The world of jazz guitar has long been filled with some of the most storied names in jazz history. Artists such as Charlie Christian, Johnny Smith, Wes Montgomery, Pat Metheny and John Scofield have all become recognized as some of jazz's greatest innovators and most prolific performers.

In a day and age when it seems that jazz, and jazz guitar, has been through just about every transition, amalgamation and innovation possible, there are still new voices emerging to take the music forward into unexplored and exciting territory. One of the guitarists that is leading this charge is New York-based picker Jonathan Kreisberg. With a strong foundation in the jazz tradition, and a personal vision of the genre's future, Kreisberg is winning over crowds and critics alike with his albums and concerts held around the world.

Kreisberg's playing is not easily categorized, as it draws upon a diverse background of influences, and is constantly challenging the defined conception of modern jazz. His solos portray a player dedicated to absorbing the traditional vocabulary and vernacular of the jazz idiom, skills honed through a solid musical education and by studying on bandstands across the globe. Drawing the listener in with a healthy dose of swing and traditional vocabulary, Kreisberg acts as a skillful guide as he leads his audiences into new and entrancing harmonic and melodic territory, without ever sounding abrasive or disjointed.

This ability, to smoothly transition between established and inventive sonic ground, has helped raise Kreisberg to the upper echelon of today's jazz guitarists, and has firmly established his position one of the genres leading voices.

Apart from being an accomplished improviser and band leader, 2009's Night Songs (Criss Cross) is his sixth outing under his own name, Kreisberg is also a composer and arranger of merit that is continually exploring the possibilities of small group jazz. Kreisberg's albums, like his improvisations, contain a mixture of tunes drawn from the jazz tradition and his own original compositions.

Even when an album contains tunes that are one or the other, such as Night Songs which is a collection of jazz ballads or Unearth (Mel Bay Records, 2005) which is all original compositions, there is still a sense of Kreisberg's dual approach to writing and arranging found within his work.

When approaching a jazz standard, Kreisberg is rarely content to play the track in its original context. Instead, he is constantly looking for new ways to interpret many of the genre's classic tunes, such as his odd-meter rendition of "Stella by Starlight" from the album South of Everywhere (Mel Bay, 2007). On the other side of the coin, Kreisberg's original compositions will often have a sense of the jazz tradition weaving in and out of more modern sounding harmony and melodic phrases, such as the hard-driving composition "Fever Vision" from his 2004 release Nine Stories Wide (Criss Cross, 2005).

With such an array of accomplishments behind him, Kreisberg is showing no signs of slowing down. He is continuing to tour in support of Night Songs and is already at work on his next recording project. With such a busy schedule of performing, writing and recording, it's no wonder that Kreisberg has become one of the genre's young stars, a status that is sure to stick as he moves forward into his musical future.

All About Jazz: You began playing guitar at 10 years of age. How were you introduced to the instrument and had you always been interested in playing guitar?

Jonathan Kreisberg: I grew up listening to a lot of great jazz, rock, and classical by way of my folks. They listened to Coltrane, Miles, and Brubeck, things that I liked, as well as some classical guitar stuff, like John Williams playing the Aranjuez concerto.

I initially picked up a guitar after hearing Eddie Van Halen's playing on "Eruption." I was blown away by that great "other worldly" sound he was getting out of his guitar.

It's funny because years later I would realize that Eddie was reaching out for the sounds he'd heard from Allan Holdsworth, who was in turn channeling Coltrane. One of my childhood favorites was Coltrane's album "My Favorite Things," so I guess it all makes sense in a weird sort of way.

AAJ: Who were some of your early influences on the guitar? Were you listening to jazz at this time, or did your exploration of jazz music and musicians come later on?

JK: As I mentioned, I had heard a fair amount of jazz, but it was a bit strange and out of reach for me. I didn't really make the connection right away between the guitar and jazz. My influences on guitar at the time were Van Halen, Clapton and classical composers such as Bach, but I would say that I began writing tunes and improvising pretty much right away though, so the creative thing was there and it would push me towards jazz eventually.