Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey
Encyclopedia
Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey is a USA jazz
group started in Tulsa, Oklahoma
in 1994. The band's lineup has changed multiple times over the years. The group first formed under the moniker "Pimp Cocktail" with founding member Brian Haas as well as Sean Layton, Dove McHargue, Matt Leland, & Kyle Wright. The band then was called the "Sphere Jazz Quartet" and then eventually the name that would stick, Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey. JFJO's current lineup consists of Brian Haas on piano
, Chris Combs on lap steel, Jeff Harshbarger on upright bass
and Josh Raymer on drums
.
in 1994, JFJO became a trio in the summer of 2000, initially performing as the Jacob Fred Trio in January 2000. Drummer Matthew Edwards left the group in early 2001; his replacement was Richard Haas, the brother of Brian, who performed with the group until October 2001. Jason Smart joined in late October 2001, becoming a member of the band until 2007. After Smart's departure, in June 2007, it was announced that Josh Raymer would be replacing Smart on drums. They have toured extensively, opening for the likes of Al Di Meola
and Sound Tribe Sector 9
, and have shared the stage with Bill Frisell
, Les Claypool
, Marshall Allen
, George Garzone
, Steve Kimock
and the Everyone Orchestra, among others.
JFJO's music is not easily categorized; although it is mostly in the jazz idiom, it draws from the avant-garde
, funk
and rock music
. JFJO has often been, somewhat incorrectly, labeled a jam band
. Critic Alex Henderson describes the band's music as a "mildly avant-garde blend of jazz, rock and funk [that] draws on a wide variety of influences... Often quirky, eccentric and abstract, JFJO favors an inside/outside approach but is usually more inside than outside.", while critic Scott Yanow
describes the group as "fascinating". Their live shows include compositions by John Coltrane
, Duke Ellington
, Charles Mingus
, and Thelonious Monk
among others, and include long experimental improvisations that, at times, could be considered atonal. Furthermore, the band's early years as an octet featured a strong hip-hop influence.
's Hyena Records. Noteworthy for being JFJO's first studio album to contain acoustic piano, Walking With Giants was also the band's first studio album since 2000's Self is Gone.
2005 saw the release of their second album under Dorn and Hyena, The Sameness of Difference, the first release to include JFJO's uniquely arranged covers of songs by diverse contemporary musicians such as Björk
and The Flaming Lips
, as well as Dave Brubeck
, Charles Mingus
, Jimi Hendrix
, Brian Wilson
, and Neil Young
. It also features original compositions by Haas, Smart and Mathis.
In 2005 the band also released 4 Improvisations For The Ghosts, an almost ambient
collection of live spontaneous music. In 2006 JFJO also put out the live compilation Tomorrow We'll Know Today: Live in USA and Europe as an online-only release.
The Fred toured little in 2007, as they spent a large amount of time working on their next record in the studio. Drummer Josh Raymer joined the band in June 2007, immediately getting his feet wet at Freihofer's Jazz Festival in Saratoga Springs, New York amongst others. The same year a live sampler of material from the September tour of 2007 was released as an online-only free EP under the title Rich Mahogany.
2008 found the band touring predominantly as a quartet behind their 2008 Hyena release Lil' Tae Rides Again, which was released in April of that year. "Lil' Tae" is considered a departure for JFJO, as it contains many electronic
elements. The band recorded the rough tracks for "Lil' Tae", then asked friend of the band and electronic music producer Tae Mayulks to remix the tracks to his liking; hence the album title Lil' Tae Rides Again.
Following the album's release, JFJO took Meyulks' creations and transcribed them for live performance, performing the album in its entirety night after night during a spring 2008 tour. An official live version, Lil' Tae Rides Again / Live was compiled and edited by the band, combining performances from Portland, Denver, and Tulsa, and released as a digital download available through several online vendors.
During the 2008 tours, the quartet lineup shifted depending on the tour, and was either Haas/Raymer/Mathis/Tomshany or Haas/Raymer/Combs/Tomshany. The band performed high-profile shows at venues such as the JVC Jazz Festival in Newport, Rhode Island and Lincoln Center in NYC.
In October 2008 the band returned to Europe as a trio (Haas/Mathis/Raymer). The tour brought great acclaim including a Guinness Jazz Award for Best New Band at the Cork Jazz Festival
. This tour would prove to be the last full tour with founding member Mathis, who left to "pursue other musical endeavors." Two other trio shows were played on December 5 and 6.
2008 ended with a special New Year's Eve show in Tulsa, Oklahoma where the band played their own set as well as a 'superjam' set with members of Callupsie & The Doldrums featuring the music of Michael Jackson, Prince, and Lionel Richie.
would be amicably parting ways, and that Mathis would no longer be involved with JFJO. Negative rumors about the "split" have circulated in the media, but both Haas and Mathis have made an effort to clarify that the decision was mutual. In a March 2009 interview, Brian Haas explained it this way:
The lineup of Haas/Raymer/Hayes/Combs made its debut at the NYC Winter Jazz Festival on January 10, 2009 to a packed house at Kenny's Castaways in New York City.
In early 2009, Jacob Fred formed their own record label
, named Kinnara
Records. The name Kinnara was chosen due to the members' strong identification with Buddhist and Hindu
ideals. The half-bird, half-woman goddess Kinnara is representative of beauty, grace and accomplishment, and translates to "heavenly music" in Sanskrit
.
On July 17, 2009, JFJO announced a cluster of seven nights in which they would be opening for Phish
bassist Mike Gordon
. The tour is set to run through venues in the Midwest, New England, and Ontario.
Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey were winners of the 8th annual Independent Music Awards
Vox Pop vote for best New Age Album Lil' Tae Rides Again.
The first half of 2010 found JFJO touring both the West & East Coasts here in the States, as well as the entire month of March in Europe. In April the band announced that they were parting ways with bassist Matt Hayes and would be bringing on Kansas City resident Jeff Harshbarger as their new double bassist. Harshbarger made his JFJO premier on April 17 with two consecutive performances for Record Store Day and the release of the 7" vinyl single "The Sensation of Seeing Light".
In June JFJO premiered their 'Ludwig' project to an ecstatic audience & rave reviews for the bands reinterpretations of Beethoven's 3rd & 6th alongside the 50 piece Bartlesville Symphony Orchestra. The band also released their 20th album, Stay Gold, as CD & double vinyl on June 22. In support of the release the band toured with the new quartet lineup in June including dates at the Rochester International Jazz Festival and the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art. The band has further plans for touring in September and October 2010 stretching from New Orleans to Louisville to Seattle to LA.
In early 2011, the group recorded "The Race Riot Suite", about the Tulsa race riot
of 1921, at Tulsa's Church Studio.
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
group started in Tulsa, Oklahoma
Tulsa, Oklahoma
Tulsa is the second-largest city in the state of Oklahoma and 46th-largest city in the United States. With a population of 391,906 as of the 2010 census, it is the principal municipality of the Tulsa Metropolitan Area, a region with 937,478 residents in the MSA and 988,454 in the CSA. Tulsa's...
in 1994. The band's lineup has changed multiple times over the years. The group first formed under the moniker "Pimp Cocktail" with founding member Brian Haas as well as Sean Layton, Dove McHargue, Matt Leland, & Kyle Wright. The band then was called the "Sphere Jazz Quartet" and then eventually the name that would stick, Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey. JFJO's current lineup consists of Brian Haas on piano
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
, Chris Combs on lap steel, Jeff Harshbarger on upright bass
Double bass
The double bass, also called the string bass, upright bass, standup bass or contrabass, is the largest and lowest-pitched bowed string instrument in the modern symphony orchestra, with strings usually tuned to E1, A1, D2 and G2...
and Josh Raymer on drums
Drum kit
A drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
.
History and classifications
Originating in Tulsa, Oklahoma as an octet with a horn sectionHorn section
In music, a horn section can refer to several groups of musicians. It can refer to the musicians in a symphony orchestra who play the horn . In a British-style brass band it refers to the tenor horn players. In popular music, it can also refer to a small group of wind instrumentalists who augment a...
in 1994, JFJO became a trio in the summer of 2000, initially performing as the Jacob Fred Trio in January 2000. Drummer Matthew Edwards left the group in early 2001; his replacement was Richard Haas, the brother of Brian, who performed with the group until October 2001. Jason Smart joined in late October 2001, becoming a member of the band until 2007. After Smart's departure, in June 2007, it was announced that Josh Raymer would be replacing Smart on drums. They have toured extensively, opening for the likes of Al Di Meola
Al Di Meola
Al Di Meola is an acclaimed American jazz fusion and Latin guitarist, composer, and record producer of Italian origin. With a musical career that has spanned more than three decades, he has become respected as one of the most influential guitarists in jazz to date...
and Sound Tribe Sector 9
Sound Tribe Sector 9
Sound Tribe Sector 9 is an instrumental band known for their live performances. The band’s genre-blending sound is based heavily on instrumental rock and electronic music crossed with elements of funk, jazz, drum and bass, psychedelia, and hip hop...
, and have shared the stage with Bill Frisell
Bill Frisell
William Richard "Bill" Frisell is an American guitarist and composer.One of the leading guitarists in jazz since the late 1980s, Frisell's eclectic music touches on progressive folk, classical music, country music, noise and more...
, Les Claypool
Les Claypool
Leslie Edward "Les" Claypool is an American musician and writer, best known as the lead vocalist and bassist in the band Primus. Claypool's playing style on the electric bass mixes tapping, flamenco-like strumming, whammy bar bends and slapping.Claypool has also self produced and engineered his...
, Marshall Allen
Marshall Allen
Marshall Belford Allen is an American free jazz and avant-garde jazz alto saxophone player. He also performs on flute, oboe, piccolo, and EVI ....
, George Garzone
George Garzone
George Garzone is a saxophonist and jazz educator residing in New York city.Saxophonist George Garzone is a member of The Fringe, a jazz trio founded in 1972 that includes bassist John Lockwood and drummer Bob Gullotti, that performs regularly in the Boston area and has toured world wide. The...
, Steve Kimock
Steve Kimock
-External links:** at the Internet Archive's live music archive* at the Internet Archive's live music archive* at Internet Archive's live music archive*, San Francisco, April 3, 1999*, Unofficial Fan Forum...
and the Everyone Orchestra, among others.
JFJO's music is not easily categorized; although it is mostly in the jazz idiom, it draws from the avant-garde
Avant-garde music
Avant-garde music is a term used to characterize music which is thought to be ahead of its time, i.e. containing innovative elements or fusing different genres....
, funk
Funk
Funk is a music genre that originated in the mid-late 1960s when African American musicians blended soul music, jazz and R&B into a rhythmic, danceable new form of music. Funk de-emphasizes melody and harmony and brings a strong rhythmic groove of electric bass and drums to the foreground...
and rock music
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
. JFJO has often been, somewhat incorrectly, labeled a jam band
Jam band
-Ambiguity:By the late 1990s use of the term jam band also became ambiguous. An editorial at jamband.com suggested that any band of which a primary band such as Phish has done a cover of be included as jam band. The example was including New York post-punk band Talking Heads after Phish performed...
. Critic Alex Henderson describes the band's music as a "mildly avant-garde blend of jazz, rock and funk [that] draws on a wide variety of influences... Often quirky, eccentric and abstract, JFJO favors an inside/outside approach but is usually more inside than outside.", while critic Scott Yanow
Scott Yanow
Scott Yanow is an American jazz commentator, known for many contributions to the Allmusic website, for writing ten books on jazz and for reviewing jazz recordings for over 30 years.-Biography:...
describes the group as "fascinating". Their live shows include compositions by John Coltrane
John Coltrane
John William Coltrane was an American jazz saxophonist and composer. Working in the bebop and hard bop idioms early in his career, Coltrane helped pioneer the use of modes in jazz and later was at the forefront of free jazz...
, Duke Ellington
Duke Ellington
Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington was an American composer, pianist, and big band leader. Ellington wrote over 1,000 compositions...
, Charles Mingus
Charles Mingus
Charles Mingus Jr. was an American jazz musician, composer, bandleader, and civil rights activist.Mingus's compositions retained the hot and soulful feel of hard bop and drew heavily from black gospel music while sometimes drawing on elements of Third stream, free jazz, and classical music...
, and Thelonious Monk
Thelonious Monk
Thelonious Sphere Monk was an American jazz pianist and composer considered "one of the giants of American music". Monk had a unique improvisational style and made numerous contributions to the standard jazz repertoire, including "Epistrophy", "'Round Midnight", "Blue Monk", "Straight, No Chaser"...
among others, and include long experimental improvisations that, at times, could be considered atonal. Furthermore, the band's early years as an octet featured a strong hip-hop influence.
2004 - 2008
In 2004 the band released Walking With Giants, their first album with noted producer Joel DornJoel Dorn
Joel Dorn was an American jazz and R&B music producer and record label entrepreneur. He worked at Atlantic Records, and later founded the 32 Jazz, Label M, and Hyena Records labels...
's Hyena Records. Noteworthy for being JFJO's first studio album to contain acoustic piano, Walking With Giants was also the band's first studio album since 2000's Self is Gone.
2005 saw the release of their second album under Dorn and Hyena, The Sameness of Difference, the first release to include JFJO's uniquely arranged covers of songs by diverse contemporary musicians such as Björk
Björk
Björk Guðmundsdóttir , known as Björk , is an Icelandic singer-songwriter. Her eclectic musical style has achieved popular acknowledgement and popularity within many musical genres, such as rock, jazz, electronic dance music, classical and folk...
and The Flaming Lips
The Flaming Lips
The Flaming Lips are an American alternative rock band, formed in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma in 1983.Melodically, their sound contains lush, multi-layered, psychedelic rock arrangements, but lyrically their compositions show elements of space rock, including unusual song and album titles—such as "What...
, as well as Dave Brubeck
Dave Brubeck
David Warren "Dave" Brubeck is an American jazz pianist. He has written a number of jazz standards, including "In Your Own Sweet Way" and "The Duke". Brubeck's style ranges from refined to bombastic, reflecting his mother's attempts at classical training and his improvisational skills...
, Charles Mingus
Charles Mingus
Charles Mingus Jr. was an American jazz musician, composer, bandleader, and civil rights activist.Mingus's compositions retained the hot and soulful feel of hard bop and drew heavily from black gospel music while sometimes drawing on elements of Third stream, free jazz, and classical music...
, Jimi Hendrix
Jimi Hendrix
James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix was an American guitarist and singer-songwriter...
, Brian Wilson
Brian Wilson
Brian Douglas Wilson is an American musician, best known as the leader and chief songwriter of the group The Beach Boys. Within the band, Wilson played bass and keyboards, also providing part-time lead vocals and, more often, backing vocals, harmonizing in falsetto with the group...
, and Neil Young
Neil Young
Neil Percival Young, OC, OM is a Canadian singer-songwriter who is widely regarded as one of the most influential musicians of his generation...
. It also features original compositions by Haas, Smart and Mathis.
In 2005 the band also released 4 Improvisations For The Ghosts, an almost ambient
Ambient music
Ambient music is a musical genre that focuses largely on the timbral characteristics of sounds, often organized or performed to evoke an "atmospheric", "visual" or "unobtrusive" quality.- History :...
collection of live spontaneous music. In 2006 JFJO also put out the live compilation Tomorrow We'll Know Today: Live in USA and Europe as an online-only release.
The Fred toured little in 2007, as they spent a large amount of time working on their next record in the studio. Drummer Josh Raymer joined the band in June 2007, immediately getting his feet wet at Freihofer's Jazz Festival in Saratoga Springs, New York amongst others. The same year a live sampler of material from the September tour of 2007 was released as an online-only free EP under the title Rich Mahogany.
2008 found the band touring predominantly as a quartet behind their 2008 Hyena release Lil' Tae Rides Again, which was released in April of that year. "Lil' Tae" is considered a departure for JFJO, as it contains many electronic
Electronic music
Electronic music is music that employs electronic musical instruments and electronic music technology in its production. In general a distinction can be made between sound produced using electromechanical means and that produced using electronic technology. Examples of electromechanical sound...
elements. The band recorded the rough tracks for "Lil' Tae", then asked friend of the band and electronic music producer Tae Mayulks to remix the tracks to his liking; hence the album title Lil' Tae Rides Again.
Following the album's release, JFJO took Meyulks' creations and transcribed them for live performance, performing the album in its entirety night after night during a spring 2008 tour. An official live version, Lil' Tae Rides Again / Live was compiled and edited by the band, combining performances from Portland, Denver, and Tulsa, and released as a digital download available through several online vendors.
During the 2008 tours, the quartet lineup shifted depending on the tour, and was either Haas/Raymer/Mathis/Tomshany or Haas/Raymer/Combs/Tomshany. The band performed high-profile shows at venues such as the JVC Jazz Festival in Newport, Rhode Island and Lincoln Center in NYC.
In October 2008 the band returned to Europe as a trio (Haas/Mathis/Raymer). The tour brought great acclaim including a Guinness Jazz Award for Best New Band at the Cork Jazz Festival
Cork Jazz Festival
The Cork Jazz Festival is an annual music festival held in Cork City, Ireland in late October every year since 1978.The festival is Ireland's biggest jazz event and attracts hundreds of musicians and thousands of music fans to the city each year....
. This tour would prove to be the last full tour with founding member Mathis, who left to "pursue other musical endeavors." Two other trio shows were played on December 5 and 6.
2008 ended with a special New Year's Eve show in Tulsa, Oklahoma where the band played their own set as well as a 'superjam' set with members of Callupsie & The Doldrums featuring the music of Michael Jackson, Prince, and Lionel Richie.
2009 - present
In early 2009 it was announced that founding members Brian Haas and Reed MathisReed Mathis
Reed Mathis is an American composer, record producer, and multi-instrumentalist from Tulsa, Oklahoma. He is highly regarded for his innovative use of effected bass as well as his stylistic versatility...
would be amicably parting ways, and that Mathis would no longer be involved with JFJO. Negative rumors about the "split" have circulated in the media, but both Haas and Mathis have made an effort to clarify that the decision was mutual. In a March 2009 interview, Brian Haas explained it this way:
The lineup of Haas/Raymer/Hayes/Combs made its debut at the NYC Winter Jazz Festival on January 10, 2009 to a packed house at Kenny's Castaways in New York City.
In early 2009, Jacob Fred formed their own record label
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
, named Kinnara
Kinnara
In Buddhist mythology and Hindu mythology, a kinnara is a paradigmatic lover, a celestial musician, half-human and half-horse or half-bird...
Records. The name Kinnara was chosen due to the members' strong identification with Buddhist and Hindu
Hindu
Hindu refers to an identity associated with the philosophical, religious and cultural systems that are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. As used in the Constitution of India, the word "Hindu" is also attributed to all persons professing any Indian religion...
ideals. The half-bird, half-woman goddess Kinnara is representative of beauty, grace and accomplishment, and translates to "heavenly music" in Sanskrit
Sanskrit
Sanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand...
.
On July 17, 2009, JFJO announced a cluster of seven nights in which they would be opening for Phish
Phish
Phish is an American rock band noted for its musical improvisation, extended jams, and exploration of music across genres. Formed at the University of Vermont in 1983 , the band's four members – Trey Anastasio , Mike Gordon , Jon Fishman , and Page McConnell Phish is an American rock band...
bassist Mike Gordon
Mike Gordon
Mike Gordon is a bass guitar player and vocalist most noted for his work with the rock band Phish. Gordon is also an accomplished banjo player, and is proficient at piano, guitar, harmonica and percussion...
. The tour is set to run through venues in the Midwest, New England, and Ontario.
Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey were winners of the 8th annual Independent Music Awards
The Independent Music Awards
The Independent Music Awards is an international program that honors top-ranked independent artists and releases in more than 50 Album, Song, Music Video and Design categories....
Vox Pop vote for best New Age Album Lil' Tae Rides Again.
The first half of 2010 found JFJO touring both the West & East Coasts here in the States, as well as the entire month of March in Europe. In April the band announced that they were parting ways with bassist Matt Hayes and would be bringing on Kansas City resident Jeff Harshbarger as their new double bassist. Harshbarger made his JFJO premier on April 17 with two consecutive performances for Record Store Day and the release of the 7" vinyl single "The Sensation of Seeing Light".
In June JFJO premiered their 'Ludwig' project to an ecstatic audience & rave reviews for the bands reinterpretations of Beethoven's 3rd & 6th alongside the 50 piece Bartlesville Symphony Orchestra. The band also released their 20th album, Stay Gold, as CD & double vinyl on June 22. In support of the release the band toured with the new quartet lineup in June including dates at the Rochester International Jazz Festival and the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art. The band has further plans for touring in September and October 2010 stretching from New Orleans to Louisville to Seattle to LA.
In early 2011, the group recorded "The Race Riot Suite", about the Tulsa race riot
Tulsa Race Riot
The Tulsa race riot was a large-scale racially motivated conflict, May 31 - June 1st 1921, between the white and black communities of Tulsa, Oklahoma, in which the wealthiest African-American community in the United States, the Greenwood District also known as 'The Negro Wall St' was burned to the...
of 1921, at Tulsa's Church Studio.
Members
- Brian Haas - Acoustic piano, Fender Rhodes, and MelodicaMelodicaThe melodica, also known as the "blow-organ" or "key-flute", is a free-reed instrument similar to the melodeon and harmonica. It has a musical keyboard on top, and is played by blowing air through a mouthpiece that fits into a hole in the side of the instrument. Pressing a key opens a hole,...
(1994–present) - Joshua Raymer - drums (2007–present)
- Chris Combs - Electric guitarElectric guitarAn electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker...
, Lap steel guitarLap steel guitarThe lap steel guitar is a type of steel guitar, an instrument derived from and similar to the guitar. The player changes pitch by pressing a metal or glass bar against the strings instead of by pressing strings against the fingerboard....
(2008–present) - Jeff Harshbarger - Double bass, (2010–present)
- Dove McHargue - Electric guitar, vocals (1994–2000)
- Kyle Wright - TrumpetTrumpetThe trumpet is the musical instrument with the highest register in the brass family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BCE. They are played by blowing air through closed lips, producing a "buzzing" sound which starts a standing wave vibration in the air...
(1994–2000) - Matt Leland - TromboneTromboneThe trombone is a musical instrument in the brass family. Like all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player’s vibrating lips cause the air column inside the instrument to vibrate...
, vocals (1994–1999) - Rod Mackey - Tenor saxophoneTenor saxophoneThe tenor saxophone is a medium-sized member of the saxophone family, a group of instruments invented by Adolphe Sax in the 1840s. The tenor, with the alto, are the two most common types of saxophones. The tenor is pitched in the key of B, and written as a transposing instrument in the treble...
(1994–1995) - Sean Layton - drums, percussionPercussion instrumentA percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration...
, vocals (1994–1999) - Matthew Edwards - drums, percussion (1994–2001)
- Richard Haas - drums (2001)
- Jason Smart - drums (2001–2007)
- Peter Tomshany - Electric guitar (2008)
- Reed MathisReed MathisReed Mathis is an American composer, record producer, and multi-instrumentalist from Tulsa, Oklahoma. He is highly regarded for his innovative use of effected bass as well as his stylistic versatility...
- Fender jazz bassFender Jazz BassThe Jazz Bass was the second model of electric bass created by Leo Fender. The bass is distinct from the Precision Bass in that its tone is brighter and richer in the midrange and treble with less emphasis on the fundamental harmonic...
with effects pedals, double bass, celloCelloThe cello is a bowed string instrument with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is a member of the violin family of musical instruments, which also includes the violin, viola, and double bass. Old forms of the instrument in the Baroque era are baryton and viol .A person who plays a cello is...
, Espana acoustic bass guitar, Gibson Les PaulGibson Les PaulThe Gibson Les Paul was the result of a design collaboration between Gibson Guitar Corporation and the late jazz guitarist and electronics inventor Les Paul. In 1950, with the introduction of the Fender Telecaster to the musical market, electric guitars became a public craze. In reaction, Gibson...
, Lap steel guitar (1994–2008) - Matt Hayes - Double bass, (2009–2010)
Discography
JFJO frequently releases free audio recordings of live shows for download on their official website, as does Brian Haas for his own solo side projects. In 2009 the band's studio album "Winterwood" was released as a completely free download.| Album information | |
|---|---|
Stay Gold
|
|
| The Sensation of Seeing Light [7" vinyl single]
|
|
| One Day in Brooklyn [EP]
|
|
| Winterwood
|
|
| Lil' Tae Rides Again: LIVE
|
|
| Lil' Tae Rides Again
|
|
| Rich Mahongany [EP]
|
|
| Tomorrow We'll Know Today: Live in USA and Europe
|
|
| The Sameness of Difference
|
|
| 4 Improvisations For The Ghosts
|
|
| Walking With Giants
|
|
| Symbiosis Osmosis
|
|
| Slow Breath, Silent Mind
|
|
| Telluride is Acoustic
|
|
| All Is One: Live in New York City
|
|
| Self Is Gone
|
|
| Bloom
|
|
| Live At Your Mama's House
|
|
| Sean Layton: A Musical Retrospective
|
|
| Welcome Home
|
|
| Live In Tokyo
|
|
| Live At The Lincoln Continental
|