Take Five With Jacob Wise

AAJ Staff

Contributor since 1995

Various staff members.

Recent articles (1,149 total)

Published: November 26, 2010

Meet Jacob Wise:
A native of Austin, Texas, guitarist Jacob Wise began playing in blues and jazz bands while a student at the University of Texas. His warm, contemporary guitar sound has been featured with a wide variety of Texan jazz artists. He is currently working on a master's degree in jazz performance at the University of North Texas in Denton, Texas. As a member of UNT's renowned One O'Clock Lab Band, he has performed with Lyle Mays Lyle Mays
b.1953
keyboard , Pat Metheny Pat Metheny
b.1954
guitar 's longtime collaborator and keyboardist, and John Mosca, the leader of the Village Vanguard Orchestra.

Instrument(s):
Guitar.

Teachers and/or influences?
Influences: Wes Montgomery Wes Montgomery
1925 - 1968
guitar , Pat Martino Pat Martino
b.1944
guitar , Ed Bickert Ed Bickert
b.1932
guitar , Vic Juris Vic Juris
b.1953
guitar , Pat Metheny, Adam Rogers Adam Rogers

guitar , Lage Lund Lage Lund

guitar .

Teachers: Fred Hamilton Fred Hamilton
, Bruce Saunders Bruce Saunders

guitar , Steve Geraci.

I knew I wanted to be a musician when...
I played my very first gigs with blues and funk bands—it was a lot of fun, and I knew I wanted to keep performing and learning.

Your sound and approach to music:
I strive for a warm, focused sound, and to have as much or more technique than I need to execute the music, without letting the technique overshadow the musical content.

Your teaching approach:
When teaching jazz, I like to focus on fundamentals—voicings, scales, arpeggios, repertoire, time feel, and reading, as well as listening to the masters. I've also written my own guitar method book.

Favorite venue:
As a new jazz player, I learned a lot playing at the Elephant Room in Austin. The community of musicians who played there and the vibe from the audience definitely inspired me to keep playing and growing.

The first Jazz album I bought was:
Miles Davis Miles Davis
1926 - 1991
trumpet , 58 Sessions.

CDs you are listening to now:
Myron Walden Myron Walden
b.1972
saxophone , To Feel (Demi Sound);
Will Vinson Will Vinson
b.1977
sax, alto , The World Through My Shoes (19/8);
Alex Sipiagin Alex Sipiagin
b.1967
trumpet , Generations (Criss Cross);
Seamus Blake Seamus Blake
b.1970
sax, tenor , Bellwether (Criss Cross).

Desert Island picks:
Wes Montgomery, Smokin' At The Half Note (Verve);
Pat Martino, El Hombre (Prestige);
Pat Metheny, Trio 99/00 (Warner Bros.);
Peter Bernstein Peter Bernstein
b.1967
guitar , Stranger in Paradise (Venus);
Alex Sipiagin, Hindsight (Criss Cross).