Jack Grassel is an American

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...

guitarist, teacher, and author from Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Career

With a family to support, Grassel turned to teaching music and playing jazz locally. He worked with Rosemary Clooney, Slide Hampton,

Stanley Jordan Stanley Jordan (born July 31, 1959) is an American jazz guitarist noted for his playing technique, which involves tapping his fingers on the fretboard of the guitar with both hands. Music career Jordan was born in Chicago, Illinois, United St ...

Ed Thigpen Edmund Leonard Thigpen (December 28, 1930 – January 13, 2010) was an American jazz drummer, best known for his work with the Oscar Peterson trio from 1959 to 1965. Thigpen also performed with the Billy Taylor trio from 1956 to 1959. Biograp ...

, and Nancy Wilson. He created the Occupational Music degree program at

Milwaukee Area Technical College Milwaukee Area Technical College (or MATC) is a public two-year vocational-technical college based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. MATC offers day, evening, and weekend classes at campuses in downtown Milwaukee, Oak Creek, West Allis, and Mequon. ...

and wrote the books ''Big Ax'' and ''Super Ax''. He formed Frozen Sky Records. As a result of the first two records of his compositions "Magic Cereal" and "If You're Too Crazy", he was featured in the New Talent section of ''

Guitar Player ''Guitar Player'' is an American popular magazine for guitarists, founded in 1967 in San Jose, California San Jose, officially San José (; ; ), is a major city in the U.S. state of California that is the cultural, financial, and politica ...

'' magazine and became a contributing writer. He later invented an instrument he named the "SuperAx" which contained both guitar and

bass guitar The bass guitar, electric bass or simply bass (), is the lowest-pitched member of the string family. It is a plucked string instrument similar in appearance and construction to an electric or an acoustic guitar, but with a longer neck and ...

strings. His friend, guitarist Kirk Tatnall, built one, too, and they recorded the album ''Live at the Uptowner'' with their hybrid instruments. The Hofner guitar company hired Grassel to record a promotional album, ''Guitar Smoke''. In 2000, readers of ''Guitar One'' magazine voted Grassel "one of the 10 best guitarists in America." He married vocalist Jill Jensen, and they recorded five albums: Seems Like Dreams, It's About the Music, Snow People. Live at the Carlton Grange and Jack and Jill Jazz.

Discography

* ''Magic Cereal'' (Frozen Sky, 1986) * ''If You're Too Crazy for You Body'' (Frozen Sky, 1989) * ''Solo Burner'' (Frozen Sky, 1993) * ''Christmas Presence'' (Frozen Sky, 1998) * ''Guitar Smoke'' (Frozen Sky, 2001) * ''Live at the Uptowner'' (Frozen Sky, 2002) * ''Thunderstones'' (Frozen Sky, 2002) * ''Matrix'' (Frozen Sky, 2003) * ''Two Guys with Guitars'' (Frozen Sky, 2004) * ''Ghost Ridge'' (Frozen Sky, 2002) * ''10'' (Frozen Sky, 2006)

Bibliography

* 1974 ''Guitar Seeds'' * 1976 ''Monster Chops'' * 1992 ''Power Practicing'' * 1994 ''Big Ax'' * 1996 ''Super Ax'' * 1998 ''Jazz Guitar Favorites'' * 1998 ''Jazz Guitar Classics'' * 1998 ''Jazz Guitar Standards'' * 2002 ''Jazz Rhythm Guitar'' * 2004 ''Brain Training'' * 2004 ''131 Axercises'' * 2008 ''70 Jazz Compositions'' * 2020 ''The Reharmonized Real Book''

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Grassel, Jack 1948 births Living people Milwaukee Area Technical College people American jazz guitarists 20th-century American guitarists