Artist Interview

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Here is a mini interview that I'm conducting with various jazz guitarists that are listed on this site. Some of the same questions are presented to every guitarist.

Jack A. Jucker

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  • Performed and recorded with the Army Jazz Ambassadors
  • Studio Music/Guitar Major at the University of Miami
  • Played, performed and studied jazz guitar for over 30 years
  • Taught at Universities and privately for over 20 years.
  • Lectured on improvisation at jazz festivals
  • Studied with Bill Biesecker, Dennis Sandole, Pat Martino, Howard Roberts, Herb Ellis, Barney Kessel, Andrew White, Marc Copeland, Rick Whitehead, Randall Dollahan, Stan Samole, Larry Wooldridge
  • Performed live broadcasts for the Today Show, numerous other television and radio broadcasts
  • Performed with Steve Abshire, Eddie Baccus, Greg Bandy, Keter Betts, Paul Bollenback, Dr. Glenn Cashman, Marc Copeland, Danny Gatton, Ellory Eskelin, Shannon Ford, Kathy Lee Gifford, Drew Gress, Jamey Haddad, Paul Horn, Bruce Hornsby, Randy Johnston, Greg Karukas, T. Lavitz, Mike Lee, Hank Levy, Joe Lovano, Rich Madison, Terry Plumeri, John Previti, Dianne Reeves, Howard Roberts, Jim Roberts, Dan Wall, Rick Whitehead, and many others.
  • Performed in pit-bands for many broadway shows in the DC area
  • Many local jazz performances in the DC and Cleveland area
  • Author of: Sheets of Sound for Guitar, a unique and exciting jazz guitar melodic/harmonic technique book. The book is endorsed by Henry Johnson, Jimmy Bruno, John Pisano, Paul Horn, T. Lavitz and more.
  • Currently working on a new book for Mel Bay entitled Line Games for Guitar
    • Currently endorsing:
    • Hofner Guitars (www.hofner.com)
    • Raezers Edge Cabinets (www.raezers-edge.com)
    • Fuchs Amplifiers (www.fuchsaudiotechnology.com)
    • DLS Effects (www.dlseffects.com)
    • TGTools Music Software (www.tgtools.com)
    • Goldwein Research publishing tools (www.goldwein.com)
    • Pollack Photography (www.pollackstudio.com)
  • Large internet presence and following through www.jazguitar.net and www.sheetsofsound.net

The Interview (April 2004)

(JazzGuitarResources) As a Jazz guitarist who where you early influences?

(JAZ) My early influences were Barney Kessel, Joe Pass and Wes Montgomery. Barney's "To Swing or Not to Swing Vol III" was the first jazz guitar piece I transcribed.

(JGR) What about jazz drew you to the form?

(CS) My dad was a jazz bassist. He exhibited extraordinary patience playing Curtis Mayfield, Jimi Hendrix and Eric Clapton music with me - Always encouraging me to listen to more complicated music but never putting down the music I liked. What drew me to the music was the perfect fusion of feel and intellect.

(JGR) Do you see any commercial potential in jazz?

(JAZ) Not in its purist form. I believe swing jazz (particularly with vocals) will continue to be relatively popular in dinner clubs. Until public schools begin offering more jazz in the curriculum, the sales of jazz will continue to be sparse. The evolution of jazz continues, however. Some jazz musicians such as Rodney Jones are successfully integrating hip-hop rhythms into the music. I believe that is essential to the survival of the music. Jazz was never meant to be a historical music in the same sense that classical music is.

(JGR) For all the guitarists with GAS out there what is you current gigging setup?

(JAZ) I'm currently using Hofner Guitars. A Jazzica for quiet gigs and a Verythin for louder gigs. Both are the best sounding guitars I've ever owned. They play like butter and look and feel wonderful too. I'm using a Fuchs Jazz Classic head through Raezer's Edge Cabs. Fuchs is making the best amplifiers on the market today. I've been using Rich Raezer's cabinets for years. Rich is the *ONLY* cabinet maker that understands what a jazz guitar should sound like. Every other cabinet is either made cheaply like "Leo" made them in the '60s or they are made to engineering specifications. Rich combines the engineering know-how with the learned ear of a jazz guitarist to finely tune his cabinets to the sound that jazz guitarists are looking for and it shows. I'm also using a DLS Chorus and DLS Echo pedal. His pedals are incredibly rugged and are digital but don't sound like it!

(JGR) How can I transcend the instrument to become a jazz musician and not just a jazz guitarist?

(JAZ) I have been working on this conundrum for 30 years. I have recently released a 300 page compendium of jazz guitar Melodic and Harmonic Technique which I believe for the first time, puts the answer to this question within reach of the average jazz guitarist. The book is called "Sheets of Sound for Guitar" and I believe any intermediate to advanced jazz guitarist can grow their melodic and harmonic technique by leaps and bounds utilizing the material in this book. The book is highly endorsed by such notables as Rodney Jones, Henry Johnson, John Pisano, Jimmy Bruno to name a few. Check it out at http://www.sheetsofsound.net.

(JGR) How do you feel the internet adds to jazz guitar? I for one have gotten a lot of value from it for my jazzguitarresources.com site and my personal site. Also, allows one to interact with lots of great jazz guitarists.

(JAZ) I think the internet and the computer are wonderful learning aids. The plethora of information and audio examples make learning such a complex endeaver as jazz guitar much easier than when I was coming up. My 14 year old son is a perfect example. He's been playing for a year and already, he has chops to die for. He spends many hours a day learning material he's found on the internet. Sites such as yours add immensely to the pedagogy of the jazz guitar.

For more information on Jack Zucker visit: www.sheetsofsound.com

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