Vic Juris
- September 26, 1953
- December 31, 2019
- 66 years
- liver cancer
About Vic Juris
Vic Juris, 66, American jazz guitarist, liver cancer.
Explore other notable deaths in 2019 or deaths in December 2019.
The Deaths Archive presents
How well do you know Vic Juris?
Explore their life. Test your knowledge. Beat the challenge.
10 questions · One legacy · How much do you really know?
Challenge your friends
Play together in real-time.
Advertisement
Full Biography
|Victor Edward Jurusz Jr. (September 26, 1953 – December 31, 2019), known professionally as Vic Juris, was an American jazz guitarist.
Music career
Juris was born in Jersey City, New Jersey, but he moved with his family to Parsippany early in his life. In 1963, at the age of 10, he began learning guitar. At 11, he studied guitar at the home of his teacher, Ed Berg, and got interested in jazz listening to Berg's records of guitarists Django Reinhardt, Jim Hall, Barney Kessel, Jimmy Raney, and Johnny Smith. In his teens he played the rock music of the 1960s. When he was 19, he befriended saxophonist Eric Kloss, and he made his recording debut on Kloss's album Bodies' Warmth (Muse, 1975). Around the same time, he met guitarist Pat Martino, who became a friend and mentor.
Juris recorded with Richie Cole during 1976–78 and released his debut album as a leader, Roadsong, in 1979. In the early 1980s, he turned to acoustic guitar in duos with Larry Coryell and Biréli Lagrène, and in the late 1980s he worked with Gary Peacock's band. Since 1991 he has spent much of his career with saxophonist David Liebman.
During the 1990s, he worked as sideman with Lee Konitz and Peggy Stern (1992), Benny Waters (1993), Jeanie Bryson (1993–94), Gary Peacock (since 1994), Steve LaSpina (since 1995), Judi Silvano (1996), Ken Serio (1996, 2007, 2019) and Joe Locke (1998).
Juris taught at The New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music, Lehigh University, and Rutgers University and wrote instructional books for guitar.
In the summer of 2019, Juris began to experience unusual fatigue while touring. He was soon diagnosed with metastatic liver cancer. Friends launched an online fundraiser to help cover the cost of his treatment, but he died on New Year's Eve.
Discography
As leader
- Roadsong (Muse, 1978)
- Horizon Drive (Muse, 1980)
- Bleecker Street (Muse, 1982)
- Bohemia with John Etheridge (Jazzpoint, 1988)
- For the Music (Jazzpoint, 1992)
- Night Tripper (SteepleChase, 1995)
- Music of Alec Wilder (Double-Time, 1996)
- Pastels (SteepleChase, 1996)
- Moonscape (SteepleChase, 1997)
- Remembering Eric Dolphy (SteepleChase, 1999)
- Songbook (SteepleChase, 2000)
- Songbook 2 (SteepleChase, 2002)
- Journey with Giuseppe Continenza (Jardis, 2003)
- Seven Steps To Heaven with Giuseppe Continenza, Dominique Di Piazza and Pietro Iodice (Wide Sound, 2003)
- While My Guitar Gently Weeps (SteepleChase, 2004)
- Blue Horizon (Zoho, 2004)
- A Second Look (Mel Bay, 2005)
- Jazz Hits Vol. 1 with MB3 (Mel Bay, 2006)
- Omega Is the Alpha (SteepleChase, 2010)
- Listen Here (SteepleChase, 2011)
- Free Admission (SteepleChase, 2012)
- Walking On Water (SteepleChase, 2014)
- Blue (SteepleChase, 2015)
- Vic Juris Plays Victor Young (SteepleChase, 2016)
- Eye Contact (SteepleChase, 2018)
- Let's Cool One (SteepleChase, 2020)
As sideman
Content from Wikipedia — licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0
Interactive
Test Your Knowledge – Trivia Challenge
How well do you know this person's life and legacy?
No account needed to play. Sign in to keep your score on the leaderboard.
Books & Media
Find books, audiobooks and films about Vic Juris on Amazon.
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Amazon and the Amazon logo are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates.
Sources
- Wikipedia
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vic_Juris
- CC BY-SA 4.0
- Sep 26, 2026
- View article
- View record
- September 26, 2026
- Sep 26, 2026
Trivia & Knowledge· 16 questions
Questions drawn from Vic Juris's archived record and the sources above.
1.What is the title of the album Vic Juris released in 2020?
- A.Let's Cool Onecorrect
- B.Omega Is the Alpha
- C.Walking On Water
- D.Blue Horizon
The discography lists the album Let's Cool One as being released in 2020.
Source: Discography section
2.In what city was the jazz guitarist Vic Juris born?
- A.New York City
- B.Parsippany
- C.Jersey Citycorrect
- D.Newark
Vic Juris was born in Jersey City, New Jersey, before moving to Parsippany early in his life.
Source: Music career section
3.At what age did Vic Juris begin learning the guitar?
- A.12
- B.8
- C.10correct
- D.14
Vic Juris began learning the guitar in 1963 when he was 10 years old.
Source: Music career section
4.Who was the teacher at whose home Vic Juris studied guitar at age 11?
- A.Pat Martino
- B.Ed Bergcorrect
- C.Jim Hall
- D.David Liebman
At age 11, Vic Juris studied guitar at the home of his teacher, Ed Berg.
Source: Music career section
5.Which of the following musicians was an early influence on Vic Juris after listening to his records?
- A.John Coltrane
- B.Django Reinhardtcorrect
- C.Miles Davis
- D.Wes Montgomery
Vic Juris became interested in jazz by listening to records of guitarists including Django Reinhardt.
Source: Music career section
6.What genre of music did Vic Juris play while he was in his teens?
- A.Rockcorrect
- B.Country
- C.Classical
- D.Blues
In his teens, Vic Juris played the rock music of the 1960s.
Source: Music career section
7.On which artist's album did Vic Juris make his recording debut?
- A.Richie Cole
- B.Eric Klosscorrect
- C.Gary Peacock
- D.Larry Coryell
Vic Juris made his recording debut on saxophonist Eric Kloss's album Bodies' Warmth in 1975.
Source: Music career section
8.What is the title of the debut album released by Vic Juris as a leader?
- A.Night Tripper
- B.Roadsongcorrect
- C.Horizon Drive
- D.Bleecker Street
Vic Juris released his debut album as a leader titled Roadsong in 1979.
Source: Music career section
9.With which saxophonist has Vic Juris spent much of his career since 1991?
- A.Benny Waters
- B.David Liebmancorrect
- C.Eric Dolphy
- D.Lee Konitz
Since 1991, Vic Juris has spent much of his career performing with saxophonist David Liebman.
Source: Music career section
10.At which of these institutions did Vic Juris serve as a teacher?
- A.Harvard University
- B.Julliard
- C.Berklee College of Music
- D.The New Schoolcorrect
Vic Juris taught at The New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music, Lehigh University, and Rutgers University.
Source: Music career section
11.In what year did Vic Juris release his album titled Bleecker Street?
- A.1978
- B.1988
- C.1980
- D.1982correct
According to his discography, the album Bleecker Street was released in 1982.
Source: Discography section
12.What specific health condition was Vic Juris diagnosed with in 2019?
- A.Lung cancer
- B.Metastatic liver cancercorrect
- C.Heart disease
- D.Brain tumor
After experiencing fatigue while touring in 2019, Vic Juris was diagnosed with metastatic liver cancer.
Source: Music career section
13.On what date did Vic Juris pass away?
- A.January 1, 2020
- B.July 4, 2019
- C.September 26, 2019
- D.December 31, 2019correct
Vic Juris passed away on December 31, 2019, which was New Year's Eve.
Source: Music career section
14.Which of the following albums was released by Vic Juris in 2018?
- A.Eye Contactcorrect
- B.Free Admission
- C.Listen Here
- D.Blue
The album titled Eye Contact was released by Vic Juris in 2018.
Source: Discography section
15.In the early 1980s, Vic Juris turned to acoustic guitar in duos with which two musicians?
- A.Lee Konitz and Peggy Stern
- B.Larry Coryell and Biréli Lagrènecorrect
- C.Joe Locke and Judi Silvano
- D.Gary Peacock and Ken Serio
In the early 1980s, Vic Juris performed in acoustic guitar duos with Larry Coryell and Biréli Lagrène.
Source: Music career section
16.Which guitarist did Vic Juris meet who subsequently became his friend and mentor?
- A.Pat Martinocorrect
- B.Jimmy Raney
- C.John Etheridge
- D.Jim Hall
Around the same time he debuted on an album, Vic Juris met guitarist Pat Martino, who became a friend and mentor.
Source: Music career section
Explore the archive
People who died on December 31
Spotted an error?
Help us keep the archive accurate. Report a correction with a source.
Report an error for Vic Juris →Advertisement
