jakehertzogjazz@gmail.com
1 (217) 621-8635 or WhatsApp
www.jakehertzog.com
www.heyjazzguy.com
“Jake Hertzog is one of the most gifted, disciplined and original of a new generation of young guitarists coming on fast.”
Dr. Jake Hertzog is a critically-acclaimed guitarist, composer and educator whose music transcends genres ranging from jazz and jazz/rock to contemporary classical. His many projects include the Jake Hertzog Trio, guitar duos in jazz and classical music, solo guitar with multimedia, quartets, and music for large ensemble as a soloist.
Jake is an assistant professor and jazz area coordinator at the University of Arkansas and is available for numerous educational workshops and artist-in-residency engagements.
Currently Available
Concerts:
Jake Hertzog Trio
Well Lit Shadow - Solo Guitar Performance with Multi-Media
Stringscapes - Contemporary Classical Guitar Duo with Yishai Fisher
Hertzog | Hogan - Experimental Ambisonic Improvisation
Master classes and workshops:
Jake Hertzog (solo) or with a group
Jake Hertzog academic workshops on higher music education topics
Discography:
a turn of events (2023)
BIO:
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.
Hertzog’s newest album, “Longing to Meet You” is a musical journey through the process of IVF which led to the birth of his daughter, featuring his unique rock inspired jazz. He is also pushing the boundaries of improvisation, guitar, and technology with his 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.
For three years, Hertzog was musical director and lead guitarist for Nickelodeon's The Naked Brothers Band stars, Nat and Alex Wolff. They headlined two major national tours and performed on national television shows including Good Morning America, The View, Nickelodeon's Kids Choice Awards 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).
Hertzog is a grand prize winner of the Montreux Jazz Guitar Competition, holds a performance degree from Berklee College of Music and a master's degree from The Manhattan School of Music in New York. In additional to his musical work, Hertzog also holds a Ph.D. in higher education from the University of Arkansas. His research focuses on how higher music education is adapting to the digital music industry. Other research includes data use in the music industry, music ecosystems, ambisonic improvisation, and entrepreneurial pedagogy. Hertzog’ research has appeared at numerous international conferences and in journals such as Artivate, and Jazz Education in Research and Practice, and Journal of Popular Music Education. Most recently, Hertzog’s innovative music ecosystem research is being supported by the National Endowment for the Arts with results of multiple studies anticipated in 2025. www.jakehertzog.com
“Jake Hertzog is a risk-taker and a mind-blowing guitarist. There is nothing else like it.”
“Hertzog keeps listeners constantly on their toes, zigging when you might expect him to zag, and blazing through unorthodox intervallic maneuvers with an ease that would likely give players twice his age pause.”
“An unapologetic brand of jazz-rock guitar that does not look back...”
“At his age Jake already belongs among the great jazzy guitar players like Pat Metheny, Al Di Meola, John Mclaughlin to name but a few.”
Listen
Notable Past headlining Performances
Festivals:
Montreux Jazz Festival - Switzerland
Salo International Jazz Festival - Finland
Edinburgh Guitar & Music Festival - Edinburgh, Scotland
World Music Festival - Hyderabad, India
NAMM 2014 - Anaheim, CA
Ellnora Guitar Festival - Champaign, IL
Montauk Music Festival - New York, NY
Clubs:
The Blue Note - New York, NY
Iridium - New York, NY
Scullers - Boston, MA
Herr Nilsen - Oslo, Norway
On The Rocks - Helsinki, Finland
Windmills - Bangalore, India
The Bitter End - New York, NY
55 Bar - New York, NY
Jazz Kitchen - Indianapolis, IN
Nighttown - Cleveland, OH
Performing Arts Centers:
Malmitalo Hall - Helsinki, Finland
Caramoor Center for The Performing Arts - Katonah NY
The Clarion Theater - Lake Jackson TX
Krannert Center For The Performing Arts - Urbana, IL
The Triad Theater - New York, NY
Mofet Concert Hall - Tel Aviv, Israel
“Advanced...moving...elegant...
...undeniably killing. Guitar aficionados, take note of this stellar six-stringer.”
“Echoes of Metheny, Stern, and Breau (among others) surface in Hertzog’s playing, but his dazzlingly adventurous approach puts him in a jazz league all his own.”
“One of the very few prolific young guitarists to convincingly embrace the potential of blending a jazz and rock style of performing.”
“Jake has a long, talented career ahead of him...Some musicians just have it all. Jake Hertzog easily fits in that grouping.”
Masterclasses:
Jake is an assistant professor at The University of Arkansas and is available for workshops, clinics and artist-in-residence engagements. Educational offerings are available with and without an accompanying rhythm section. Jake has taught across the US, Europe, India, Latin America and The Middle East.
Recent workshops include:
Jazz at Lincoln Center
City University of New York
Northeastern State University, Tehlequah, OK
Jazztravaganza at the Clarion Performing Arts Center in Lake Jackson, Texas
Turku Conservatory in Finland
EMU Conservatory in Argentina
Cornish College of the Arts in Seattle, WA.,
Women In Jazz in Halle, Germany
Swarnhaboomi Academy of Music in Chennai, India (Faculty, Spring 2013)
Workshop Offerings:
Jazz Guitar In 2024
Primarily for guitarists, focusing on techniques, sounds and sub-styles.
Emphasis on modern harmonic material, chromaticism, and intervallic playing.
Duo and trio playing.
Contrast method of improvisational practice.
Non-western approach to rhythm such as Indian rhythmic solfeggio and Arabic rhythms.
John (Coltrane) & Jimi (Hendrix)
Lecture and interactive performance meant to offer tangible insight into two of the most influential musicians from the 1960's, Hendrix and Coltrane.
Elements of their improvisational style are discussed and compared.
Students will improvise on Hendrix/Coltrane music using techniques such as texture, free rhythm over time, chromatic superimposition and motivic development.
Students will rediscover the influence of these artists, how to apply their ideas to their own playing.
Band Refinery
Focus on a particular student ensemble, either jazz big band, jazz combo or popular music ensemble.
Workshop how to take performances of current material to the next level.
Variations can focus on student compositions, classic repertoire, or instructor required material.
Emphasis on group playing, performing for audience, emotional balance within the group and concert construction. Video recorded if possible.
The Contrast Method of Improvisation - Find Your Sound
Introduces, demonstrates and teaches the contrast method of practicing improvisation.
Introduces qualitative analysis of jazz solos.
Students will learn the simple technique for self analysis and many organizational methods for improvising musical topics such as range, speed, register, melodic curve, time, harmonic conception and many more.
Students will gain a new insight into how to build up originality as an improvisor in addition to improving their practice methods.
The Modular Approach
Advanced improvisation workshop focusing on use of 3 note intervallic cells - "modules".
Use of modules in diatonic and chromatic situations.
Ways to build technique on wide intervals.
Reharmonization, pedal point, and rhythmic patterns.
Compositional techniques using modular theory.
THE Birth of Fusion
Music history and performance workshop, tells the story of the birth of the jazz/fusion style from the perspective of rock and jazz icons, focusing on the pivotal years 1964-1970.
Higher Music Education
This workshop discusses issues and careers in higher music education. Aimed at current graduate students in music.