Capt. Vinny Raniolo (Endeavor Air) on the flight deck of a CRJ900.

Many Endeavor Air first officers are likely surprised when they learn that the other pilot on their flight deck is a world-renown jazz guitarist. Capt. Vinny Raniolo (Endeavor Air) has performed with music legends like Bucky Pizzarelli, Tommy Emmanuel, and Vince Giordano. He’s played in 18 countries in venues ranging from the Sydney Opera House in Australia to Teatro Olimpico in Vincenza, Italy—the world’s oldest indoor concert hall. When Raniolo isn’t piloting a Canadair CRJ900, he’s likely accompanying an ensemble on some acclaimed stage somewhere around the globe.

“I started playing alto saxophone when I was 10 years old in elementary school,” remarked Raniolo, who grew up and continues to live outside the New York City area. “I fell in love with the guitar when I was 13,” he said, adding that he enjoyed socializing while playing popular songs from the radio with his friends.

Raniolo attended the Long Island High School for the Arts during his junior and senior years, where he was exposed to the recordings of jazz artists like Herb Ellis and Joe Pass. “I loved the interplay and the musical conversations they were having,” he remarked. The young musician later attended Purchase College where he majored in jazz guitar performance.

New York was a hotbed of the jazz music scene during the 1950s and 60s, and Raniolo began to meet and play with some of the legends of this period, particularly through groups like the Avalon Jazz Band. He also became good friends with jazz guitarist Frank Vignola, who Raniolo has performed and recorded with for more than 20 years. Raniolo and Vignola also appeared together several times on public television, including a special, Four Generations of Guitar, with Pizzarelli and Emmanuel.

Raniolo is best known for his accompanying skills. “I love all aspects of the guitar, including playing lead and melody; but in my career, I owe so much to rhythm guitar and the rhythm guitar players who’ve paved the way such as Freddie Green, Bucky Pizzarelli, Tony Mottola, and Wayne Wright just to name a few,” he said.

Raniolo, left, performs with Bucky Pizzarelli, Frank Vignola, and Tommy Emmanuel in the PBS special Four Generations of Guitar.

The Endeavor pilot appears on nearly 50 music albums primarily as a guest performer and on joint productions with Vignola. Raniolo recently released his first solo album, Air Guitar, playing classic tunes referencing aviation, going back to the 1910 gem “Come Josephine in My Flying Machine.”

Vintage jazz hits continue to have a nostalgic popularity, particularly with filmmakers, and Raniolo, through his association with Giordano, has had the opportunity to play on numerous soundtracks and scores. He can be heard on the HBO series Boardwalk Empire, Prime’s Marvelous Miss Masel, Woody Allen’s Café Society, and Martin Scorsese’s The Irishman. Most recently, Raniolo played on the soundtrack of the movie Killers of the Flower Moon, which stars Leonardo Di Caprio and Robert De Niro. Raniolo’s name even appears in the film’s closing credits.

A relative newcomer to aviation, Raniolo took a discovery flight at the age of 30. Departing from Republic Airport in Farmingdale, N.Y., he quickly realized his love of flying. Earning his pilot’s license and the necessary ratings, Raniolo served as a flight instructor before flying chartered Learjets. With the airline hiring boom following the COVID-19 pandemic, a retired airline captain told him, “You’d be a fool not to go to the airlines.”

“I took his advice to heart,” said Raniolo, adding that he was soon flying the right seat of an Endeavor aircraft.

Over the years, the jazz guitarist has expanded his musical pursuits to include education and has been featured in a host of week-long music camps, including the Big Jersey Guitar Camp. These workshops allow students to take lessons during the day and jam with their favorite artists at night. He also provides online lessons students can subscribe to called “Vinny Raniolo’s Rhythm Ship,” available through TrueFire.com.

Raniolo sees many parallels in his chosen professions. “Songs and flights each have their different phases,” he noted. “Everyone has their roles and responsibilities, and they work as a crew toward a single goal.” While he’s accomplished much on these two career paths, there are undoubtedly many more gigs and destinations on his horizon.