Jon Wirtz--Pianist, Composer, Teacher

About Me

Arriving on the CO scene in May of 2003, I have played piano/keys for about 20 years now. I have played all kinds of music, with the past 10 years focusing primarily on jazz, improvisational and experimental music (although certainly not exclusively). In that time I have composed around 100+ songs, and continue to write. In 2003 I formed a electronic jazz trio called The Sputter, which was nominated for 2006 Best Jazz Band of the year by the Westword, as well as having our debut album selected as one of the best local albums for 2006 by the same publication. I've been fortunate to play with a lot of great musicians, and have even gotten to share the stage with the likes of Ekoostik Hookah, Liquid Soul, Drums and Tuba, Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey, Particle, Robbie Krieger, Shawn Colvin, Roger Clyne and the Peacemakers, Cross Canadian Ragweed, and the Gin Blossoms.Over the past few years, I've had the honor of working with some real masters of their craft, including Grammy Award winning producer Malcolm Burn. Currently I am studying under internationally recognized composer/teacher/pianist (and grammy nominated) Art Lande, which is an honor itself. While the past few years have been filled with great opportunities--getting to play and even headline the Fox Theatre in Boulder, opening for Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey, opening for and sitting in with Particle, covering a DJ Shadow album with a live band, touring to Mexico, recording a full album with Angie Stevens and the Beautiful Wreck and Malcolm Burn, and having my musical world reshaped by some great teachers--I'm anxious to see what's in store for 2009 . . .

My Interests

Music:

Member Since: 28/09/2007
Band Website: www.myspace.com/lswjazz
Band Members: Current/recent projects inlcude:Angie Stevens and the Beautiful Wreck, LSW, solo piano, studio work, and teaching.

Myspace Backgrounds

Influences: Brad Mehldau, Art Lande, Bad Plus, Keith Jarrett, Kneebody, Terence Blanchard, Billy Joel, B.B. King, Eric Clapton, Phish, Page McConnell, Bruce Hornsby, Thelonious Monk, Bud Powell, Dave Cieri, Justin Adams, Miles Davis, Rage Against the Machine, Tom Waits, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Medeski Martin and Wood, John Medeski, John Scofield, Bob Marley, Weezer, Wynton Marsalis, Herbie Hancock, Sigur Ros, Yo Yo Ma, Allman Brothers, Steely Dan, Jukebox Soul, Jaywalking, Urth, The Duo, The Sputter, Bumba's Creation, Jimmy Smith, Paul Simon, Disco Biscuits, Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey, Brian Haas, James Brown, Benny Lackner, anyone willing to take risks for their art, those who are always truly themselves, my family, friends, Life, a Higher Power, and the list is continually growing . . .
Sounds Like:While on tour with Radio Jetstream . . . rockin' out on "You Can't Always Get What You Want" (Rolling Stones) . . .Playing with Angie Stevens and the Beautiful Wreck, opening for Roger Clyne and the Peacemakers at the Aggie Theater, Ft. Collins, CO. July 9th, 2008.
Type of Label: Major

My Blog

CO Music Buzz article for LSW trio . . .

Miles Davis once said, For me, music and life are all about style. One interprets this quote, as music is indeed a lifestyle. That remark sounds cliché and it seems to be a hit slogan for some hip...
Posted by on Thu, 02 Apr 2009 22:53:00 GMT

food for thought (for doubters)

I'm not normally one for blogs, for whatever reason I thought this was worth sharing . . . No matter what decisions a person makes, it's nearly impossible not to look back and wonder what the other ch...
Posted by on Mon, 02 Mar 2009 19:46:00 GMT

Fresh air

"This is the center of the universe at this moment unless you're looking in another direction, or are thinking about something from a long time ago, in which case it will wait quietly right here until...
Posted by on Thu, 26 Feb 2009 20:32:00 GMT

Shadow Sessions review

By Patrick Lee January 7, 2009 DJ Shadow dismantled the hip-hop rule book 13 years ago when he released Endtroducing, a dense, psychedelic nightmare constructed entirely from samples that ranks high o...
Posted by on Fri, 16 Jan 2009 19:55:00 GMT

LSW live tonight . . . Last gig for a few months . . . so come check it out!

Hello all . . Just wanted to thank everyone who braved the cold this past Tuesday night for our debut. It turned out to be a great night of music for our debut and a wonderful time had by us an...
Posted by on Fri, 05 Dec 2008 22:30:00 GMT

Let me aurally stimulate you tonight . . .

Hello all . . . Some of you have heard, some of you haven't, but all of you should . . . Tonight is the debut of my newest project, LSW trio ( dan Luehring, jimmy Stofer, jon Wirtz), and we will be pe...
Posted by on Tue, 02 Dec 2008 07:15:00 GMT

One of those songs you wish you had written yourself (or at least i do)

Just thought I'd share. "My Bottle in the Water," by Teague Alexy, from his album The Love and the Struggle: The world is not as kind as once was thought previous. It can be deman...
Posted by on Sun, 21 Sep 2008 21:46:00 GMT

Kinda scary.

Here's a copy of an email I received the other day, that I thought I'd share. Yesterday was John McCain's 72nd birthday. If elected, he'd be the oldest president ever inaugurated. And after months of ...
Posted by on Tue, 02 Sep 2008 19:20:00 GMT

bummer

So I saw that one of my favorite groups--Brad Mehldau Trio-- is releasing a new live album at the end of March, which I was excited about. Until I saw the track listing, which included a cover o...
Posted by on Thu, 06 Mar 2008 10:08:00 GMT