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Jake Hertzog
Dr. Jake Hertzog is a critically acclaimed guitarist, composer and educator whose career to-date has spanned eleven albums as bandleader across jazz, rock and classical new music styles. He has toured throughout the U.S., Europe, Latin America, the Middle East and India and performed and recorded with a diverse cadre of artists including Randy Brecker, Ivan Neville, Mike Clarke, Blondie Chaplin, Anton Fig, Corey Glover, Barry Altschul, Dave Leibman, Ingrid Jensen and many others.
Most recently, Jake Hertzog is pushing the boundaries of improvisation, guitar, and technology with his newest release a turn of events, with media artist Adam Hogan. The pair blend free jazz, and ambisonic technology on a completely innovative new album released in 2023. Hertzog's many active projects have included the Jake Hertzog Trio with Harvie S and Victor Jones — a jazz/rock group that has released five albums to wide acclaim and radio success and headlined venues such as The Blue Note in New York and Salo Jazz Festival in Finland. In 2023, Jake was honored with a Jazz Road Creative Residency Grant from the South Arts Organization, funded by the Doris Duke foundation and the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, for a large-scale work for jazz orchestra, guitar, and strings to be recorded, released and debuted in 2024. Jake also received a 2023 Artist 360 Grant from the Mid-America Arts Alliance for an upcoming jazz/folk project.
A true sonic explorer, Hertzog’s music has also included fusions with the classical world. In 2018 he released “Stringscapes: A Portrait of the World in Nylon and Steel” (2018) on Fretmonkey Records. This 12 movement through-composed work for two guitars co-features classical guitarist Yishai Fisher and is a unique blend of classical and jazz. He was awarded a fellowship from the Arkansas Arts Council in 2018 for music composition for this project. Hertzog’s classical work also includes a solo guitar album, "Well Lit Shadow" (2016), a classical suite for solo electric guitar celebrating themes and images in particle physics.
As musical director for pop stars he has performed on national television shows including Good Morning America, The View, and The Today Show. Hertzog's former rock group "The Young Presidents" (2009-2016) has been featured on Vh1 and MTV as well as radio stations around the world. He also produced a documentary film about the making of their album "Coalition," in collaboration with Grammy-winning producer Rob Fraboni (Rolling Stones, The Band).
As an educator, Hertzog has been an artist-in-residence and guest clinician in colleges and conservatories in the U.S., Europe, Latin America and India. He created the instructional series "Hey Jazz Guy" for Guitar Player magazine and contributed over 30 articles to the publication. He currently serves as Jazz Area Coordinator as Assistant Professor of Guitar at the University of Arkansas. Jake is the author of two guitar instructional books, Guitar SFX (Hal Leonard), and Guitar University (Royal Press).
Read moreJake Hertzog: The Ozark Concerto
by Richard J Salvucci
As Terry Teachout very accurately wrote, “The relationship between jazz and classical music has often been close...but is ultimately equivocal" ("Jazz and Classical Music: To the Third Stream and Beyond," in Bill Kirchner, editor, The Oxford Companion to Jazz, Oxford University Press, 2000). Equivocal is a tough word. It can mean suspicious, doubtful or uncertain. Spend any time around musicians in either camp and you find out about suspicions, doubts and uncertainties. They range from 'overpaid' to 'tissue paper lip' ...
Continue ReadingJake Hertzog: The Ozark Concerto
by Jack Bowers
Jake Hertzog's ambitious Ozark Concerto showcases his lithe electric guitar in a well-intended but only moderately successful seven-movement opus, accompanied for the most part by the 23-member Arkansas-based Ozark Jazz Philharmonic (whose existence may seem improbable but is nonetheless true). The concerto premiered in April 2024 at the UARK Jazz Festival on the Fayetteville campus of the University of Arkansas. Hertzog wrote the concerto and arranged much of it, with the OJP's director, Susumu Watanabe, providing several ...
Continue ReadingJake Hertzog & Yishai Fisher: Stringscapes: A Portrait of the World in Nylon & Steel
by Geno Thackara
It can't be easy to keep thinking of different places to go when one's career is already as eclectic as Jake Hertzog's, but he doesn't seem in any danger of running out of ideas. The guitarist has run an impressive gamut already, from the electric Pat Metheny-inspired fusion session Evolution (Buckyball, 2011) to the more straightforward jazz of Throwback (Zoho, 2013) and the conceptual solo outing Well Lit Shadow (Self Produced, 2016). Teaming up with classical guitarist Yishai Fisher for ...
Continue ReadingJake Hertzog: Well Lit Shadow
by Dan Bilawsky
A suite for solo electric guitar that takes inspiration from images of particle collisions isn't exactly your garden-variety jazz release. But, then again, Jake Hertzog isn't your garden-variety jazz guitarist. Over the course of the past decade, Hertzog has established himself as a powerful and unique voice on his instrument. He's worked out his own brand of fusion, made his mark in jazz settings, crossed into rock realms with The Young Presidents, served as musical director and lead guitarist for ...
Continue ReadingJake Hertzog: Throwback
by Glenn Astarita
With his fourth solo venture, nascent New York-based guitarist Jake Hertzog beckons the services of celebrated jazz trumpeter, Randy Brecker. His conspicuous synergy with longtime associates, bassist Harvie S and drummer Victor Jones is true to form on a set that highlights an uncanny blend of harmonically appealing content and edgy jazz-fusion extravaganzas, heightened by Hertzog's judicious use of distortion techniques. Throwback represents a significant level of maturity attained by this young artist, largely owing to a host ...
Continue ReadingJake Hertzog: Evolution
by Ian Patterson
Guitarist Jake Hertzog's previous recordings as leader, Chromatosphere (That's Out, 2009) and Patterns (Buckyball, 2010) created a stir, with reviewers comparing his talent to just about every jazz and rock guitarist who's ever been described as a legend, from the 1940s on. What this hints rather broadly at is Hertzog's cross-generational approach and stylistic variation which define his music, though he's essentially a modernist. The effusion of comparisons has, perhaps, heaped heavy expectations on both the guitarist--still only 25--and listener, ...
Continue ReadingTake Five With Jake Hertzog
by AAJ Staff
Meet Jake Hertzog: Jake Hertzog's accomplishments as a jazz musician mesh with his love for the rock idiom, creating almost an entirely new musical language. His new album, Evolution, co- produced by the great jazz bassist Harvie S, the original compositions (except for Jake's version of Bruce Springsteen's “Streets of Philadelphia") have been mastered to perfection--and is a recording destined to become a classic.Past achievements include winning the Grand Prize in 2006 for the Montreux Jazz ...
Continue ReadingGuitarist Jake Hertzog Releases 'Longing To Meet You'
Source:
Jim Eigo, Jazz Promo Services
In his career guitarist Jake Hertzog has performed and composed music for jazz, rock, folk and classical music styles in addition to being the musical director for pop stars. A sonic explorer, Hertzog put together his recent quartet for his new project, utilizing three superb musicians (altoist Matt Woroshyl, bassist Perrin Grace, and drummer Joe Peri) that he knew from their mutual time attending the Manhattan School in New York. Longing To Meet You is inspired by Hertzog’s experiences with ...
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Rising Star Jazz Guitarist Launches Online Instructional Resource
Source:
Chris M. Slawecki
Guitarist Jake Hertzog is quickly establishing himself as a rising star with his unique blend of jazz and rock, having released three critically acclaimed albums over the last three years. Hertzog also is a frequent contributor to Guitar Player Magazine's Lessons section under the alias “Hey Jazz Guy", aiming to bridge the gap between standard guitar instruction and an original take on jazz education. Hertzog is thrilled to announce that the online companion resource to the “Hey Jazz Guy" series ...
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Jake Hertzog CD Release Party and Midwest Tour
Source:
Michael Ricci
New Rising Star Jazz Guitarist Jake Hertzog Celebrates the Release of his new recording Patterns Saturday May 16, at The Bar Next Door 129 MacDougal Street New York, NY 10012 (212) 529-5945 7 pm and 9 pm show $15 cover
Jake Hertzog Trio is: Jake Hertzog, guitar Harvie S., bass Victor Jones, drums
Montreux Jazz Guitar Competition Grand Prize Winner 2006 Guitarist Jake Hertzog, musical director for Nickelodeon stars, Nat and Alex ...
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Jake Hertzog Releases New CD "Patterns" This Month
Source:
Michael Ricci
Guitar Player Magazine is calling him “...the blazing wunderkind." The Boston Phoenix has declared him “...the WOW! factor." Award-winning jazz guitarist and composer Jake Hertzog is making it big in New York City. Jake's debut album, Chromatosphere, continues to bring him critical acclaim, including a five-page interview in Guitar Player Magazine (June 2009), highlighting his unique technique and approach to modern jazz guitar. Both albums, recorded and produced by Grammy Award-winner Joshua Paul Thompson, feature some of New York's top ...
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Jake Hertzog Promotional Tracks
Source:
Michael Ricci
Jake Hertzog's new release on Buckyball Records, Patterns, is hitting the streets by the end of the month. We want to share with you in advance two free mp3 promo tracks.
“Echoes of Metheny, Stern, and Breau (among others) surface in Hertzogs playing, but his dazzlingly adventurous approach puts him in a jazz league all his own. What a gifted guitarist, and at 22, hes just getting started!" --Art Thompson, Guitar Magazine
Jake Hertzog ...
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Jake Hertzog Releases Jazz Fusion Instrumental Album "Chromatosphere"
Source:
Jim Eigo, Jazz Promo Services
New York, New York -- Jake Hertzog is a guitarist, composer, and bandleader that has just realized his potential with an all instrumental jazz fusion release titled Chromatosphere on That’s Out Records, which will be released April 7, 2009. This is Jake’s first full length solo recording and it promises to be well received by the media and smart jazz listeners everywhere.Hertzog has been seen performing on nationally renowned programs and with top acts such as The Naked Brothers Band ...
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“An unapologetic brand of jazz-rock guitar that does not look back...”
— Mark Redlefsen, All About Jazz
Primary Instrument
Guitar, electric
Willing to teach
Advanced only
Credentials/Background
Private Lessons $75/hr B.M. Berklee College of Music 2007 Clinician and private instructor in US and Europe
Clinic/Workshop Information
Modern Jazz Guitar - Exploration of sounds, voicing and harmonic language of modern jazz guitar. Ensemble - Focus on group playing and composition originality.
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Music
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Jake Hertzog
Instrument: Guitar, electric
Born: March 14, 1986
Publicist: Jim Eigo, Jazz Promo Services
