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Joe Heider

Joe Heider is a Jazz/Funk/Blues Guitarist from NY.

About Me

If John Scofield, Mike Moreno, and Jonathan Kreisberg got swept away in a tornado and were whisked away to the land of OZ (Noy), the musical landscape there might be similar to the compositions and improvisations of Joe Heider. And Joe knows all about being whisked away, being born on Long Island and moving to Upstate New York, spending his teenage years growing up a log cabin up in the hills. Joe got his first guitar at the age of 13 and fell in love. After playing and recording a couple of cd’s in Central New York Hard Rock bands (Highlight: New Animal). Before long, Joe’s playing found a worthy challenge in the highly improvisatory Musical languages of Jazz, Blues and Funk. After graduating from High School, Joe continued his musical studies at the college level at SUNY New Paltz (studying under Mark Dziuba of NGW fame) and then transferring to SUNY Purchase (studying under John Abercrombie), to finish his degree in Jazz Performance.

He performs in a number of groups focusing on Jazz (Straight-ahead, Funk, Fusion) on a regular basis, including his own Trio, as well as his multi-genre Jazz group, Joe Heider's 'Lit Fuse'. The majority of venues he plays range across Central New York and the Hudson Valley, and he is looking to branch into NYC soon.

As an educator, Joe also has 100+ hours of private teaching experience in varying styles. Aside from numerous arrangements, he teaches at the Center for the Arts in Homer, NY.

Joe’s style is a unique blend of tradition and innovation, of the simple and the complex, harmonious and Dissonant. You get the picture.