Take Five with Guitarist Jacob Johnson

Meet Jacob Johnson

Since dropping out of college in 2007, Jacob Johnson has journeyed across the country in six minivans (so far), captivating audiences with his highly caffeinated brand of acoustic guitar playing. Known for his energetic performances, Jacob has had the privilege of sharing the stage with Grammy winners like Tommy Emmanuel, and Victor Wooten, as well as esteemed musicians including Phil Keaggy, Marcus King, and Tim Reynolds.

Beyond his guitar prowess, Jacob has proven himself as a talented songwriter, garnering recognition as the Don Gibson Songwriter Award Grand Prize Winner, Nashville Connection Songwriter of the Year, and a Finalist for the Freshgrass No Depression Songwriter Award. His ability to craft captivating and heartfelt songs has earned him performances at prestigious music festivals such as the Falcon Ridge Folk Festival in New York, the Walnut Valley Festival in Kansas, the Wildflower Music Festival in Texas, and countless others.

Jacob currently resides in Greenville, SC with his wife Jessica. In addition to his busy touring schedule, Jacob is an adjunct guitar faculty member at North Greenville University. Yes, that's the college he dropped out of. His next album, Surviving The Dream, arrives in October.

Instruments:

Guitar, Voice.

Teachers and/or influences?

My influences are definitely players who are very song-forward in their approach. I started learning about jazz by listening to Willie Nelson's jazz albums like Night and Day, and Stardust. The arrangements on those albums are very straight-ahead. They played those songs simply enough that I could follow the changes. As a teenager I was playing blues and rockabilly. I couldn't have wrapped my head around Joe Pass playing "Nuages," but Willie's version I could follow, even if I couldn't quite understand it yet. Willie was my outlet into Django, he was recording lots of Django songs on his albums in the late '90s. For contemporary guys, I love Julian Lage. He has such a timeless sound, and that's what I'm always going for. Not a lot of ornamentation in the production. And honestly, I probably listen to Sinatra more than I listen to any single guitarist. Listening to singers like Frank and Judy Garland and Dean Martin remind me that these are songs we're dealing with, not just tunes to play over.

I knew I wanted to be a musician when...

When I saw Roy Clark and Buck Owens on Hee-Haw. As a 2-year old I was glued to the TV any time they were on. I knew pretty early on music was going to be an important part of my life.

Your sound and approach to music.

Songs come first. Being a great player might get you 30 seconds of an audience's attention. After that, you'd better be playing some good songs.

Your teaching approach

Most of my students at the university level aren't coming from a jazz background. So one thing that I try to do as they start learning jazz is strip the "mystery" away. It's intimidating for a young player to look at a chart with 20 chords on it. So, although jazz is more complex than blues, country, pop, etc, I try to show them that it has patterns and clichés just like other types of music do. I want them to understand that with a little effort, they can start to hear "vi ii V I" as easily as they can hear 1 going to 4 in a blues. So hopefully that chart starts to look like familiar patterns instead of just a million chords.

Your dream band

I love touring and playing solo on stage, because I feel like it engages the audience in a unique way. If there's no drummer or bassist keeping time when I solo, the audience has to keep time, whether they realize it or not, by tapping their feet or bobbing their heads. I've noticed that it really engages them in a unique way. If I need a band, I always call John Henry (drums, Atlanta, GA) and Mark Eshenbaugh (bass, Greenville, SC). They can read my mind. For a dream collaboration, I'd love to play with Christian McBride. I love the way an upright bass pairs with my acoustic guitar, but he can really drive a groove like an electric player. Norah Jones would be bucket-list too, because I think we'd geek out on a lot of the same songs... Ray Charles, Willie, Everly Brothers... I think we'd have a good time.

Road story: Your best or worst experience

There are too many to name! But here's the most recent. A couple of weeks ago after a festival set in NC, an older lady came up to me and was showing me her watch that monitors her health. If she has a medical emergency, it goes off and alerts her family. She told me that, to tell me this: During one of my songs during a solo where I was really digging in, it started going off! She told me she had to find someone to help her turn it off. I nearly caused a medical episode. That was a first for me!

Favorite venue

I was just out on Ocracoke Island in NC for the Ocrafolk Music and Arts Festival; I've probably played it 7 or 8 times over the last 15 years, but the crowds there are always generous and enthusiastic. The sound is good, the energy is great, and the setting is beautiful.

Your favorite recording in your discography and why?

I'm always most excited about whatever my latest release is, but I think my recording of "September Song" is one that I always come back to as a favorite. It's a great song; I love how the arrangement sounds with just the upright bass, acoustic guitar, and my voice.

What do you think is the most important thing you are contributing musically?

The most important thing I can contribute is entertainment and a shared experience for my audience in an increasingly isolating time. Some folks use music to preach, and sometimes I want to do that too, but I believe the best use of my platform is to just give people a little time away from all that stuff.

Did you know...

Given my playing and performing style, a lot of folks would be surprised to know that I'm not a good multitasker.

The first jazz album I bought was:

Night and Day by Willie Nelson. This is a very under-appreciated album that's not easy to come by. It was released in 1998, and it was his first and only all-instrumental jazz album. I was about 12 years old, so that album was my introduction to a lot of great standards like "Sweet Georgia Brown," "Honeysuckle Rose," "All The Things You Are," "Nuages." It really set me off on a good path.

Music you are listening to now:

Kurt Rosenwinkel: Intuit (Criss Cross Jazz)
Julian Lage: Speak To Me (Blue Note)
Tony Price: Church Street Blues (Sugar Hill)
Ella Fitzgerald and Joe Pass: Fitzgerald and Pass...Again (Pablo)

Desert Island picks:

Chet Atkins: Solo Flights (RCA)
Dean Martin: Dream with Dean (Capital)
Judy Garland: Live at Carnegie Hall (Capital)
Willie Nelson: Stardust (Columbia)
Marty Robbins: Gunfighter Ballads and Trail Songs (Columbia)

What is in the near future?

My next album, Surviving The Dream, is in the can and I plan to release it in October. I'll be hitting the road again fairly extensively at that point, while also juggling my teaching responsibilities at North Greenville University and taking classes through Berklee online. I should have a degree by the time I'm 40.

If I weren't a musician, I would be a:

I'd still be some type of performer if that were at all possible. I studied sleight-of-hand fairly seriously when I was young, so I'd probably be doing that!

If I could have dinner with anyone from history, who would it be and why?

I'd stick with family. I'd love to have a little more time with my dad's mom, who we called Mom Johnson. I got to see a lot of her growing up, but it seems like these people are gone before we're smart enough to know the questions we want to ask them. She played in bands growing up and taught me my first few chords. And her husband, my grandfather, was gone before I came along, so I think I'd love to sit and have dinner with the two of them.

What's the song or piece of music you wish you could hear again for the first time?

That's a tough one, but I'm going to say Harry Nilsson's standards album, A Little Touch of Schmilsson in the Night. There are so many great little turns and unexpected moments, and it plays like a suite.

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