Album 1: Far From Home

My most recent original music project has been my album of jazz compositions titled Far From Home. My goal has been to write music that has its own personality and voice but uses the conventions of older style jazz "standards". This music represents my first large composition project, and it is my hope that listeners will find my music to be relaxing, fun, and relatable . 

The following recordings are of my original jazz compositions written during 2014, recorded in October and January by Kevin Bowe at the Institute of Production and Recording (IPR) in Minneapolis with myself on guitars and vocals, Graydon Peterson on bass, and mixed and mastered by Adam Tucker at Signaturetone Recording in Minneapolis. Photography for all my albums was taken by Robert Wagner. This album is heavily influenced by solo jazz guitarists like Joe Pass, Martin Taylor, and Lenny Breau. As a result of those influences, this album is a mix of solo guitar, guitar duets (inspired by Joe Pass and Herb Ellis duets), and guitar and bass duets (inspired by Joe Pass and NHOP duets and Lenny Breau and Dave Young duets). 

Check out the following interview done by Phil Nusbaum of myself on Minnesota Public Radio's Jazz 88.5 KBEM Twin Cities Weekend series about my albums:

Album1: Iron Chops Live At Jazz Central 1:

http://kevinbowe.com/

http://www.signaturetonerecording.com/

IF YOU LIKE MY MUSIC AND WANT TO DONATE: What is most important to me is that my music is listened to and heard. What would be most helpful to me as an artist is if you could please share my music with at least one friend who you think may enjoy my content.  If you want to download any of my albums for free, please do, and if you feel so inclined to donate for "Far From Home" or "Chitarra" sonata, you're donations are welcome and appreciated and you may do so through the band camp links on this page that are below each album title and description. 

CD RELEASE GIG: My album was released April 25th 2015 at Steve Kenny's Saturday Night Jazz Series at the Black Dog in Lowertown St. Paul MN.

http://blackdogstpaul.com/

YOU CAN LISTEN TO THE ALBUM BELOW AND DOWNLOAD IT FROM THIS LINK:

https://jonwood.bandcamp.com/album/far-from-home

ALBUM 2: CHITARRA SONATA

In February of 2015 I auditioned at several graduate schools for their masters in classical guitar performance programs. In March I recorded my favorite pieces from my audition material for my first classical guitar CD titled "Chitarra Sonata". Chitarra Sonata features pieces from the classical, modern, and baroque eras, including my arrangement for guitar of Bach's third sonata in C major for solo violin, BWV 1005. 

Chitarra Sonata was recorded, mixed, and mastered by Adam Tucker at Signaturetone Recording in Minneapolis. I use a nylon acoustic guitar made by local luthier Stephen Kakos for this recording. Tracks 8 and 9 are live recordings from my undergraduate senior recital at the University of St. Thomas (recorded/mixed/mastered by myself).

DOWNLOAD ALBUM HERE:

https://jonwood.bandcamp.com/album/chitarra-sonata

Album 3: Iron Chops Live at Jazz Central Studios 2

Below are recordings from the first performance of my band "Iron Chops". Sometimes my group also goes under the name Strange Ear Riddle depending on the line up and content. This concert was performed and recorded at Jazz Central Studios in Minneapolis Minnesota on February 16th 2015. While there is not a set line up for the group, the following recordings feature musicians from the Twin Cities area that I enjoy working with and consider my "first call" for any gigs. I attempt to blend multiple styles in my band, particularly flamenco, country, classical, and jazz.

http://jazzcentralstudios.org/about/

Guitar: Jon Wood

Saxaphone: Dave Brattain

Piano: Javier Santiago 

http://www.javisantiago.com/

Bass: Greydon Peterson

Drums: Mac Santiago

http://inchronicity.com/Inchronicity.php

DOWNLOAD THIS PERFORMANCE HERE:

https://jonwood.bandcamp.com/album/iron-chops-live-at-jazz-central

Album 4: Dirty

Below is my fourth recording. The digital downloads were released in January of 2018. At the end of spring 2017 I graduated with a masters degree in classical guitar performance from Illinois State University (ISU). As part of my masters degree I got to perform a recital during my last semester. The recordings below are from my recital in April of 2017 and feature music that I had worked on as a graduate student. My focus in preparation for this recital was on performing significant compositions from each major era of the classical genre: renaissance, baroque, classical, romantic, and the 20th century. What I enjoy about this CD is that I captured a sense of rhythmic motion and sometimes even a danceable quality to each piece. My goal was not to hit every note accurately but instead to move the listeners body in the way that dance music does. In classical guitar playing without missing a note, regardless of musical expression, is labeled as playing "clean." This album is called dirty.

DOWNLOAD ALBUM HERE:

https://jonwood.bandcamp.com/album/dirty

Album 5: Iron Chops Live at Jazz Central Studios 3

Below are recordings from a performance with my band "Iron Chops". This concert was performed and recorded at Jazz Central Studios in Minneapolis Minnesota on April 1st 2019. While there is not a set line up for the group, the following recordings feature musicians from the Twin Cities area that I enjoy working with and consider my "first call" for any gigs.

http://jazzcentralstudios.org/about/

Guitar: Jon Wood

Saxaphone/Flute: Dave Brattain

Saxaphone/Flute: Joe Mayo

Piano: Ted Godbout

Bass: Ryan Hayes

Drums: Mac Santiago

http://inchronicity.com/Inchronicity.php

Album 6: Iron Chops Live at Jazz Central Studios 4, Geoff LeCrone & Jon “Woody” Wood

Below are recordings from a performance with my band "Iron Chops". This concert was performed and recorded at Jazz Central Studios in Minneapolis Minnesota on August 12th 2022. While there is not a set line up for the group, the following recordings feature musicians from the Twin Cities area that I enjoy working with and consider my old friends. Below is the promo for the gig:

Geoff LeCrone and Jon "Woody" Wood are both alumni of the University of St. Thomas (UST) in St. Paul MN. They both studied under recently retired jazz instructor Joan Griffith who around the same time also taught local guitarists David Feily (another UST alumni) and local flamenco/jazz guitarist Ben Abrahamson. All four guitarists also played in the Minnesota Jazz Guitar Summit in 2015 at Jazz Central Studios along with Joan and several other local guitar greats.

Geoff and John will be playing a mix of material including Horace Silver, Tad Dameron,  Tito Puente, and McCoy Tyner. In addition to the broader jazz tradition tribute will be paid to some of the guitar greats including Barney Kessel, George Benson, Django Reinhardt, Kenny Burrell, Charlie Byrd, Fareed Haque, and Rodney Jones.

Band:

Geoff LeCrone: Guitar.

Jon Wood: Guitar.

Joe Mayo: tenor and soprano saxophone and flute.

Lasse Corson: Piano.

Matt Peterson: Bass.

Mac Santiago: Percussion.

Album 7: JCS 2023/02/03 The Melon Farmers

In February 2023 I played with Joe Mayo, Dave Brattain, Matt Peterson, and Mac Santiago at Jazz Central Studios in Minneapolis Minnesota. The pieces we played where from the modern jazz repertoire from performers like Steve Swallow, Joe Lovano, and Jerry Bergonzi. The name Melon Farmers is an overdub in a movie replacing a curse word. For myself this was one of my first ventures into relatively more modern jazz pieces and use of modern jazz guitar effects like chorus, delay, distortion. I was heavily influenced in my sound by players like Peter Bernstein, Kurt Rosenwinkle, Mick Goodrick, Gilad Hekselman, Vic Juris, and Mike Stern.

Album 8 2023/02/10 Bar Centro Milwaukee WI: Bootleg

A bootleg iPhone recording of my Milwaukee group playing at one of the premiere jazz venues in downtown Milwaukee

Album 9 2023/10/07: Milwaukee’s Jazz Flux at Jazz Central Studios:

Album 10 Iron Chops Live at Jazz Central Studios: Guitar From Beginning To The Present.

This is a live album I recorded with my band Iron Chops 2024/02/24 at Jazz Central Studios in Minneapolis Minnesota.

This concert was programatic. I picked a song from each decade/era/style of jazz and paired it with a guitar from that same time period. To the degree I could I tried to use appropriate instruments in the ensemble; for example the use of Soprano on the 20s and gypsy tune and the use of bass with bow on the opening melody of the gypsy tune in imitation of the violin where efforts to use authentic instrumentation or at. least get as close as I could. Same with flute on the Brazilian and latin jazz tunes.

Each song opens with an explanation of why the song was chosen, the time period the song represents, the guitar I use, the other instrumentation, and I also highlight one or two guitarists from that time period or style of guitar playing that are, relatively speaking, off the beaten trail and less well known but still great players.

Album 11: Modern Jazz

Check out this recording I posted on YouTube of Iron Chops at Jazz Central with me playing in stereo and the band playing some Jacki McClean, Jerri Bergonzi, and other great tunes.

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLeabajlF1ZHzECL91eRO0yCcdTbdNSozb

Contemporary Jazz Guitarists:

I made a recording with my Milwaukee band in March of 2026 of contemporary jazz guitarists using a zoom portable recording device:

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLeabajlF1ZHxAvyEuWNzcsYNBvYbJjKlT

Remote Performing:

In 2024 I built a home recording studio. I occasional record a half an hour or more of music with me on solo guitar or using a looper. I recorded a killer Christmas CD. Those can be found in this playlist on YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLeabajlF1ZHxSsRDH6D4x5MaXGWIF8akz

Examples of Other Compositional Styles:

Classical

Pop