Jordan Tice (born April 9, 1987) is an American guitarist and vocalist based in

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and ...

. He is known for his solo work in the progressive bluegrass and Americana genres, and through collaborative projects such as Hawktail, which features

Brittany Haas Brittany Haas (born 1987) is an American fiddle player, who also sings and plays the banjo. She is a member of the Boston-based alternative bluegrass band Crooked Still, which is currently on hiatus. She is a regular performer on Live From Her ...

Paul Kowert Paul Kowert (born July 18, 1986) is an American bassist and composer. His styles include classical, bluegrass, and progressive bluegrass. He is a member of the progressive acoustic quintet Punch Brothers and a founding member of Hawktail, an aco ...

, and Dominick Leslie.

Early life

Tice was born and raised in Annapolis, MD. His parents both played bluegrass music. His mother, Sue Raines, performed and recorded in the 1970s with Buffalo Gals, one of the earliest all-female bluegrass groups. Tice started out playing rock guitar but soon switched to taking jazz and classical lessons. He went on to earn a degree in music and composition from

Towson University Towson University (TU or Towson) is a public university in Towson, Maryland. Founded in 1866 as Maryland's first training school for teachers, Towson University is a part of the University System of Maryland. Since its founding, the university h ...

. He moved to Boston in 2009, then New York City from 2012–15, and has been based in Nashville since 2015.

Career

Since 2005, Tice has released five solo records in addition to performing and recording on many collaborative projects. He has had a long relationship with

Patuxent Music Patuxent Music is an independent record label in Rockville, Maryland. History Bluegrass musician Tom Mindte started recording music by other artists in 1984 with a reel to reel recorder in his father's air conditioning shop. In 1990 Tom opened ...

, a well known bluegrass label from Rockville, Maryland. His first three records were instrumental and featured many of his original compositions while ''Horse County'' was the first to feature singing. His most recent album, ''Motivational Speakeasy'', was produced by Kenneth Pattengale of

The Milk Carton Kids The Milk Carton Kids are an American indie folk duo from Eagle Rock, Los Angeles, Eagle Rock, California, United States, consisting of singers and guitarists Kenneth Pattengale and Joey Ryan, who began making music together in early 2011. The ba ...

and released on Padiddle Records (founded by Paul Kowert of

Punch Brothers Punch Brothers is an American band consisting of Chris Thile (mandolin), Gabe Witcher (fiddle/violin), Noam Pikelny (banjo), Chris Eldridge (guitar), and Paul Kowert (bass). Their style has been described as "bluegrass instrumentation and sponta ...

). In addition to his solo work, he has performed and recorded with the progressive instrumental roots band Hawktail, and its predecessor trio Haas Kowert Tice, as well as a trio composed of himself, banjoist Wes Corbett (Joy Kills Sorrow), and hammered dulcimer player Simon Chrisman. Tice has also played on records from Adam Hurt, Andrew Marlin (

Mandolin Orange Watchhouse (formerly Mandolin Orange) is an Americana/ folk duo based in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. The group was formed in 2009 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina and consists of songwriter Andrew Marlin (vocals, mandolin, guitar, banjo) and Emily ...

), David Rawlings Machine, and

Carrie Newcomer Carrie Newcomer is an American singer, songwriter and author. She has produced 19 solo CDs and has received numerous awards for her music and related charitable activities. She has done numerous collaborations with authors, academics, philosop ...

. He played guitar on ''The John Hartford Fiddle Tune Project, Vol 1'' which was nominated for a 2021

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pr ...

in the bluegrass category. Some of his biggest early instrumental influences were progressive bluegrass musicians like

Tony Rice David Anthony Rice (June 8, 1951 – December 25, 2020), known professionally as Tony Rice, was an American guitarist and bluegrass musician. He was an influential acoustic guitar player in bluegrass, progressive bluegrass, newgrass and a ...

and

Béla Fleck Béla Anton Leoš Fleck (born July 10, 1958) is an American banjo player. An acclaimed virtuoso, he is an innovative and technically proficient pioneer and ambassador of the banjo, bringing the instrument from its bluegrass roots to jazz, classi ...

and more recently songwriters with a traditional music background such as Norman Blake,

John Hartford John Cowan Hartford (December 30, 1937 – June 4, 2001) was an American folk, country, and bluegrass composer and musician known for his mastery of the fiddle and banjo, as well as for his witty lyrics, unique vocal style, and extensive kn ...

, and

Bob Dylan Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan, born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Often regarded as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture during a career sp ...

. Tice has performed around the world and made appearances at festivals such as Telluride, Grey Fox, Strawberry Music Festival, and RockyGrass. In 2012, alongside

Tony Trischka Anthony Cattell Trischka (born January 16, 1949) is an American five-string banjo player. Sandra Brennan wrote of him in 2021: "One of the most influential modern banjoists, both in several forms of bluegrass music and occasionally in jazz and ...

he performed the music for

Steve Martin Stephen Glenn Martin (born August 14, 1945) is an American actor, comedian, writer, producer, and musician. He has won five Grammy Awards, a Primetime Emmy Award, and was awarded an Honorary Academy Award in 2013. Additionally, he was nominate ...

's score for '' As You Like It'' (

Shakespeare in the Park Shakespeare in the Park is a term for outdoor festivals featuring productions of William Shakespeare's plays. The term originated with the New York Shakespeare Festival in New York City's Central Park, originally created by Joseph Papp. This c ...

). He also frequently performs with Yola, including on her Tiny Desk (From Home) show. ''

American Songwriter ''American Songwriter'' is a bimonthly magazine covering songwriting. Established in 1984, it features interviews, songwriting tips, news, reviews and lyric contest. The magazine is based in Nashville, Tennessee. History The ''American Songwri ...

'' noted that ''Motivational Speakeasy'' conveys Tice's "considerable evolution as one of the prime movers of the modern newgrass movement." ''Main Street Nashville'' wrote that "''Motivational Speakeasy'' is like nothing you’ve ever heard before. He is a musicians’ musician playing exactly as he pleases, and the end result is nothing short of remarkable." ''

PopMatters ''PopMatters'' is an international online magazine of cultural criticism that covers aspects of popular culture. ''PopMatters'' publishes reviews, interviews, and essays on cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, fi ...

'' highlighted his song "Bad Little Idea" and wrote that "for one as musically adept as him... the intricacies of his performance are best met by a feeling of irreverence." The ''

Seattle Post-Intelligencer The ''Seattle Post-Intelligencer'' (popularly known as the ''Seattle P-I'', the ''Post-Intelligencer'', or simply the ''P-I'') is an online newspaper and former print newspaper based in Seattle, Washington, United States. The newspaper was f ...

'' praised Tice's new solo work as "a reminder of how much you can accomplish with just a guitar, a compelling voice, and a batch of appealing songs.

Discography

Solo

* ''Motivational Speakeasy'' (2020) * ''Horse County'' (2016) * ''The Secret History'' (2011) * ''Long Story'' (2008) * ''No Place Better'' (2006)

with Hawktail

* ''Formations'' (2020) * ''Unless'' (2018) * Place of Growth (2022)

with Haas Kowert Tice

* ''You Got This'' (2014)

other recording projects

* ''Fire and Fable'' (2021), Andrew Marlin * ''Witching Hour'' (2021), Andrew Marlin * ''Back to the Earth'' (2020), Adam Hurt * ''Alexa Wildish'' (2020), Alexa Wildish * ''The John Hartford Fiddle Tune Project, Vol 1'' (2020), various artists * ''The Beautiful Not Yet'' (2016),

* ''Nashville Obsolete'' (2015),

Dave Rawlings Machine David Todd Rawlings (born December 31, 1969) is an American guitarist, singer, and record producer. He is known for his partnership with singer and songwriter Gillian Welch. He and Welch were nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Son ...

* ''Corbett/Chrisman/Tice'' (2008), Corbett/Chrisman/Tice * ''Ownself Blues'' (2008), Frank Wakefield

References

External links

Official Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tice, Jordan 1987 births Living people Towson University alumni 21st-century American male musicians Bluegrass musicians 21st-century American guitarists Guitarists from Maryland