I have ever known. Along with wife Kate (I was best man for the
wedding) their musical duo was fantastic. Kate could really sing. Their
love and respect for each other was obvious. When he left us, Vic was
just receiving some long-deserved notoriety and beginning to work as a
leader more and more. His reputation was growing as one of the
baddest cats on guitar whose time had finally come.

We all miss Vic. He touched a lot of lives. For me it was a privilege to
have spent nearly 25 years with this Prince of a man on and off the
bandstand. RIP my brother!!