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Kris Kaiser

About Me

Kris Kaiser exhibited an early interest in music, and while still under the tutelage of his father, a seasoned musician, he began formal guitar lessons at age 7. Born in New York City, he was exposed to a myriad of musical genres, but nonetheless settled on jazz as his preferred style.  Kris was influenced by the great Wes Montgomery, Grant Green, Miles Davis, and Charlie Parker, among so many others.                                                                                                                As a young teenager, while pursuing his own studies, he provided lessons both privately and for a number of local organizations, as well as performing with local jazz musicians.  During this time, he was a member of the All City Jazz Band and performed along with John Faddis at Alice Tully Hall under the direction of Justin DiCioccio. Kris was taught and mentored by Howard Alden and Jimmy Knepper, both of whom stated that they were impressed not only by his unique musical stylings, but also his inventive concepts and an exceptional knowledge of his instrument.  He has performed with both of these artists in various venues throughout the city.  He has also had the pleasure of performing and touring with such greats as Freddy Cole, Frank Wess, Harry Allen, Warren Vache, Joe Cohn, , Neil Minor, Don Friedman, Santi Debriano, David Wong, and legendary singer, David Allyn. In 1999, Kris was a finalist in the high school division of the Texaco Jazz Competition in New York City.  It was judged in part by Ravi Coltrane, who expressed his belief to Kris that he possessed a singular talent.   Kris  has been featured on numerous demo’s and independent label albums with the likes of Bill Crow, Ugonna Okegwo, Dimitri Baevsky, among others. Kris is looking forward to touring, writing music and recording his first album as a leader in early spring 2014.