Jake Cinninger

Jake Cinninger
Cinninger of Umphrey's McGee performing May 23, 2009
Background information
Birth name	Jacob Alan Cinninger
Born	(1975-12-16) December 16, 1975 (age 41) Niles, Michigan United States
Genres	Progressive rock, Jam band, country, jazz
Occupation(s)	Musician, songwriter
Instruments	Guitar, vocals, Keyboards, Drums
Years active	1997–present
Labels	Monkey Fuzz, SCI Fidelity, Nothing Too Fancy Music
Associated acts	Umphrey's McGee, Ali Baba's Tahini, Visions, Bad Hair Tuesday, North Indiana All Stars, Brain Damaged Eggmen, OHMphrey

Jake Cinninger, born Jacob Alan Cinninger, December 16, 1975 in Niles, Michigan, is an American musician. He has risen to fame as one of two lead guitarists in the Chicago-based jam band Umphrey's McGee. He is influenced by a wide range of styles and guitar players such as Joe Pass, Tommy Emmanuel, Chris Poland, Randy Rhoads, George Benson, David Gilmour, Frank Zappa, and Roy Buchanan among others.

Cinninger was raised in Niles, Michigan where he says his parents' extensive record collection influenced his eclectic tastes in music. Cinninger began playing in many bands by the age of 12, ranging in styles from jazz fusion to country music. After spending some time in the Berklee School of Music, he took classical guitar lessons from Gerry Zubko in Roseland, South Bend, Indiana. In 1997, he started his own band, Ali Baba's Tahini and regularly played shows alongside of another local band, Umphrey's McGee. Cinninger chose to learn his chops by playing with others rather than attend a college musical curriculum, as many of his friends did. Eventually, Ali Baba's Tahini disbanded in 2000 and Cinninger accepted an offer to join as a full-time member of Umphrey's McGee in 2000.

Since joining the band, he has, along with founder Brendan Bayliss, become one of the group's main songwriters.

In 2001, Cinninger released a self-titled solo album released on the Monkey Fuzz Records label. Several of its tracks developed into Umphrey's McGee songs, such as "Blue Echo," "Utopian Sky" which became "Utopian Fir," and "Aster Heights" which contained parts of "Roulette" and "Last Man Swerving."

In 2004, five years after their initial split, Cinninger reformed Ali Baba's Tahini to record an album in the North Carolina mountains.