From Blues to Modern Jazz Guitar

About the Author

Guitarist Wayne Brasel grew up in Sacramento, California. Wayne began playing in bands as a teenager and played his first gigs at some of the junior high school dances. In Wayne's last years in high school he began playing also in the Consumnes River College Big Band . In connection with his performing and touring with this big band Wayne had the opportunity to meet and perform with Joe Pass who was a guest artist with the band.

After high school Wayne attended San Francisco State College where he studied classical guitar and played in the big band and performed in some of the local jazz and blues clubs. After one year in San Francisco Wayne transferred to California State College at Northridge where he continued his studies in classical guitar, composition, theory and improvisation. He also played in the big bands and received awards for his playing at various big band competitions in California. While studying at Northridge, Wayne also took private lessons in guitar and improvisation from Pat Martino, Jimmy Wyble, David Pritchard, Jamie Glaser, Ted Greene, Don Mock and Charlie Shoemake.

Wayne worked many years as a freelance session and touring guitarist in Los Angeles. He played all kinds of music, playing with some of the best musicians in L.A. and touring in South America, Asia, the Caribbean, Europe and all over the U.S. As a sideman Wayne played on numerous recording sessions, most of the major jazz festivals, played on Saturday Night Live and was part of the opening act ( the Otis Stokes band ) for Rod Stewart in Paris .

In 1990 Wayne moved to Vienna, Austria and began teaching at the American Institute of Music (a school based on the Musicians Institute concept). While at A.I.M. Wayne taught classes in L.A. jazz-fusion and session guitar styles. While in Vienna he also began touring and recording with his own music. His debut CD was called "The Note You Left" and featured New Orleans drummer Jeff Boudreaux , bassist Uli Langthaler and tenor sax player and Miles alumni Rick Margitza. In 1995 Wayne was asked to be guest professor of jazz guitar at the University of Graz in Austria. For the next years Wayne split his time between teaching and touring and recording with his own bands. He recorded two trio records " The Beatnik Walk" with Peter Erskine and John Patitucci and "Popart" with New York drummer Victor Jones and bassist Wayne Darling.

In 1998 Wayne joined the jazz department of the University of Stavanger in Norway as an associate professor where he has taught jazz history, jazz theory and composition, ensembles and jazz guitar. Wayne has kept up his busy schedule of teaching and playing recording a quintet record with top Norwegian jazz musicians called " Stavanger Songs", a solo guitar record called " Songs from the Icons" and a record called " Tanzanian Sky" which combines Wayne's guitar and compositions with Norwegian and African musicians from Tanzania and Zanzibar. Wayne's most recent CD is a quartet project called " If You Would Dance" with Peter Erskine, Alan Pasqua and Tom Warrington.