Jason Newsom

Jason Newsom is a solo guitarist and vocalist from Portland, Ore. His unique slap-funk guitar approach has been called “absorbing” (Jazznow.com) and his compositions have been described as “supremely funky” (The Oregonian), “fresh and innovative” (JazzReview.com), and “full of smart melodies” (Jazz Society of Oregon). He is the bandleader and composer for the funk jazz group Anomalous Quintet, which has released three CDs of original music

Born in 1965 in Kansas City, Mo, he did not begin playing guitar until age 20. Although he was self-taught for many years, he later studied guitar privately in Phoenix, AZ and studied harmony, arranging, and jazz guitar at the University of Pittsburgh School of Music. He began developing his own finger-style, slap-funk guitar approach in the early 1990s inspired by bass and finger-style guitar players. He is most influenced by guitar players George Barnes, Leo Kottke, and Walter Becker and composers Thelonious Monk, Donald Fagen, and Sly Stone.

EQUIPMENT Jason plays a 1988 Fender Strat Plus with D'Addariio XL 10 gauge strings and a Mesa Boogie Blue Angel Dual Rectifier 2 x 10 Speaker Amplifier

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