Wayne Krantz (born July 26 1956 in Corvallis
, Oregon
) is an
innovative American musician, who is widely
recognized as a technically advanced jazz
fusion guitarist.He has played
with top artists such as
Steely Dan,
John Zorn,
Michael Brecker,
Billy Cobham, and others, but currently has a
solo act.
Biography
Krantz released his first album,
Signals, in 1991,
sporting an array of recognized
jazz
musicians such as
Dennis
Chambers,
Leni Stern,
Anthony Jackson, and others.
However, in 1992, he formed a
trio with
bassist Lincoln
Goines and
drummer Zach Danziger, and recorded two albums with
them;
Long To Be Loose, in 1993, and a live album,
2
Drink Minimum, in 1995.
In doing so, he began to play periodically at
the 55 Bar, a diverse and premier jazz club
in New York
City
. In 1996, Krantz released an
acoustic album with
Leni Stern, dubbed
Separate Cages. Wayne
formed a new trio in 1997, consisting of his ferocious
guitar skills, complemented by
Tim Lefebvre on
electric
bass and
Keith Carlock on
drum, new sounds that would change his music's
style drastically. On June 28, 2007, Krantz played his final
regular Thursday night gig at NYC's 55 Bar. In an announcement by
Krantz to his mailing list notifying his fans of the change, he
stated a desire to move towards a "louder thing" requiring "bigger
rooms, with stages and sound systems to pull it off."
Krantz's first three solo albums were released on the
jazz label,
Enja Records,
which was at the time also home to frequent collaborator
Leni Stern. However, Krantz's last three albums,
1999's
Greenwich Mean, 2003's
Your Basic Live,
and 2007's "Your Basic Live '06" were both released from Wayne's
private
website. Like
2 Drink Minimum, these two
albums both are excerpts of various sets at the 55 Bar. These two
albums also include more use of
effects
pedals, and are more unscripted and
improvised than the previous three, implying
Wayne's tendency towards nonconformism on
and off the
stage. He contributed to
Steely Dan
co-founder
Donald Fagen's newest
release,
Morph the Cat, and
participated in touring with Fagen's band in early 2006. In another
rare sideman role, Krantz is featured on
tenor saxophonist Chris Potter's 2006 release,
"Underground." Additionally, he is to return to the studio in 2006
to record a new solo
album, to be followed by
touring. It is unknown whether this new album will feature Wayne's
existing trio.
Even with a lack of a record company, and
thus an absence of excessive advertisement and sponsorship, Krantz's music
still receives acclaim and a worldwide
underground fan base, strongest in the
New York
metropolitan area
and Britain
.
Wayne Krantz signed with
record label
Abstract
Logix to release his first studio record in over fifteen years.
Krantz Carlock Lefebvre (2009) features the core trio of
Keith Carlock on drums, Tim Lefebvre on bass, and Wayne on
guitar.
Musical Style
As a guitarist, Krantz is known for being a relentless
individualist, which is evidenced in his improvisational style. In
his book "An Improviser's Operating System," Krantz outlines his
approach to improvisation, which relies not on licks or memorized
fretboard patterns but an awareness of musical "formulas" on the
instrument. Krantz's improvisation is known for its spontaneity,
and he makes a distinction between this form of improvisation and
"composition," the latter of which may include any musical idea
that is preconceived on the instrument. While many guitarists rely
on other music as a model for their own playing, Krantz is highly
committed to realizing his own voice on the instrument and claims
not to derive a great deal of inspiration from other music. Though
Krantz has studied other players in the past, he does not consider
himself a stylist (i.e. someone who models his or her playing on a
predefined stylistic template, such as pure
bebop,
rock,
blues or
funk.)
In addition to its concern for
melody and
harmony, Krantz's music demonstrates a high
rhythmic awareness, often incorporating
polyrhythms, odd metric groupings and
displaced beats.
Equipment/Sound
Krantz is most identified with a
Stratocaster-type electric guitar. Recently he
has played a model manufactured by Tyler Guitars. Earlier releases
such as "Signals" feature a
chorus
effect commonly associated with fusion guitar. Within several
years, however, his sound became more organic, featuring
analog effects such as
overdrive,
wah-wah, and a
Moogerfooger ring modulator. For
amplification, Krantz has used both
Fender Deluxe Reverb and, more
recently,
Marshall amplifiers
for a heavier sound.
Personal life
On May 22, 2004, Krantz married smooth jazz vocalist
Gabriela Anders. Together they live in New
York City with their daughter Marley.
Discography
References
External links
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