Wayne Krantz

Wayne Krantz is a jazz musician and composer from Corvallis, Oregon. His highly individual harmonic and rhythmic style draws on many influences including jazz, fusion, avant-garde, rock and blues. He has played for such names as Steely Dan, Michael Brecker, Billy Cobham, Carla Bley, Chris Potter, David Binney, Donald Fagen and has collaborated with Anthony Jackson, Dennis Chambers, John Patitucci, Vinnie Colaiuta, Tal Wilkenfeld and many others.

Krantz has made 6 records as a solo guitarist. With Enja records he made 3 great albums. His first release "Signals" features drummer Dennis Chambers, the late percussionist Don Alias, bassist Anthony Jackson and guitarist Leni Stern. "Long to be Loose" and "2 Drink Minimum" (a live record) feature bassist Lincoln Goines and drummer Zach Danziger.

Krantz's last three albums, 1999's "Greenwich Mean", 2003's "Your Basic Live", and 2007's "Your Basic Live '06" feature drummer Keith Carlock and bassist Tim Lefebvre, and 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."

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. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.