Rob Tardik

In a career spanning over two decades, Rob Tardik has established himself as an award winning guitarist and instrumental music artist. He has performed at venues all across North America and for 5 consecutive years at the coveted Canadian Smooth Jazz Awards, held in Mississauga’s Living Arts Center. Rob has shared the stage with the likes of legendary producer Phil Ramone, Tower of Power founding member Greg Adams, two time Grammy winners Paul Brown and Liberty Silver, guitarist Peter White, and 4-time Grammy award winning saxophonist David Sanborn. Rob has also opened for legendary guitarist/singer Jose Feliciano.

Rob has once again taken center stage with this years brand new fall 2011 3^rd CD release Balance, Energy, Laughter, Love (B.E.L.L.) which features many new guest collaborations from Grammy winning artists such as Paul Brown, and contemporary jazz stars like Warren Hill, Darren Rahn, Jaared and Gabriel Mark Hasselbach. Debuting on this CD are two new vocal tracks Rob wrote; “The Right Time” and “When It Comes To Lovin’ You”, co-written with Emmy award winning musician Don Breithaupt.

Having won the prestigious 2010 Canadian Smooth Jazz Guitarist of the Year, Rob held the #1 spot on the U.S.-based, Music Choice Contemporary Jazz charts for 4 weeks in Sept/Oct 2010. Rob always finds a way to combine his guitar virtuosity and ever tasteful melodic sense to create his signature liquid smooth sound.

Born and raised in Toronto, Rob began playing the guitar at the age of 7. By 17 he received a high school music scholarship, and then went on to study music at York University in Toronto. Rob also holds diplomas in both Recording Engineering and in Media Arts from Humber College. In 1991 his musical act, Paradise Alley received a recording contract with MCA/Duke Street records. Rob has also been honored being named Mississauga’s 2007 “Established Performer of the Year” for his musical contributions, an award won previously by Oscar Peterson and Rik Emmett.

Rob has worked for Roland Canada as a guitar product specialist/clinician and has been a faculty member at the prestigious Merriam School of Music in Oakville for over 15 years.  Rob has also taught at the Guitar Workshop Plus music program and has served as an adjudicator for the Midland Y’s Music Festival. Rob has played several prestigious venues which include the 2011/12 Catalina Island Jazz Festival, The 2010 American Smooth Jazz Awards at the DuSable Museum in Chicago, Queen Elizabeth Theatre in Toronto, Mississauga’s Living Arts Center and Celebration Square Amphitheatre, Roy Thompson Hall, the Buffalo Center for the Performing Arts, Spaghettinis and Anthology in California and the 2009/2010/2011/2012 Toronto International Film Festival, and the Oakville Jazz Festival.

Rob also organized and hosted his first annual “Out of the Cold” Contemporary Jazz Charity Concert at Carmen’s dinner theatre to a crowd of over 300 guests in February 2011 with the help of Grammy award winners Liberty Silver, Paul Brown and many other talented local musicians with all net profits going to help the families of our fallen Canadian soldiers for the “Canadian Hero Fund”. The annual event is one not to be missed by fans of Contemporary Jazz and great positive energy fueled music.

An industry veteran, and a highly respected guitarist, Rob’s work can be heard on his successful debut CD “Without Words” and 2^nd sophomore release “The Right Time”. In spring 2006, Rob earned a #1 Smooth Jazz chart single in Canada with his soulful remake of Stings “Fields of Gold”. His albums have all been met with great enthusiasm and radio play from the U.S and Canada to the U.K and many other European countries. They have featured many hit singles such as “Crusin”(#1 for 4 weeks on U.S cable Music Choice Charts), “Smoothy”, “Frame of Mind”. His first single off his latest CD B.E.L.L. “East meets Wes” charted on Billboard U.S for 20 weeks with radio play world wide while his second single “Shakin The House” debuted as one of the #1 added tracks on all the main music charts to kick off 2012 and went on to become a Top 10 hit on Billboard U.S! His current summer/fall single “Smile” entered Billboard at #26 and continues to chart in the U.S. Rob was just featured on the cover story for the Oct/Nov issue of Smooth Jazz News Magazine and his newest single “Christmas Morning” is out this holiday season. B.E.L.L. has also made the top 10 CD list for 2011 in “Smooth Jazz News magazine” and Café Jazz Radio named Rob the #1 Canadian Smooth Jazz Artist for 2011 and B.E.L.L. its #1 CD for 2011 as well, and “East meets Wes” the #1 single of the year. What a triple honour!

With diverse musical influences such as Larry Carlton, Al Di Meola, Paco De Lucia, George Benson, Lee Ritenour, Antonio Carlos Jobim, Sting to Eddie Van Halen, Rob’s 3^rd CD Balance, Energy, Laughter, Love (B.EL.L.) is an amalgamation of these inspirations which have helped shape his musical voice on the guitar and are moving him forward as an artist in Contemporary Jazz.

http://www.robtardik.com/rt/