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Take Five With...
Take Five With Trey Wright
Meet Trey Wright:
Trey Wright is a jazz guitarist, composer, and recording artist based in Roswell, Ga. While studying Sociology at the University of Georgia, Trey studied jazz improvisation with pianist and composer Steve Dancz. In 1994, he co-founded the Athens/Atlanta based jazz band Squat. The group is a six-time winner of Best Jazz Band at the Flagpole Athens Music Awards and has been at festivals and clubs throughout the Southeast. Several of Trey's compositions with the group have received international airplay and have been featured on Sirius radio.
Trey has also performed with Jimmy Haslip
Jimmy Haslip
b.1951
bass, electric
, John Patitucci
John Patitucci
b.1959
bass
, Joe Lovano
Joe Lovano
b.1952
saxophone
, and Corey Christiansen
Corey Christiansen
guitar
. Trey has performed at the Montreux Jazz Festival, Jazz A Vienne, and the World Sacred Music Festival in Bangalore, India. As a solo guitarist and with his trio, Trey has been a featured performer at the Athens Music and Arts Festival, the Lake Oconee Jazz Festival, Mulefest and the Atlanta Jazz Festival.
In December of 2002, Trey completed a Master of Music degree in Jazz Studies at Georgia State University, and he currently is on faculty at Kennesaw State University and the Atlanta Institute of Music. In 2006, Trey released his first CD, Where I'm Calling From, receiving rave reviews and international airplay. The Trey Wright Trio released Thinking Out Loud in the summer of 2009 on Blue Canoe Records.
Instrument(s):
Guitar.
Teachers and/or influences?
My teachers have included pianist and composer Steve Dancz and jazz guitarist Dave Frackenpohl.
As for influences, there are too many to name but a sampling would include Jim Hall
Jim Hall
b.1930
guitar
, Brad Mehldau
Brad Mehldau
b.1970
piano
, Joe Pass
Joe Pass
1929 - 1994
guitar
, Wes Montgomery
Wes Montgomery
1925 - 1968
guitar
, Grant Green
Grant Green
1935 - 1979
guitar
, Kurt Rosenwinkel
Kurt Rosenwinkel
b.1970
guitar
, Bill Frisell
Bill Frisell
b.1951
guitar
, Wayne Shorter
Wayne Shorter
b.1933
saxophone
, The Bad Plus
The Bad Plus
band/orchestra
, Radiohead, U2, etc ....
I knew I wanted to be a musician when...
Music is the only thing that has ever made sense to me. I never planned on being a musician for a career but I always knew it would be an important part of my life.
Your sound and approach to music:
I've always been interested in music that told a story and took the listener somewhere. I want to play jazz music in which solos aren't the focal point, but are a part of the natural evolution of a song's dynamic progression. Early on in my education I was taught that less is more, something that I always try to teach my students as well!
Your teaching approach:
I believe in focused, goal oriented lessons. I always spend the first lesson asking the students what their goals are and then I try to come up with a plan to get them to where they want to be. Having a plan helps keep the student motivated and get them to where they want to be!
Road story: Your best or worst experience:
I could write a book of nightmare experiences that we had when Squat was on the road.
One of the worst was when we were the backing band for an artist that attempted to leave us stranded in Grand Junction, CO as he drove off in his van with all of our gear in it!
Favorite venue:
Some of my favorite performances have been overseas. I'm always blown away by how appreciative and receptive foreign audiences can be to jazz music and jazz musicians. It's easy to get discouraged playing to ten disinterested fans in your own home town!
My favorite was the World Sacred Music Festival in Bangalore, India. I was playing with pianist and composer Steve Dancz and was completely inspired by our surroundings and the other music acts we played with. I hope to begin playing abroad on a more regular basis.
Your favorite recording in your discography and why?
The two trio CDs I have done - Where I'm Calling From (2006 Namaste Records) and Thinking Out Loud (2009 Blue Canoe Records). I love playing with the trio; the openness of this format gives plenty of room for harmonic exploration and expression.
Bassist Marc Miller and drummer Marlon Patton are amazing musicians and I am always amazed at what these guys do with the tunes I bring to the group. We all have similar influences and we are constantly listening and interacting with each other as we play.
The first Jazz album I bought was:
I'm honestly not sure .... but I do know that the album that had the biggest influence on me when I was learning was Grant Green
Grant Green
1935 - 1979
guitar
, Feelin' the Spirit. I had never heard a guitarist play with such a strong pocket before. I love turning students on to this record.
What do you think is the most important thing you are contributing musically?
Although I do my best, I realized a long time ago that I was never going to be the guitarist around. There are so many amazing players! I feel that I have found my niche as a composer and have developed my own style as a player (it only took me 20 years to figure it out!)
