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In this new special produced by DUQ, Joe Negri examines the history of jazz guitar. Negri, familiar to tv audiences as "Handyman" Negri on "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood," has distinguished himself as a jazz guitarist, composer, and educator. In the early 1950's, Negri moved to New York, where he met many of the early innovators of jazz guitar, including Tal Farlow, Jimmy Raney, and Johnny Smith. He brought this experience back to Pittsburgh, where he and his family settled, and has passed his training on through education classes and performances.

Part one of the special looks at the acoustic developments of outstanding performers like Eddie Lang and Lonnie Johnson, through the monumental achievements of Django Reinhardt and Charlie Christian. Part two provides the notable contributions of the bebop guitarists, the groundbreaking explorations of players like Jim Hall and Wes Montgomery, and closes with a whirlwind tour of the most recent stylistic developments.

"Joe Negri Presents..." is supported by the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, a state agency, through its regional arts funding partnership, Pennsylvania Partners in the Arts. State government funding comes through an annual appropriation by Pennsylvania's General Assembly. Pennsylvania Partners in the Arts is administered in Allegheny County by the Greater Pittsburgh Arts Council.